'Dead Talents Society' Review - This Zany Horror Comedy Is a Deadly Good Time

The undead have been portrayed universally and across all mediums for as long as stories have been told in one form or another. From tales of fanged, bloodthirsty ghouls rising from coffins to rotting reanimated corpses hunting the living — specters, zombies, and vampires have been a staple of the horror genre for decades, if not centuries. Comedy was later added to the mix to create an unlikely yet extremely beloved subgenre. The horror comedy subgenre has majorly surged in popularity in the past years, with films like Freaky, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and the Scary Movie franchise being some of the most notable. But Dead Talents Society, by Taiwanese writer/director John Tsu (Detention) and co-writer Kun-Lin Tsai, is undoubtedly one of the best to tackle the genre in recent memory and has quite the potential to achieve cult classic status.

Dead Talents Society zeroes in on our protagonist, a freshly dead teen, Cho Hsiaole (Gingle Wang), as she attempts to navigate her new existence on the spectral plane. Except, she’s just not good at being a spirit. She’s bad at haunting, she doesn’t have a “schtick” like the other ghosts, and most concerning of all, she’s begun glitching. She’s informed that if she doesn’t qualify for and receive her “haunter’s license” soon, she will disappear forever and face potential annihilation. Now it’s tough competition on this ghostly dimension, as there are quotas to meet, like frightening enough living humans to achieve “urban legend” status, which is when you know you’ve truly made it. Cho begins to shadow hotshot ghost Catherine (Sandrine Pinna) and her zany mentor, the former idol Makoto (Chen Bolin). With her misfit team assembled, Cho begins training to ensure her continued existence as a spirit as her 30-day countdown to scare the living begins.

'Dead Talents Society' Is a Perfect Blend of Horror and Comedy

Image Via Sony Pictures

There’s ghoulish drama as Catherine is trying to gain her status back as the best scarer – a career title recently taken over by her greatest rival, Jessica (Eleven Yao). Makoto attempts to hide his past as a famous heartthrob of yesteryear, and our rookie Cho still cannot seem to find her signature scare move to petrify the living. Time is ticking, chaos ensues and stakes rise in the most delightful and comical sense. Catherine’s signature is terrifying people in hotel room number 414 with her impressive contortionist moves. Her rival Jessica uses the internet to haunt unsuspecting living beings. But what about the rookie? Should she target lone drivers on back roads? Jump from the top of a hotel roof to traumatize her victims below? Plenty of blood and gore is involved in Cho’s messy journey, but it’s all in good fun – she’s already died once, after all.

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Writer/director Tsu revels in the hilarity of his absurd imagined world, bathing in its silliness, making it one of the most enjoyable and lively horror comedies of late. It’s because of the obvious pure and utter commitment by the entire cast and crew that the satirical humor and wild swings stick the landing for the vast majority of the runtime. It’s apparent while watching that Dead Talents Society was a joy to make, as the passion can be seen on and felt through the screen, the craft and technicals of the project itself, and the individuals involved. It’s intelligent, witty, and hilarious, with a lovely amount of heart driving it as well which makes for a surprisingly emotional and heart-warming third act amidst the gore and laughs.

'Dead Talents Society' Has a Comitted Cast and Crew

Dead Talents Society is laugh-out-loud funny with clever writing and smart, witty dialogue that moves the film along ridiculously quickly in the best way. Some jokes and quips fly so fast that by the time they land, there’s already another two on its tail. But the humor wouldn’t even come close to working if not for the incredible performances by the entire cast. The whole ensemble pulls their weight and more, giving their all to breathe life into their characters and commit to such physically demanding and dialogue-heavy roles. There’s fantastic camerawork by cinematographer Yihsien Chou and incredible original music by Joanna Wang to top off the impressive technicals and overall aspects of the flick. It's as well-made as it is well-performed.

Tsu’s comedy horror has the blood, gore, and wildly shocking scenes that you want from a horror, but it’s always accompanied by laughs. However, beneath the zany jokes and amusing physical comedy, there is something more profound to be discovered about Dead Talents Society. An obvious passion project for all involved, there is quite a bit of heart at the core of the film’s message, once the screaming ceases and blood is wiped away, that is. Themes of finding oneself, navigating loss and change as well as the importance of found family can be discovered at its core. The film is indeed reminiscent of other satirical comedy horror flicks of times past, but it still has its own unique soul. And thank goodness it exists in our realm!

Dead Talents Society had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival