Eric Khoo's series
HBO has released a new Asian horror anthology series titled Folklore.
IGN reports that HBO is streaming Folklore – a new Asian horror anthology directed by Eric Khoo and Joko Anwar.
The six-episode series originally debuted on HBO Asia last year, but is now available on US HBO channels.
Exploring family, trauma and deceit, the series comprises of different episodes from different Asian countries. Anwar’s A Mother’s Love is the first episode and is inspired by Indonesian legend Wewe Gombel.
Japanese director Takumi Saitoh offers Tatumi in the next episode, starring Kazuki Kitamura as a deaf investigator who uncovers a gruesome family secret.
Khoo himself directs an third episode about a teenage ghost and Thai filmmaker Pen-Ek Ratanaruang directs an episode called Pob.
“I’ve been a big Twilight Zone fan ever since I was a little boy, and I’ve always been very, very intrigued by Asianness and folklore,” Khoo told IGN. “There’s so many stories, and in terms of spectres and ghouls it’s very, very rich. So when I spoke to HBO Asia, I said, ‘I think it would be really good if we could get some very original auteur filmmakers and essentially take a spirit of their choice from their country and give them free creative reign.'”
For authenticity, Khoo ensured that the films were done in each director’s language. “It can’t be done in just English,” he said. “This way you can really feel the intrigue of each country, and watching them back-to-back was wonderful because it felt like it really represented the true diversity of Asia.”
Folklore is available to stream on HBO NOW, HBO GO, and HBO On Demand.