This Valentine’s Season, Macao Imperial Tea pairs up with award-winning tree-to-bar local chocolate brand Auro Chocolate for the Auro Series.
Auro Series: Cream Cheese Auro Dark Chocolate, Auro Hot Dark Chocolate, and Auro Iced Dark Chocolate
Starting February 3, lovers of fine chocolate can indulge in three different specialty drinks curated for the month of love. The premium flavors are the Auro Hot Dark Chocolate, Auro Iced Dark Chocolate, and Cream Cheese Auro Dark Chocolate. The two cold drinks will be available in two sizes, while the special hot chocolate will be offered in Alto size. The limited-edition drinks feature Auro’s popular dark chocolate combined with Macao Imperial Tea’s signature milk tea.
Cream Cheese Auro Dark Chocolate, Auro Hot Dark Chocolate, and Auro Iced Dark Chocolate
PRICELIST Hot Auro Dark Chocolate –Alto: P185 Iced Auro Dark Chocolate – Alto: P185 | Maior: P205 Cream Cheese Auro Dark Chocolate –Alto: 195 | Maior: 215
If you needed more reasons to indulge in chocolate this month of love, these three drinks are something chocoholics and their plus-ones can sip and savor.
Auro Hot Dark Chocolate and Auro Iced Dark Chocolate
The Auro Series will be available starting February 3, 2022, across Macao Imperial Tea outlets nationwide. Order online via order.fredleygroup.com. Follow Macao Imperial Tea Philippines on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
And just like that, the month of love is upon us once again, and with it comes that desire to show our love for the people most special to us– whether it’s a bouquet of flowers, lovely balloons, or a gift they’d surely appreciate. But for those who love sweet treats every February, chocolate desserts are surely the way to go!
If you’re on the lookout for delicious chocolate desserts to give to your special someone this season of romance, look no further! Here’s a list of shops in Metro Manila where you can order such delights just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Mad Bakes
Madly in love? Here are cakes to give to your beloved! Mad Bakes by Mad Eats currently offers three kinds of chocolate cakes in trays: the Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Praline, Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake, and Sugarfree Chocolate Cake. Order now via their website, madeats.co.
Photos from the Mad Bakes website
Butternut Bakery
Sweeten up that Valentine’s date with some of Butternut Bakery’s chocolatey offerings such as the Chocolate Mousse Cake, White Chocolate Tres Leches, and the Single Origin Chocolate Cake. For this special occasion, Butternut Bakery is also offering the Cupid Strawberry Chantilly Cake. Order now on their website, www.butternutph.com.
Photo from the Butternut Bakery website
Nono’s
Nono’s never fails to deliver delectable cakes whatever the occasion. Aside from their Valentine’s Gift Set packed with their cookies and other nummy treats, you can opt for their sweet cake offerings such as the Nono’s Chocolate Oblivion, Vitto’s Moist Chocolate Cake, and the Opera Torte. Order via their website, www.nonos.ph.
TSOKO’s pull-me-up Mascarpone Cake and Hazelnut Fudge Cake are also satisfying to the eyes as they are indulgent, but if you want a personalized cake, you can also check out their Tsoko Cake that can be topped with your dedication. Order through this form.
Photo from TSOKO
Apicapica
Enjoy a dreamy chocolate cake with Apicapica’s Chocolate Fantasy Cake made even more luscious by a layer of caramel. Order now by sending them a message on Facebook or Instagram.
Bizu Patisserie offers a rich lineup of desserts that are perfect for your Valentine’s celebration. Just some of the treats and pastries you can purchase are their Romance Cake, Truffle Pyramids, Valentine Cakesicles, and their eye-popping Chocolate Bars. You can also check out their Love Boxes filled with delightful desserts. Order through their website, bizu.ph.
Photo from the Bizu Patisserie website
Big Al’s Cookie Jar
Aside from their delicious cookies and ice cream, Big Al’s is also known for its trays of delicious chocolate cakes. Indulge in their bestselling Decadent Chocolate Cake topped with deep chocolate icing. If you love caramel, you can also try out their Chocolate Caramel Cake. Order via bigalscookiejar.com.
Photo from the Big Al’s Cookie Jar website
Kevin Ong Patissier
Looking for elegant cakes that will wow your significant other? Kevin Ong Patissier offers such cakes which include chocolate infused creations. Aside from these cakes, you can also order their beautiful bonbons that are just as elegant. Order through this form.
If you want to gift the classic chocolate bar this Valentine’s Day but want to skip the typical brands in the groceries, try 1919’s chocolate bars, including the classic Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolates, plus sweet creations for the curious, such as the Dulce de Leche Chocolate and Horchata Bar. Order now through their website, 1919chocolate.ph.
Royce Chocolate
Japan’s Royce Chocolate continues to bring us confections for different occasions. This season of love, Royce is offering their limited-edition Valentine’s Day Collection, including the Sweet Season Box that’s already packed with Royce’s most beloved sweets. Order now through their chekk.ph page.
Photo from Royce Chocolate on Chekk.ph
Auro Chocolate
Auro Chocolate is a Filipino brand that found fame with its quality products and delightful collaborations. This Valentine’s Day, have your special someone indulge in Auro’s rich roster of chocolate bars, coins, and other offerings as you make some sweet memories on this special day. Order now through their website, aurochocolate.com.
Here’s another Filipino chocolate brand with so much to offer! Tigre Y Oliva offers flavorful chocolate bars, chocolate barks, Dulce de Gatas Bombs, and other delectable treats. You can also order their Hazelnut Dream Cake made with a single-origin chocolate fudge cake layered with hazelnut mousse, dark milk ganache and hazelnut praline. Order now on their website, tigreyoliva.com.
This Valentine’s season, Chew Chocolate lets you choose from three bundles on their Lovesent Gift Sets. The bundles include Chew Chocolate’s luscious Nama Chocolates and Crisps that are ideal gifts for your special someone. Order now through their website, chewchocolate.com.
Finn Wolfhard who is best known for his starring role as Mike Wheeler in the critically acclaimed Netflix Original Series Stranger Things and as Richie Tozier in the blockbuster horror feature IT, now stars in Columbia Pictures’ Ghostbusters: Afterlife, openingexclusively in Philippine cinemas on February 16.
Watch the film’s latest trailer below:
Directed by Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) and produced by Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In the film, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman.
Wolfhard joins Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace and Paul Rudd in the lead cast.
Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Podcast (Logan Kim) in Columbia Pictures’ GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE.
“My daughter was thrilled when we cast Finn,” Jason says. “He captures a generation in the way he talks, the way he looks. He has an incredible vulnerability for being a teenage boy, and that is a very unusual characteristic. He also happens to be as obsessed with the nuts and bolts of filmmaking as any young man his age.”
Wolfhard says he’s been a Ghostbusters fan since a very young age. “I think they’re timeless movies, because they are characters that everyone can relate to, and they’re such iconic performances so they’re hard to forget,” he explains. “My parents showed me those movies at a really young age, so I was lucky. But, then again, I don’t know a kid that’s my age that doesn’t know what Ghostbusters is. It’s iconic.”
The Ecto-1 and RV-1 in Columbia Pictures’ GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE.
Wolfhard says that his character, Trevor, is “a normal, awkward teenager. He’s a city kid from Chicago who gets evicted and ends up in the middle of nowhere – Summerville, Oklahoma. He’s shell-shocked, there’s no cell service, he’s annoyed about everything – until he finds a girl he falls for, and it all becomes worth it to him.”
Trevor, who is still too young to drive but is obsessed with cars, is the one to discover the iconic but long-abandoned Ecto-1 covered under a sheet in the barn. At first, he is the only one who knows it exists and begins to tinker with it to bring it back to life.
Lucky (Celeste O’Connor), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), Podcat (Logan Kim) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace) in Columbia Pictures’ GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE.
Though he didn’t get to physically drive the car, Wolfhard says it was an honor to interact with the iconic machine. “In one sequence, Trevor is in the Ecto-1 ripping through this giant wheat field,” he says. “He loses control and flies off and hits the road.”
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Use the hashtag #Ghostbusters
Globe encourages its customers to further support sustainable living and contribute to reversing environmental damage through two eco-friendly subscriber identification module (SIM) options – the eSIM and Eco-SIM.
With its very small size, the effect of SIM cards on the environment may seem insignificant. However, their combined weight represents an estimated 20,000 tons of plastic and other polymers consumed each year.
The situation prompted Globe to look for alternatives that meet its ambition to cut electronic and plastic waste and reduce carbon footprint. The company is at the forefront of environmental sustainability, enabling programs that support climate action.
The eSIM is a digital SIM embedded in certain mobile phone models. Globe was the first company to offer it in 2018 as an alternative to traditional SIM cards.
Apart from being environment-friendly, the e-SIM technology allows for additional innovative capabilities such as the ability to manage multiple profiles using different mobile numbers on just one device and effortlessly switch lines for any purpose that fits their lifestyle.
Plus, e-SIM now allows for gadgets beyond the mobile phone like smartwatches to be connected under one mobile number. This revolutionary technology was recently made available to the Apple Watch cellular. As such, Globe postpaid iPhone users are now able to go out and stay connected even without having their iPhone on-hand.
To avail of a Globe eSIM, Postpaid customers can simply request at any Globe Store nationwide.
On the other hand, the new Eco-SIM card is made from 100% recycled materials using refrigerator interiors, the first-of-its-kind to be commercially launched in Asia. Developed by Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, the card was introduced to Globe postpaid mobile subscribers beginning the fourth quarter of 2021.
“Being eco-conscious doesn’t mean sacrificing on progress. As with the eco SIM and e-SIM technologies, Globe postpaid customers are able to enjoy the latest technological advancements in telecommunications and lessening their carbon footprint at the same time,” said Coco Domingo, Vice President for Postpaid and International Business.
Globe became the first Philippine company listed by the Science-Based Target initiative (SBTi) committed to setting science-based targets and net-zero emissions by 2050. This is in line with the Paris agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, as well as the UN-backed Race to Zero global campaign rallying non-state actors to help halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a zero-carbon world by 2050.
Globe strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 12, which highlights the roles of responsible consumption and production patterns as crucial steps toward building a circular economy. Globe is committed to upholding the United Nations Global Compact principles and contributing to 10 UN SDGs.
As the country faces a surge in COVID-19 cases, Procter & Gamble’s Safeguard ramps up hand hygiene support through donations to several government agencies and other organizations to extend help to sectors in need. These efforts aim to reinforce proper hand hygiene habits among Filipinos as the country seeks to alleviate further transmission of COVID-19.
Most recently, Safeguard has donated 25,000 hygiene kits to COVID-19 isolation facilities through the Department of Health. These kits contain P&G produced masks, Safeguard bar soaps, and Safeguard hand sanitizer. Safeguard also donated foaming hand soap in admission kits for St Luke’s Medical Center patients, as well as to vaccinees in hubs like Megaworld Lifestyle Malls.
Since the start of the pandemic, Safeguard has partnered with organizations such as the Department of Health, Department of Education, and Philippine Red Cross to ensure that help is being extended to sectors in need. Personal protective equipment (PPE), face masks, ventilators, and hygiene care packs have been distributed to front liners, hospitals, isolation facilities, vaccine hubs, and communities in most need. Safeguard also partnered with MWF in constructing hand hygiene facilities in order to ensure that clean running water are accessible to more Filipinos. This partnership also allowed Safeguard to donate hand hygiene kits to schools in the provinces that were given a greenlight to conduct pilot face-to-face classes.
COVID-19 infection is highly possible through touching contaminated surfaces. Proper handwashing after touching any surfaces must always be practiced to ensure that your hands are free from illness causing germs and bacteria. Handwashing, along with strict adherence to health protocols such as social distancing, wearing of face masks, receiving the vaccine may lessen one’s chances of contracting the virus. Choosing a tried and tested brand to wash your hands with is just as important as following the recommended 15 seconds duration of handwashing. Safeguard remains as the country’s most trusted brand in germ protection for over 55 years. PAMET recommended Safeguard has Infinishield technology that inhibits reproduction of illness causing germs and bacteria. This technology also ensures 24-hour protection after ever wash by leaving behind particles that act as a protective shield against disease-causing germs.
Put up your best defenses against illness-causing germs and bacteria by shopping your Safeguard essentials in leading supermarkets, drugstores, Shopee, or Lazada.
It has never been just like any other Valentine’s Day for Discovery Suites since the year 2000. With the hotel opening its doors on Valentine’s Day 22 years ago, there are so many reasons to celebrate that no alert levels can stop. It is for our guests turned into family, supportive clients and the new generation who have yet to experience that genuine Filipino hospitality and talent.
On February 14 & 15, all roads lead to 22 Prime, the hotel’s award-winning steakhouse and part of Tatler Dining Guide’s Best Restaurant List for 2022. Executive Chef Gerwin Bailon curated a lavish 5-course set dinner of Baked Oyster, Salmon Crudo, Broccoli Soup and Sous Vide SRF Wagyu Hanging Tender. Ending your dinner on a sweet note with petit fours featuring a selection of our signature desserts. Experience a romantic dinner of great culinary creations with Manila skyline as backdrop and with the company of the person you love most for only PHP 6,000 nett good for 2 persons. Spice it up with free-flow of wine for only PHP 1,500 nett per person or a bouquet of fresh flowers for only PHP 1,800 nett per person. Be one of the first ten (10) early love birds to confirm a reservation on or before February 7 to get a complimentary bottle of wine.
Premium seats by the window are available at PHP 8,500 nett for two (2) persons inclusive of a FREE bottle of wine and a rose.
Steak At-Home
Celebrations at home can never go out of style. For safe and intimate Valentine’s dinners in the comfort of your homes, go hassle-free with 22 Prime’s Steak at Home. Enjoy a 4-course set dinner composed of Mixed Greens Salad, Lobster Bisque, Grilled USDA Ribeye Steak and Discovery Suites’ Signature Salted Caramel Cheesecake for only Php 5,000 nett good for 2 persons. Steak at Home is available for pick-up and delivery.
Suite For Your Sweet
Need a break? Have a “Steak-Cation!” Couples can book an overnight stay in a 1-Bedroom Suite and have a private 4-course steak dinner by 22 Prime for 2 for only PHP9,999 per night. Bring your staycation and date game to the next level.
Private Dining and Events
22 Prime is now open for intimate gatherings and private dining reservations. Make celebrations memorable with well-planned and properly executed event details and carefully crafted menus from PHP 2,500 nett per person.
Book early and avoid Valentine’s Day rush. 22 Prime is located at the 22nd floor of Discovery Suites, 25 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City, and is open by reservation from Tuesday to Sunday from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. For inquiries and reservations call +63 2 719 6822, e-mail ds-fnb@discovery.com.ph, or visit https://www.discoverysuites.com/love-alert-level22/.
Wondering which titles you could watch on National Geographic this month of love? This February, enjoy a series of brain challenges on the road, discover the operations of black markets, and follow the lives of animals in the wild!
Battle of the Brains
Brain Games: On The Road
Premieres Saturday, February 26 at 9am on National Geographic (Cignal CH141 SD, CH240 HD / Skycable CH41 SD, CH195 HD)
Brain Games is out of the studio and on the road! Host Chuck Nice pits average Americans against their neighbours to test their brain power in a series of friendly competitions filled with mind-bending games designed for at-home play.
The Underworld’s Black Markets
Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller: S2
Premieres Friday, February 18 at 11pm on National Geographic (Cignal CH141 SD, CH240 HD / Skycable CH41 SD, CH195 HD)
Mariana van Zeller in bulletproof vest. (Credit: National Geographic)
The second season of Trafficked sees journalist Mariana van Zeller offering viewers an intimate peek behind black markets and trafficking networks — from the inner workings of romance scams to the dark corners of black market plastic surgery — to meet the players, learn the business, and better understand the world’s multi trillion-dollar shadow economy.
Travel the World
Europe From Above: S3
Premieres Tuesday, February 1 at 9pm on National Geographic (Cignal CH141 SD, CH240 HD / Skycable CH41 SD, CH195 HD)
Embark on spectacular aerial journeys revealing Europe’s nations as they’ve never been seen before. From erupting volcanoes in Iceland, to pristine Roman amphitheatres in Croatia and record-breaking waves in Portugal. This documentary shares the traditions and engineering breakthroughs that continue to shape these great nations today.
Wild Australia: Fierce Families, Tough Terrain
Premieres Saturday, February 12 at 8.30pm on Nat Geo Wild (Cignal CH142 / Skycable CH66 SD, CH193 HD)
Journey to the Land Down Under where there are scorching deserts and predator-filled seas. Known for its harsh environments, venomous creatures and impenetrable terrain, the most resilient Australian creatures have found a secret to survival – sticking together.
Inside the Animal Kingdom
Alaska Animal Rescue Compilations
Premieres Tuesday, February 1, at 8:30pm on Nat Geo Wild (Cignal CH142 / Skycable CH66 SD, CH193 HD)
Friar Tuck, a Bald Eagle, at the Alaska Raptor Center. (National Geographic)
Join Alaska’s conservation heroes on America’s last frontier, as they rescue, relocate and rehabilitate wild animals by land, sea, and air. Follow the stories of these local heroes who commit their lives to helping all animals – small or big.
Big Cat Week (Stunt)
Premieres Monday-Saturday, February 14-26 at 8.30pm on Nat Geo Wild (Cignal CH142 / Skycable CH66 SD, CH193 HD)
Get up close and personal with some of the most formidable feline predators. Join Dereck and Beverly Joubert as they showcase their incredible journey with big cats in Revealed: Big Cat Odyssey, the conflict between Lions and Hyenas in Revealed: Eternal Enemies, and the unexpected predator-prey relationships between Lions and Elephants in Revealed: Ultimate Enemies.
World of Polar Bears (Stunt)
Premieres Sunday, February 27 at 8.30pm on Nat Geo Wild (Cignal CH142 / Skycable CH66 SD, CH193 HD)
The polar bear is the world’s largest land predator, but they’re born blind and deaf. How does a helpless cub become a successful killer? Nat Geo Wild exposes real life and death struggles in dramatic second-by-second detail and documents the secret world of these Arctic bears.
Settle in and get comfortable as discovery+ brings Filipinos all kinds of love this February. From getting-to-know-you, to tying the knot, to love stories that have ended in true crime––no matter what you’re looking for, discovery+ has it all covered.
Strangers in Love
The twelve singles in the Korean reality show Strangers in Love each take their shot at romance as they go through seven rounds of missions in the hopes of finding the one. Candid moments reveal the participants’ progress since arriving at Strange Village, but will they be lucky in love? Find out by streaming the show now on discovery+!
Tarek and Heather: The Big I do
Following a stunning proposal, Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young dreamed of a fairytale beach wedding in Mexico that would be bigger and better than their engagement. However, with just 14 weeks to go before the big day, they scrap their original plans and prepare for a perfect wedding celebration at Santa Barbara, California with the goal of making it a memorable day not just for themselves but also for their family and friends. Currently available for a romance-filled binge-watching session, the couple race against time as they plan and finally exchange vows on Tarek and Heather: The Big I do.
Sex Sent Me To The ER
Every relationship has its ups and downs, and that includes adventures in the bedroom. CatchSex Sent Me To The ER now available on discovery+ for stories of sexual escapades gone wrong resulting in a medical mishap that leaves one participant in need of emergency care. Some accidents can be easily laughed off while other misadventures turn into a tale of caution. At the end of the day, it’s always the doctor that gets the couples out of a bind.
Ken and Barbie Killers: The Lost Murder Tapes
Dive into the case of husband and wife Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka in the Ken and Barbie Killers: The Lost Murder Tapes. The case of two missing schoolgirls are tied to Bernardo when his bruised wife tells the police that he is the killer. What’s more shocking is that Homolka claims that there are home videos of Bernardo assaulting the girls hidden somewhere in their marital home. Watch the series now to uncover the truth behind the married couple’s closed doors.
Anni: The Honeymoon Murder
Anni: The Honeymoon Murder delves into murder of the newlywed bride Anni Dewani. Her story becomes one of South Africa’s most infamous and mysterious crimes. Join Dewani’s family in seeking the truth behind her death and parse through testimonies from lawyers, police, and persons involved in the docu-series now available for streaming.
Each week, discovery+ brings Filipinos new and exclusive discovery+ Originals. This month and available now to stream is Homeboy, which follows Rajiv Surendra–best known as Kevin Gnapoor in Mean Girls–as he shares how to transform mundane tasks into beautiful art. Coming later in February are Discovering David Dobrik: Africa on February 15, which follows David and his friends to South Africa where they get in touch with their wild side, and Million Dollar Wheels with Jamie Foxx on February 28, where fans of luxury motors can catch a glimpse of the competitive world of car dealing.
Download and subscribe to discovery+ to get your fix of the lovebug and other shows this February. Available across multiple platforms including connected TVs, web, mobile, and tablets. Follow discovery+ on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the latest updates.
I really enjoyed the first ‘Scream’ movie when it came out in 1996. I remember watching it in the theater and was fascinated by how self-referential the film was (I’m not sure but we didn’t use the word meta back then) and how it criticized and praised slasher films and managed to provide surprises all throughout. I don’t remember much from the second and I never got to see the third and fourth.
Considering that my attachment to the franchise isn’t deep, I was able to follow the story of the latest sequel (the fifth!), Scream, and enjoyed seeing Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette return as their characters. In fact, I enjoyed their return more than I did the new characters and they are not the real protagonists of the story.
In this latest installment, the story follows two sisters, Samantha and Tara, who live in Woodsboro where the events of the very first movie transpired. Tara is attacked at home by Ghostface and Samantha must return to her hometown and face the dark secret that has led her to leave in the first place.
In this reality, the story of the movie had been turned into a movie called Stab and everyone is aware of “the rules of surviving a slasher film,” and what is surprising is the amount of indifference the students of Woodsboro have with the news of another attack. Yes, the circle of friends that we are introduced to is affected by Tara’s attack but they are so desensitized by the idea of Ghostface returning to their town. They talk about it openly and discuss who would probably get attacked next. They walk around carrying tasers and protection. This is a town whose youth population is completely used to violence.
In fact, it feels oddly reminiscent of how present-day Americans are so used to school shootings. They live normal lives and when a school shooting happens, they know exactly what to do. Is this a commentary on the violence happening in America today and it’s no longer a big thing among the youth? I can’t help but point that out.
As Samantha investigates and tries to discover who attacked her sister, we are once again brought into the world of the franchise and people openly talk about their lives as if it were a slasher film because, after all, a killer is on the loose. There is a tongue-in-cheek aspect to this that is taken to its furthest extreme. It makes the film funny, funnier than I expected it to be, and then the film is not only making fun of itself (and slasher movies and franchises) but it started to unravel how films these days are so reactive to the audience.
The relationship of movies and their fans is given center stage in the discussions here and it shows how much of the audience has become savvy of the outer workings of the film industry that some films are more focused on pleasing the fans than they are on committing to a story.
And while this new installment of ‘Scream’ is working hard to hit the right notes balancing fresh scares with old themes, it falls into the trap of not hitting all the story beats. Melissa Barrera, who plays Samantha, doesn’t have the flair of holding your attention. Other characters are more interesting than our lead: Jenna Ortega’s Tara is so promising while Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mikey Madison are so interesting to watch as part of Tara’s group of friends, who are all possible victims or perpetrators. As the film tries to juggle the legacy of the franchise and bring something new to the series, its capacity to make us attached to these new characters doesn’t quite stick.
So when Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette arrive to reprise their roles, that’s when the electricity returns for the film. The three have a complete understanding of this world and this particular genre so their presence creates electricity for the film. Unfortunately, it’s not their movie. I wish they had more screen time.
And so while ‘Scream’ is fun because it takes itself lightly, reveling in the meta-discussions of slasher films in a slasher film, it’s never actually quite scary because we don’t really care that much yet about the new characters. There’s an inventive sequence filled with fake jump scares that’s just an absolute hoot to watch but other than these small moments of brilliance, the film doesn’t quite explode as it could.
But considering foreign reviews have called this the best installment out of all the sequels, then I’m glad I didn’t see the third or the fourth. I had fun but it’s not going to stick with me the way the first movie did. Interestingly enough, that’s actually even mentioned in the film.
My Rating:
––
Scream is holding sneak previews in select cinemas on February 1 and will release nationwide on February 2, 2022.
While we appreciate Western horror’s slashers and CGI-infused jumpscares, Asian horror also has a distinct way of scaring us viewers– thriving from beliefs that are close to home, like curses and local urban legends, and slowly building up dread before a terrifying climax. But this style of Asian horror does not just apply to films or TV series, as video games created by Asian developers also create that distinct atmosphere for players.
If you’re looking for such video games, this list has you covered! We’ve rounded up some Asian horror games that can be fun and terrifying at the same time! Note that to give more attention to lesser-known titles, this list skipped some of the globally recognized horror games from Japan, such as the Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and The Evil Within franchises. If you haven’t played those, be sure to also add them to your list of games to play soon!
PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & Nintendo Switch
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is the fifth installment in Japan’s Fatal Frame, aka Project Zero,series. It puts players in the shoes of different protagonists as they try to uncover the truth behind the mysterious incidents in Mt. Hikami. Along the way, you will be faced with vengeful ghosts trying to drag you into the afterlife, but with the help of your camera obscura, you can defeat these spirits and be able to see their last moments in Mt. Hikami, leaving clues on what really happens in the sacred mountain.
PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, & Android
Taiwan’s Detention is a 2D side-scroller set in the 1960s when Taiwan was under Martial Law. It follows two high school students who got trapped inside their school, which has transformed in unsettling ways. To escape, the player must navigate the haunted campus that’s filled with tricky puzzles and evil creatures.
In this horror adventure puzzle game from Japan, players take the role of Aya Drevis, an 11-year-old girl who must uncover the secrets of the Drevis mansion where terrifying experiments are being conducted every night. Make use of dangerous tools such as knives, hammers, chainsaws, and bottles of eyeballs to survive and discover the truth.
White Day: A Labyrinth Named School is a chilling horror stealth game from Korea. Set on the eve of the gift-giving holiday White Day, the young student Hee-Min slips into school to hide a box of candies for the girl he likes. But soon, he finds himself trapped in the building with a killer janitor and the souls of the dead close on his heels. Play as Hee-Min and survive the night in the haunted school that’s full of secrets and horrors.
Set during the night of the Hungry Ghost Festival, this first-person horror game follows a group of young people who gathered in Kowloon Walled City to shoot for their online supernatural channel “Beyond the Invisible”. But as the crew members begin to disappear one by one, Ah Lok finds himself faced with a series of terrifying phenomena. The only thing that pushes him is to find their actress Kathy and get her out of there as soon as possible.
This Chinese horror game will also be appreciated by puzzle-loving players. Plagued by nightmares of paper dolls attacking you, you decide to take your daughter to your ex-wife. But when your disorientation causes theca, you find your daughter missing and your search for her leads you to a deserted Asian mansion. As you investigate further inside the mansion, a tale of terror buried for a hundred years starts to unravel.
This horror game gives players a dip into Indonesian folklore. Explore haunted places, interact with mystical objects, and discover the mysteries involving Indonesian myth, coupled with the country’s taboo and culture. Ultimately, survive the night filled with horrors in every turn.
This Korean survival horror game is presented as a 2D side-scroller. You play as Mina Park, a Sehwa High student who suddenly awakens in her school during the night. The school that was once so familiar looked eery, and she finds herself being stalked by a sinister figure that looks like her teacher. To survive, she must explore the school and its surrounding district where she will have to face mysterious beings and creepy creatures.
PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, & Nintendo Switch
This psychological horror game is another title to look forward to, set to release on March 29 this year with a demo now available on Steam. Steeped with the darkest tales from Japanese folklore, the game takes the player to the feudal era where a priestess of a shrine must defeat the spirits of both her past and present.
