Here are this weeks Asian horror cinema releases that I could find.
As usual, I’m including any new theatrical releases, limited releases, and re-releases in a new country – if I have missed any at time of posting, you can leave a comment, as no doubt I have! (Hopefully not, though).
Indonesia – Paket Santet
Release date: August 27, 2026
Country: Indonesia
Genre: Horror
Also known as A Delivery from Hell, this is the latest Indonesian horror film to bring the country’s obsession with black magic and curses to the big screen, directed by Dinna Jasanti and produced by BASE Entertainment, the title Paket Santet gives you a pretty good idea of what you’re getting.
A mysterious package turns up and, because nobody in a horror movie has ever learned the simple lesson of don’t open the suspicious thing, the recipient ends up dealing with something considerably more unpleasant than whatever they were expecting to find inside.
Thailand – 00:00 Midnight Incense
Release date: August 27, 2026
Country: Thailand
Genre: Supernatural Horror
00:00 Midnight Incense (ธูป เที่ยง วิญญาณ) might have the best premise of the week – directed by Worarit Ninklom, this Thai horror story revolves around people being offered somewhere to live for free, which sounds fantastic, until they discover there’s one tiny condition attached – every night at midnight, they have to light incense, and fail to follow the rules and the supernatural consequences are rather more serious than being asked to move out.
Cambodia – Arwah
Release date: August 24, 2026
Country: Indonesia
Genre: Horror
Directed by Ivan Bandhito, Arwah is an Indonesian supernatural horror film receiving a theatrical release in Cambodia on August 24, where the film centres on supernatural disturbances involving spirits and the dead, with its story seemingly drawing on Indonesian beliefs surrounding arwah, the souls or spirits of deceased people, from what I can gather.
Cambodia – Becoming Human
Release date: August 27, 2026
Country: Cambodia
Genre: Supernatural Drama
Becoming Human (Cheate Chea Mnoussaea) sits further towards the supernatural-drama end of the genre spectrum, rather than horror, but I will include it anyway – the Cambodian horror film is directed by Polen Ly and produced by Anti-Archive, one of Cambodia’s more interesting independent production companies, and follows a guardian spirit living inside an abandoned cinema.
The spirit observes the violence and cruelty of the human world while questioning whether it should remain a supernatural being or attempt to become human, starring Serak Savorn and Piseth Chhun and is produced by Anti-Archive.
Becoming Human also won the Golden Hanoman Award at the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival.
Malaysia – Haunted Universities 4
Release date: August 27, 2026
Country: Thailand
Genre: Horror Comedy
Haunted Universities 4, also known as Term 4, arrives in Malaysian cinemas on August 27, where the anthology continues the franchise’s fascination with university ghost stories, with this instalment expanding the concept across four regions of Thailand, giving us multiple locations and supernatural stories rather than one long haunted-campus adventure.
Taiwan – The Rope Curse 4: Kuntilanak
Release date: August 27, 2026
Country: Taiwan
Genre: Folk Horror
This is probably the release I’m most interested in this week – The Rope Curse 4: Kuntilanak returns the Taiwanese horror franchise to cinemas on August 27, but this time the filmmakers have decided that Taiwanese folklore alone isn’t enough, so they’ve gone to Indonesia, and they’ve brought back a Kuntilanak.
The previous three Rope Curse films have also reportedly earned more than NT$200 million combined in Taiwan.
Cambodia – The Possessed House
Release date: August 27, 2026
Country: Cambodia
Genre: Horror / Thriller
The Possessed House (ផ្ទះឃុំព្រលឹង), produced by Mediaload Pictures also releases this week according to Legend Cinema listings, where the film centres on a mysterious house with a dark history, and when an investigation into a past crime begins to uncover something considerably more disturbing the events of the past seemingly refusing to stay buried.
Philippines – Hope
Release date: August 26, 2026
Country: South Korea
Genre: Sci-Fi Action Horror Thriller
Finally, there’s Hope, the new Korean genre film from Na Hong-jin, the director of The Chaser, The Yellow Sea and The Wailing, which is scheduled to arrive in Philippine cinemas on August 26, giving it another Asian theatrical release outside South Korea, where the film combines science fiction, action, creature feature horror and thriller elements – and with Na Hong-jin involved, I’m would not be expecting something particularly cheerful here.
More recent Asian horror movie releases.
Leave a Reply