Incantation (2022) Review – A Chilling and Visceral Taiwanese Ritual
Incantation: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A disturbing and masterfully crafted supernatural thriller that stands as a high-water mark for modern found footage. Incantation succeeds by weaving together traditional Asian folklore with a raw, emotionally resonant story of a mother’s desperate love. While it occasionally struggles with a protracted 110-minute runtime and a slightly gimmicky final act, the film more than compensates with its relentless atmosphere and skin-crawling body horror. Director Kevin Ko manages to create a sense of genuine sacrilege that feels both authentic and dangerous, anchored by a powerful lead performance from Hsuan-yen Tsai. It is a 3.8 star experience that respects the viewer’s intelligence while simultaneously assaulting their senses. If you have a stomach for practical effects and the patience for a slower-burning narrative, Incantation is essential viewing that proves there is still plenty of life—and terror—left in the found footage genre.
Details: Director: Kevin Ko | Cast: Hsuan-yen Tsai, Huang Sin-ting, Kao Ying-hsuan | Runtime: 1h 50m | Release Date: 18 March 2022
Best for: Fans of high-concept Asian horror like Noroi: The Curse and viewers who appreciate folklore-based supernatural mysteries with a visceral edge.
Worth noting: Upon its release, the film became the highest-grossing Taiwanese horror movie of all time, largely due to a viral marketing campaign that leaned into the film’s “cursed” narrative.
Where to Watch: Netflix Exclusive, Amazon🛒
Rating: 3.8/5 Stars
(A powerful and atmospheric ritual horror with exceptional practical effects, slightly marred by its length.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing Taiwanese found footage, supernatural, horror movie Incantation.
Highlights
A mother’s love
Directed by Kevin Ko, Incantation attempts to take everything that made Noroi: The Curse so successful, refine it and and put out something genuinely chilling for modern horror audiences. Does it succeed? Let’s take a look.
Incantation follows the story of Li Ro-nan (Hsuan-yen Tsai). A number of years ago. Ronan travelled to a small village with a group of friends. Hoping to record footage of a religious ceremony that takes place in the village. Ronan and her friends broke a religious taboo, leading to Ronan being cursed. Back in the present day, Ronan is a parent to a young girl. Hoping to avoid passing her curse on, Ronan is forced to do whatever she can to save her child’s life. Including revisiting the place of her nightmares.
Incantation‘s story is a fairly simple one and boils down to one simple premise. The lengths a parent will go to, to protect their children. Filmed in a found footage style, the movie plays out as something of a journal of events, recorded and narrated by Ronan. We follow her journey from regaining custody of her child right through to her realising her curse may pass on and accepting what she must do to prevent it.
Lots of familial drama
Naturally, we are talking about a horror movie. Incantation‘s primary focus is on scaring and unsettling the viewer. But there is a significant amount of familial drama here. Ronan has been something of a questionably capable parent. Whether that is your cup of tea or not may factor into how much you enjoy Incantation. It can get in the way a little bit but it does play a pivotal role in the plot.
“When Incantation finds its groove, it is an incredibly effective supernatural horror movie. Focusing on themes of religion, rituals, and sacrilege, it will feel familiar to fans of Asian horror.”
When Incantation finds its groove, however. It is an incredibly effective supernatural horror movie. Focusing on themes of religion, rituals and sacrilege, Incantation should feel fairly familiar to anyone who is a fan of Asian horror. Small, isolated, villages with, seemingly, bizarre systems of beliefs are pretty common tropes. As are the horrific outcomes when they open their doors to outsiders
Incantation really throws everything at the viewer. From shocking scenes of sudden violence to toe curling body horror and ultra tense, claustrophobic, moments of suspense. It’s a really nice balance. The movie is incredibly atmospheric. Maintaining a distinct feeling of gloom and threat throughout.
Some of the scenes are legitimately unsettling, as well. It’s impossible not to feel ill at ease as characters wander through tunnels in the dark. That’s without mentioning the blistered skin and brutal scenes of self harm. It’s powerful stuff and stays with you.
Realistic and relatable
The found footage presentation style offers Incantation a distinct feeling of realism. It is guilty of stepping briefly into farce towards the end. Leaning far too heavily into a weak attempt at creating viral popularity but, for the most part, the gritty camera work and slightly unorthodox angles makes everything feel more authentic.
Characters feel exposed and vulnerable, events are believable, there is a serious rawness to everything that works incredibly well. It draws you in and makes you invest in the characters.
Placing a young child at the centre of many of the scares is another effective move. Impacting the viewer in a more significant way than if we were watching an adult. I am sure any parent can relate to the lengths Ronan will go to for her child. Making the movie connect more with certain viewers than others. Not everyone is going to enjoy this approach. But, for those that do, they may find themselves more invested.
“Incantation doesn’t go too over the top with its visuals; it keeps things simple and that is what makes it so effective. Some of the scenes are wince-inducing for their realism.”
It’s never easy to see a child in peril and some of the scenes here may be difficult for some. The fantastic practical effects and makeup add massively to the sense of realism. Making some of the stuff we see incredibly impactful. Incantation doesn’t go too over the top with its visuals, it keeps things simple and that is what makes it so effective. Some of the scenes are wince inducing for their realism. The practical effects and makeup team deserve a bunch of credit here.
A bit too long and a bit silly in parts
It has to be said, Incantation is far too long. It runs around 110 minutes which is a real slog for a found footage. This is something of a trait of Asian horror movies; they are always rather long. They invest heavily in their storytelling, refusing to trim elements that, otherwise, might seem rather unnecessary. There is a fair bit of fluff here that adds little to the plot, the timeline bounces around haphazardly, as well. Making it a bit of a difficult follow for people with concentration issues.
The movie does feel a little bit silly, in parts, as well. There are a few scenes that look rather ridiculous, something that is only compounded by the found footage presentation. The most notable issue, however, is the movie’s bizarre fourth wall breaking toward the end. It feels like an attempt at viral marketing. Like something that they hoped would be shared on TikTok or the like. It’s odd and feels rather cheesy in what is an otherwise serious movie. Again, not a major issue but something that bears mention.
Well acted
Acting is fantastic throughout. Hsuan-yen Tsai, as Li Ronan, is great. She, obviously, carries the weight of the movie. Featuring in the majority of scenes and narrating for much of the film. She is always believable and does a brilliant job of expressing emotion. Bringing a sense of gravity to many of the scenes. Huang Sin-ting is adorable as her daughter Dodo and does a great job.
Kao Ying-hsuan, as Ming, is effective in a fairly small role. Offering up an outsiders view to events taking place. He is believable and has some powerful scenes towards the end of the movie. All side characters are fine. The cast is strong from top to bottom.
“Incantation is one of the better found footage horror movies of the past 10 years. It isn’t just a decent found footage horror, it is a decent horror movie in its own right.”
Special mention has to go to the research and incorporation of religious elements. The movie features imagery from Buddhism and Hinduism, bringing them into the story in a manner that feels authentic and organic. I’m not the biggest fan of religious horror movies but I appreciate the effort. Everything here feels extremely carefully researched.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Atmospheric Dread: The film maintains a thick sense of gloom and impending threat that is rare even in big-budget horror.
- Practical Effects: The makeup and body horror elements are startlingly realistic, adding a visceral punch to the scares.
- Lead Performance: Hsuan-yen Tsai gives a nuanced and deeply believable performance that makes the mother-daughter bond feel authentic.
The Bad
- Pacing Issues: At nearly two hours, the film feels overlong, with certain dramatic segments dragging the momentum of the horror.
- Confusing Timeline: The narrative jumps back and forth between past and present haphazardly, which can be difficult for some viewers to track.
- Fourth-Wall Break: A specific sequence towards the end feels more like a viral TikTok challenge than a piece of serious cinema.
The Ugly: The Tunnel Sequence. The claustrophobic journey through the forbidden tunnel is a masterclass in tension that will leave you feeling genuinely unsettled.
Should You Watch Incantation?
Absolutely. It is a 3.8 star horror that delivers on its promise of being one of the most chilling found footage films of the decade. While it requires a bit of patience, the payoff is visceral and the story is haunting. If you appreciated the procedural horror of The Medium or the folklore depth of Noroi, this Taiwanese ritual nightmare is a must-watch. Just don’t blame us if the curse rubs off.
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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.
A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.
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