Written and directed by Ou Alan Chung-An (Repent), Part Forever (Taiwan – 2022) won the “Best Horror Short Film” award at the DarkVeins Horror Fest 2022.
Running at around 12 minutes, this unsettling short unfolds as a ghost story rooted in Taiwanese folklore, centered on the belief that a deceased person’s soul returns home within three days of death. During this period, the family keeps vigil over the body until the day of burial.
Ou Alan Chung-An crafts an elegant yet macabre horror piece in which, during a funeral ritual, the deepest emotions surface only to collapse under their own weight. From the outset, the film conveys a strong sense of claustrophobia, shaped by a dark, spectral setting.
At the center lies the lifeless body of a young woman, laid out on a bed of white roses, mourned by her sister Huei and Wen Hsiung, Huei's husband.
But as the night unfolds, through grief, gestures of intimacy, and quiet tension, buried secrets begin to surface, ultimately disrupting the ritual itself.
The stark black-and-white opening of Part Forever sets a somber, almost oppressive tone that perfectly matches its subject. Once that initial wave of emotion settles, the film takes an unexpected turn, introducing a sense of unease that shifts the entire trajectory. In doing so, it reveals not only the true nature of its protagonist, but also the deeper identity of the film itself, with clear echoes of J-horror emerging beneath the surface.
As it moves toward its conclusion, this tense and unsettling nightmare grows increasingly dense, layering in a series of striking twists that amplify the horror at every turn. In Part Forever, resentment spirals into necrophilia, portrayed as a disturbing and impulsive act of revenge.
Both haunting and unsettling, Part Forever carries a strong funerary allure, supported by carefully crafted cinematography that plays on stark contrasts, mirroring the conflicting emotions that run throughout the short.
Yang Ming, Li Hsiang, Yang Kevin and Wang Sidney star.
