If in the west horror festival is usually fall on, or around, October the tenth month, but in the East, regarding to the Chinese calendar and tradition, the 15th night of the seventh lunar month (regularly fall on August of the Western calendar) is always consider as the most horrifying time of the year. The entire seventh month of the Chinese calendar is even called the Ghost Month, a month in which ghosts and spirits are believed to emerge out from the lower world to visit earth. Celebrated mostly in South China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and especially in Singapore and Malaysia, The Ghost Festival is the climax of a series of the Ghost Month celebrations. But there are two different ways people treat the Feast of Hungry Ghosts, much the same as the Mexican holy day, the Day of the Dead. Some people take it as a time to honor and cherish the memories of deceased ancestors, and to offer them food, drink, and other goods to bring them happiness. Others view it as a time to have some fear of the dead, and give offerings in order to stave off the hungry ghosts from hurting them or their loved ones. Now, to begin this bloody wicked month of horrors, below I have listed down some horror movie titles that storyline was inspired by the event. Some probably not the great masterfully made films but they’re still worth watching if you want to add an extra chilling flavor in your own horror festival.

THE MAID (2005)

What’s worst that will happen to a Philippines maid who must acclimate herself to the customs of the Chinese Ghost Month? Employed by a Teochew opera family, a family with many secrets, who give her a place to stay in their dilapidated shophouse, she will soon find herself struggle with a supernatural force that she never has business with before.
Directed by the acclaimed Singapore film-maker, Kelvin Tong, atmospheric horror “The Maid” not only has broke box office records in Singapore but even further it successfully brought home the Asian Award at the 2006 European Fantastic Film Festival Federation along with a citation from the jury: “A very well made – and genuinely scary production. Nicely shot, good SFX, well-crafted – believable characters. Very fine acting – especially from Alessandra de Rossi and Shucheng Chen. It’s not just a scary movie – it’s also a social comment on the issue of foreign labour.”
Using concepts like what do the Chinese folk culture and customs mean to someone foreign? Or how would they deal with such an alien environment? Tong played up the fear factor in this film and made it a thought-provoking and entertaining ghost movie. The protagonist, Rosa, portrayed convincingly by the charming Alessandra de Rossi, is a plain and mild-mannered 18-year-old Filipino maid who has just arrived in Singapore on the first day of the lunar seventh month. Unaware of the Chinese belief, Rosa has unwittingly violated various taboos during this month, and made her bumps into more ghosts on this ‘bump in the night’ seventh month session with a specific ghost having a secret attachment. Particularly when the family’s backward son believes Rosa to be a previous maid he loved, and after she confronts a young girl who tells her that she’s wearing the other maid’s dress, a dark secret begins to form.

Presented by four young directors from Malaysia, this anthology of wicked horror tales set during the Chinese Hungry Ghosts Festival in cosmopolitan Kuala Lumpur. The first tale, entitled “1413” centers on a girl who doesn’t remember the suicide pact that left her best friend dead and herself in the hospital – but now a pale, terrifying figure is stalking the shadowy corridors, and there will be no rest for either of them until a deadly score is settled. The second “Waiting for Them” has an unlucky in love businesswoman upset over the despondent phone calls of a friend. When she finally finds her wondering the street, she seems unusually connected to the supernatural realm. “Nodding Scoop” is the title of the third scary tale about an aspiring young videographer who seeks to photograph a spirit, conjured during a traditional divination ritual. But this is no benign parlor trick. When the callow participants offend the ghost they have summoned for their entertainment, they find to their horror that the game they are playing is for keeps. The last one of four, "Anybody Home?", is a chilling tale of morbid obsession gone to deadly extremes when a psychotic security guard stalks a pretty apartment dweller but unaware of her sinister secret.

A MONTH OF HUNGRY GHOSTS (2008)

A documentary film that captures all rituals and performances, and more, throughout an entire seventh lunar month in Singapore, bringing the vibrant sights and sounds of the festival to the viewer. Starting with the history of the Taoist and Buddhist traditions of ancestor worship and respect & compassion for the dead, this movie colorfully captures this month of ritual, superstition and personal grief and remembrance through the eyes of many of Singapore's inhabitants. From Taoist Masters and Buddhist Lamas to Cab Drivers and Getai pop singers, their stories reveal personal perspectives, candid experiences, and deeply held beliefs. Colorful animated sequences and live events illustrate the 18 levels of Taoist Hell, the origins of the Buddhist offerings to the Hungry Ghosts, and the many gods and spirits represented in the pageantry like the Horse Gods and the Demon King.
WHERE GOT GHOST (2009)

In this film made up of three omnibus horror tales laced with Singaporean humour, weird sightings happen at home in the Lunar 7th Month, there are three brothers who can only think it is their late mother's doings. However, the truth slowly surfaces as they begin their road trip, only this time it seems to be more than what they bargained for. Other segment featuring story about tragic incident that happen to a group of swindler decide to steal some oranges from the roadside, placed there as offerings during the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Directed by Boris Boo and comedian Jack Neo in his first attempt with horror flicks, the crew actually encountered spooky incidents while shooting, especially in the second segment about haunted forest. Strange graphics began to appear on their shooting equipment while damages to machines also make up a pretty unforgettable night for them.

THEY WAIT (2007)

A Canadian horror movie from the creators of ‘White Noise’, the story relying more on psychological fears surrounded by Chinese tradition of ‘Ghost Month’. After three years of living in Shanghai, Sarah (Jaime King), Jason and their son, Sammy, go home to North America for a family funeral. However, on their return something unexpected and terrifying begins to grip this once happy family: Sammy starts to tell Sarah that he is seeing phantoms and ghosts, and before long he falls gravely ill.
With traditional western medicine offering little hope, Sarah turns desperately to a mysterious pharmacist who warns that her son is being held in the death grip of a “living corpse.” To save her child, Sarah must find out what the spirits want before they take his soul for their own purposes. With time running out, Sarah has a single day until the sun rises on the last day of the Chinese month of the ghost, or Sammy will be lost forever. The spirits have spoken their deadly warning.

THE EYE 10 (2005)

In this confusing yet one of the weakest links in Pang Brothers’ “The Eye” franchise, a group of teen considers "seeing ghosts" as just a piece of game. And inspired by a mysterious book that they bought from a shady bookseller, they found details of the "10 Encounters," i.e. the ten methods enabling humans to see ghosts. When they all gather around a Ouija board but no one notices the ghost that joins them so they go on to the next method – leaving food at a street intersection late at night and tapping on the food bowls with chopsticks. This one works all too well and they see more long tongued hungry ghosts than they want to and run away in terror.
GHOST MONTH (2009)

Writer/Director Danny Draven takes the helm for this supernatural horror about an unassuming housekeeper drawn into a terrifying world of vengeful apparitions. According to the Chinese calendar, the seventh month of every year marks the time when the restless spirits of the dead break free from the gates of hell to mix among the mortals. During this time, specific rules must be followed to avoid falling prey to the spirits of the damned. When a solitude-seeking housekeeper arrives at the desert home of a superstitious Chinese woman and her devoutly religious aunt, death senses an opportunity to extend its grip into the mortal realm.

Labeled as the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster crime thriller "Overheard", some viewers would have expected this to be an utterly unusual and much more intricate narrative though ones who have seen the previous film certainly may wonder how they could do a sequel to that story. But in fact this is not actually a sequel or even a prequel, it’s just another film with the same cast and crew and a similar theme, a tragic sad tale of how long-time friends eventually turn enemies when faced with the prospect of huge financial profits. The movie's co-directors Alan Mak and Felix Chong however not only bring together the cast of the first installment but also added two heavyweight actors to take two important supporting roles. The three main characters also got mixed up since Lau Ching-Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu who played a trio of police officers working together in previous film are now take roles on opposite sides of the story. In this case, Lau is a the financial executive caught up in a group of insider traders, Daniel is a former military man out to get revenge against the traders and Louis is a police officer investigating them both. Don’t expect this one as an all out Hong Kong action film because it certainly doesn’t have those Hollywood-styled fast-paced action scenes. In fact, it spends a lot of time talking all things about relatively complicated financial market manipulation that might not be easy for the average viewer to follow or find entertaining. It still has few ‘hold-your-breath’ scenes in between though especially the extended chase scene on busy streets, and overall, “Overheard 2” is still a “watchable” movie despite the relatively subdued ending.

While Franco does his best with a character who makes some radical personality shifts to help the story, beautiful Freida Pinto does well as a primatologist who grows close to Rodman, and John Lithgow shines as his Alzheimers suffering father, it’s Andy Serkis who is the real star as he creates another incredible character in Caesar. You will forget within minutes that the apes are digital and Serkis who deserves all the plaudits for an extraordinary performance surely one that is heightened, not diminished by the motion capture process. Director Rupert Wyatt also took his time creating a back-story and not just diving into action, serves a loving tribute to the classic film by re-working immortal lines and moments in a truly creative way. This is already one of the most emotionally resonant films you will see all year and one that truly deserves Oscar attention. Fist of Dragon For martial arts movie lovers, the tight and impressive fight scenes makes this Malaysia-Singapore film a must watch. However, other than the action that does deliver, especially the ultimate fight in a warehouse with its admirable choreography and the efficient employment of props on the set, you just can’t really hoping much from the rest. The story is so straightforward that you can predict everything from the very beginning to the very end, and the acting from most of the actors are either really wooden and unnatural or just way over the top. It’s refreshing to see another newcomer like Michael Chuah break in the flourishing martial arts genre, and he also got some really good pedigree helping him in the form of the producer who worked on “Ip Man 2”. So, “Fist of Dragon” can really be something to be proud of if just the adrenaline pumping action sequences weren’t served with the undercooked script, unprofessional acting and uninspiring direction. Horrible Bosses The premise is provoking enough to get you into the cinema and providentially the humour delivers with an entertaining ensemble cast that leaves you wanting more. Credits to the three lead actors Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis also the impressive supporting cast, which includes Donald Sutherland, Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, and Kevin Spacey, the movie was raised well beyond what you might expect from the material. It stands out from the rest with a unique and fun plot and though all the characters are pretty one-dimensional, you will enjoy the antics and the twists the film provides. Spacey deserving note for playing a role which would have chilled the spine if you wasn’t too busy laughing while Farrell and Aniston generate two characters who are an absolute delight to hate.

Although half way though “Horrible Bosses” does fall into the comedy genre trap of becoming a little episodic - essentially what we obtain for the final 45 minutes is one shenanigan after the next - it’s this magnificently outrageousness that makes the move so entertaining. Delhi Belly Seem like a Bollywood version of “The Hangover” at first sight but this film produced by one of the most famous Indian actors, Aamir Khan, surprisingly offers a satisfying 95-minute-long comic caper that is absolutely smarter and wittier than the infamous second “Hangover” film. “Delhi Belly” is probably also the most raucous, boisterous, potty-mouthed production ever came from the lively Hindi movie industry. And as some of us frequently criticizes that Hindi movies thrive on beaten-to-death formula, this movie just suddenly came and defies the stereotype and bring a brand new recipe to the table. The story is about three amigos found themselves in complicated situations, the no-nonsense Tashi (Imran Khan), the clueless but talented Arup (Vir Das), and the food-loving, diarrhoea-prone Nitin (Kunal Roy Kapoor), sloppy roommates who live in a lower middle-class neighbourhood in New Delhi. While Tashi works as a journalist, Nitin is a photo journalist with him, and Arup is a cartoonist working under a ‘boss from hell’. Tashi has an air-hostess girlfriend named Sonia (Shehnaz Treasury) and while their lives are hunkering around with no form or feature, two are engaged to be married within a month. But trouble begins when Sonia acts as a courier for an international smuggler. A little daft, she asks Tashi to deliver the package, who in turn gives it to Nitin, who passes it to Arup.

Director Abhinay Deo executes the ‘bizarre turn of events’ script written by Akshat Verma (also the Associate Director) really well. However, he does take some time to get along with the story. Aside the crazy, grungy humours, this film also has just the right amount of twists to hold your attention. Cowboys and Aliens One might expect a high-concept idea like “Cowboys and Aliens” to break some of clichés in Westerns and science fiction genre, but the film really doesn’t have quite that much of power in its final result. The story starts off with a cattle baron who likes to throw his weight around (Harrison Ford) trying to intimidate the local sheriff (Keith Carradine) into releasing his immature, spoiled son who shot a deputy and very unwisely picked a fight with a seriously dangerous fugitive (Daniel Craig) with amnesia. When the aliens show up, the cattle baron — a Civil War veteran — has to team up with the fugitive and the townspeople to find his son and their missing kin and do battle with the aliens.

Borrowing all of the stalest cliches of both genres, it’s exactly what you think it is and what should have been a wild, totally fantastic ride turns out to be leaden, badly-paced and dull. The film also wastes good opportunities with its stellar cast and how disappointed us by the very flatness of the film regarding how well Jon Favreau had previously brought to the summer blockbuster fest. Captain America: The First Avenger In this last film of Marvel Cinematic Universe before next year’s mega team-up that is “The Avengers”, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a frail young man who desperately wants to join the Army to help the United States win World War II. A scientist (Stanley Tucci) working for the government overhears Rogers and convinces him to be a test subject for his experiment. He has developed a serum that enhances the body in almost every way, effectively creating a super soldier. The experiment works perfectly, but Rogers is relegated to the propaganda machine until he proves his worth. He and a special group of soldiers, including best friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) go after Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), an equally unique specimen who runs Hitler’s Hydra research program, but has ambitions of his own.

Joe Johnston’s “Captain America” surely isn’t one of the best comic book movies, it pales in comparison to its Marvel Studios brother "Thor" this season. It also just an effortless tale of goodies versus baddies without a hint of depth, humor or class of Marvel's earlier “X-Men” summer offering. I even was skeptical when Chris Evans was announced for the Cap role and thought he was very wrong for the part, and he proved me right. When Steve Rogers finally becomes Captain America, the movie only starts to wobble before ultimately tumbling.

 There’s word of mouth that cats are extremely capable of being aware of what is happening within their environment. How many pet owners have witnessed their cat seeing something that frightens it? Almost every cat owner can tell the tale of their beloved kitty having its hair stand up on its back, while hissing and spitting at seemingly thin air. Ghost stories would indicate that cats are very perceptive of both the physical and spiritual realms and there are many accounts of cats seeing ghosts including this new horror from South Korea “The Cat: Eyes That Sees Death”.

Launch with the fairly familiar premise, this horror movie surprisingly is pretty engaging and captivating throughout. It’s not only count on the classic shock tricks to make you jump from your chair such as unexpected loud sounds and sudden ghost appearances, but it also has an intriguing mystery and a tight narrative that contributes to increase the suspense.

Since director Byun Seung-Wook is successful enough to deliver his only second directorial effort and first in the genre, also the main star Park Min-yeong provides a convincing performance as an animal groomer who comes face to face with the mysterious cat and the tragic past behind it, “The Cat” can consider as one of the better Asian horror movies this year. No doubt that the comic book artist Troy Nixey, despite his first time in directing, is obviously got a great feel for constructing artistic visuals, and he does a remarkable job with the old mansion as he turn it into a place that’s both beautiful and dreadful by turns. The creatures themselves evidently got Del Toro signature all over them, however, though they look great but they’re less effective than they should be. The cast is strong especially the young Bailee Madison who shows a brilliantly perfect performance, but the storyline is kinda standard and it too shy to add something new to the genre or make it a better horror experience than the classic TV show. The fairy-tale aspect is also not very well-crafted to suggest an appealing fantasy and the scary stuffs aren’t terrifying enough to be exactly chill you to the bones. “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” is also quite slow to build even with its brief running time. It just feel like it should be a better movie than it is. It extremely wasn't easy to look forward to yet another of the “Final Destination” series but somehow it still crazy fun to watch how crazy further is the maker of this fifth film took the premise and concept of the series, as long as you manage your expectations. There are mass amounts of blood and gore for any serious horror fan. First-time director Steven Quale keeps the fear factor up as Death's sinister agenda claims a number of the passengers and then picks at the rest, one by one, in some very very nasty ways that gonna shock you, especially in 3D. But the problem with this fifth destination which attempted to depart from a tried and tested formula by revealing a new twist is still the same: very little character development, which explains how you enjoy watch them killed one by one in every horrible way, and certainly lack of a villain that has always made the series less about horror than about shock value. Labeled as the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster crime thriller "Overheard", some viewers would have expected this to be an utterly unusual and much more intricate narrative though ones who have seen the previous film certainly may wonder how they could do a sequel to that story. But in fact this is not actually a sequel or even a prequel, it’s just another film with the same cast and crew and a similar theme, a tragic sad tale of how long-time friends eventually turn enemies when faced with the prospect of huge financial profits. The movie's co-directors Alan Mak and Felix Chong however not only bring together the cast of the first installment but also added two heavyweight actors to take two important supporting roles. The three main characters also got mixed up since Lau Ching-Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu who played a trio of police officers working together in previous film are now take roles on opposite sides of the story. In this case, Lau is a the financial executive caught up in a group of insider traders, Daniel is a former military man out to get revenge against the traders and Louis is a police officer investigating them both.

Don’t expect this one as an all out Hong Kong action film because it certainly doesn’t have those Hollywood-styled fast-paced action scenes. In fact, it spends a lot of time talking all things about relatively complicated financial market manipulation that might not be easy for the average viewer to follow or find entertaining. It still has few ‘hold-your-breath’ scenes in between though especially the extended chase scene on busy streets, and overall, “Overheard 2” is still a “watchable” movie despite the relatively subdued ending.