Have you watched every mainstream horror movie there is and feel like they just don’t hit the same anymore? Then it’s time to broaden your horizons and check out a terrifying hidden gem on Netflix that’s been creeping out the few who’ve dared to watch it. It offers a chillingly unique experience that stands apart from your typical mainstream scares. But we must warn you! It isn't for the faint of heart, nor is it your average ghost story or jump-scare horror.
Prepare to be disturbed both during and after watching this movie. Now, if you’re brave enough to take the plunge, head on over to Netflix to watch Incantation, a horror film that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about fear.
Incantation is a Taiwanese found footage supernatural folk horror film that Kevin Ko directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Chang Che-wei. It's inspired by a real-life gruesome incident in the Gushan District of Taiwan in 2005, where a family of six claimed to have been possessed by demons. As a result of this possession, they allegedly engaged in disturbing ritual acts that ended with the tragic death of the eldest daughter. Although Incantation is inspired by this real-life event, it also blends in fictional elements to heighten its horror storyline.
Told through a found footage format, Incantation centers on Li Ronan (portrayed by Tsai Hsuan-yen), who accidentally violated a sacred religious taboo during a trip to a secluded village six years earlier. That fateful mistake unleashed a deadly curse that now endangers her young daughter, Dodo (Huang Sin-ting). As Ronan desperately tries to save her, she begins to unravel terrifying secrets about the curse and where it came from. Also joining Hsuan-yen and Sin-ting in the cast are Kao Ying-hsuan as Ming, Sean Lin as Dom, and RQ (Wen Ching-yu) as Yuan.
Sometimes you don't need jump scares or endless gore to make your skin crawl. Instead, a horror experience can be just as terrifying when it builds a tense, eerie atmosphere and uses unsettling visuals. These elements can create a slow, growing feeling of fear and discomfort, which gradually becomes more intense and emotionally unsettling, almost to the point where you feel it physically. That's what Incantation delivers in spades. The horror builds gradually, infecting you with a creeping dread that you can't shake off.
With each passing moment, the tension mounts, leaving you in a constant state of unease, unsure of what will come next. The found footage style only amplifies that unease, making everything feel disturbingly real and immediate. It blurs the line between fiction and reality, pulling you into the cursed world of the protagonist as if you're uncovering the horrors right alongside her. It feels like you’re not just watching Ronan's nightmare. You feel like you’re part of it as well, which makes every chilling moment hit even harder.
Another interesting element of the film is how it involves the viewer. Throughout the movie, you're urged to chant an incantation and focus on a cursed symbol, seemingly to assist the main character. However, as the story progresses, it becomes increasingly apparent that something isn't quite right. I'm not going to spoil anything, but just know it's a chilling twist that unfolds as the film moves forward, turning what seemed like an innocent act of helping into something far more sinister.
Overall, Incantation is a deeply immersive and unnerving horror experience that takes its time to sink into your bones. But once it does, it grips you tightly and doesn’t let go. Don't miss out on what could be your next favorite horror film!