A good Taiwanese horror with quite an unexpected twist. Finally, a fresh idea in a horror genre. Even though the main theme has been explored by many others, this movie manages to stay unique, genuinely scary and dark. Just don't expect CGI demons or any special effects, the movie rely heavily on suspense, not on scary imagery. Overall, the film doesn't feel expensive.
While the idea is interesting, the characters are too whiny and their actions are predictable and stupid. On the other hand, the storyline kind of relies on characters being so forgettable.
Definitely not a waste of time and can be watched alone or with friends, however because of the tangled storyline, I would advise to really pay attention to the screen.
42 Reviews
Creative ghost sequences
julioramosest30 August 2020
Decent
Foutainoflife20 September 2020
The plot of this film is simple. College kids dare to test the validity of a curse with dire consequences.
The layout of the film is fine. There is plenty of tension and an attempt to cleverly reveal the story but there is a lot of, how to describe it? Annoying, needless, girly screaming. It is distracting and steals from what the viewer could be feeling. It's just too much at least from my perspective.
I thought it was a decent enough film. The acting may have been a bit weak but it is no worse than a lot of other horror films. I say if you like Asian horror, you should check it out. It most likely will not make a top ten list but it is made and presented fairly well and the reveal, while a bit predictable, tries to be clever. It was an ok watch for me.
The layout of the film is fine. There is plenty of tension and an attempt to cleverly reveal the story but there is a lot of, how to describe it? Annoying, needless, girly screaming. It is distracting and steals from what the viewer could be feeling. It's just too much at least from my perspective.
I thought it was a decent enough film. The acting may have been a bit weak but it is no worse than a lot of other horror films. I say if you like Asian horror, you should check it out. It most likely will not make a top ten list but it is made and presented fairly well and the reveal, while a bit predictable, tries to be clever. It was an ok watch for me.
All the actresses are good in one thing- reasonless screaming
Official_MNAA28 August 2020
Amateur quality acting. Too hard to keep concentration. The movie would be way nicer, if the actresses scream less and act less childish. Not a single actor or actress acted like an university student, they acted more like bunch of school girls.
Waste of time.
Waste of time.
Some clever sleight of hand.
el728 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The Bridge Curse is one of those horror movies that's not so clever in the story that it's telling, as in the way that it's telling that story. It relies on some basic viewer assumptions to float some of its surprises right under your nose until it's ready to surprise you.
The story is a timeline bender that follows a reporter, determined to get off the 'news of the weird' beat, who is investigating a rumored curse on a college campus. Her cameraman follows her around as she investigates various locations they were known to have visited on their last night alive, and views their live feeds that they uploaded to a social media site. The action flits between her watching the feeds and the students experiencing the feeds, moving between a Steadicam cinematic experience and a found footage experience in different time-frames and perspectives. It becomes quickly apparent that the students are deliberately misleading the viewer on their live feeds, so the found footage becomes accepted by the viewer watching the movie as *not* representing objective reality. That would mean that the cinematic footage *would* represent objective reality normally, but in this case the movie also goes out of its way to suggest that some of the characters are sneaky, and others might be crazy, so the viewer is left to wonder if what they are viewing in this format represents objective reality, either. This is how the director is able to slip some casting and costuming switcheroos right under the viewer's own nose and get away with it, leading to some genuine surprises later in the film (although I think most viewers will guess one of them rather quickly).
In the end we have a standard vengeful ghost story (don't cut it off during the end credits though, there's more right up til the last minute of runtime). However, the way in which it was told was quite cleverly done and I wouldn't mind seeing more perspective tricks like this in future films.
The story is a timeline bender that follows a reporter, determined to get off the 'news of the weird' beat, who is investigating a rumored curse on a college campus. Her cameraman follows her around as she investigates various locations they were known to have visited on their last night alive, and views their live feeds that they uploaded to a social media site. The action flits between her watching the feeds and the students experiencing the feeds, moving between a Steadicam cinematic experience and a found footage experience in different time-frames and perspectives. It becomes quickly apparent that the students are deliberately misleading the viewer on their live feeds, so the found footage becomes accepted by the viewer watching the movie as *not* representing objective reality. That would mean that the cinematic footage *would* represent objective reality normally, but in this case the movie also goes out of its way to suggest that some of the characters are sneaky, and others might be crazy, so the viewer is left to wonder if what they are viewing in this format represents objective reality, either. This is how the director is able to slip some casting and costuming switcheroos right under the viewer's own nose and get away with it, leading to some genuine surprises later in the film (although I think most viewers will guess one of them rather quickly).
In the end we have a standard vengeful ghost story (don't cut it off during the end credits though, there's more right up til the last minute of runtime). However, the way in which it was told was quite cleverly done and I wouldn't mind seeing more perspective tricks like this in future films.
Derivative but good enough
BolgTheVillan1 September 2020
Like a lot of Asian horror it features a girl with long straggly black hair who crawls across floors and ceilings in a creepy way, and water.
It's got some decent scares and a creepy atmosphere that carries it rhek6. Better than most Netflix horror, just nothing to write home about.
Way too derivative
Leofwine_draca30 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
THE BRIDGE CURSE is another cheap, digital, greyed-out slice of ghostly horror, this time hailing from Taiwan. I haven't seen many Taiwanese horror films so I was hoping for something that brought to life local culture and the like, but instead what we get is a cheaply derived copy of film series that were popular a couple of decades ago: think the female ghost from JU-ON: THE GRUDGE mixed with the general plot of the WISHING STAIRS films. This one's about a bunch of annoying students daring each other to spent the night on a haunted bridge and finding themselves pursued endlessly afterwards. Expect a lot of screaming, and precisely nothing else.
It wasn't THAT bad
zoragogbeh29 August 2020
As someone who watches a lot of Taiwanese drama and movie, I can say that the acting wasn't that bad. There were a lot of incomprehensible screaming but that's it. The story was interesting, the cgi could have been better but it's still not awful (I've seen much worse).
In overall, I liked it. My cup of tea with a good plot twist. I'm hoping for a second movie because of the ending tho.
I wanted to like it but...
Trexthewonderdog28 August 2020
A solid Taiwanese chiller
Tweekums25 July 2022
This film is set on a university campus in Taiwan where a reporter is investigating the deaths of five students. They died four years previously to the day... on the twenty ninth of February 2016. Apparently victims of a bridge that has been cursed since a student died there some years previously. Through a series of flashbacks we see the students taking part in a test of courage on the bridge and what happened subsequently.
Early on I thought I might have picked a dud here but it isn't long before things improve. As a chiller it is highly effective; more than once it gave me goose bumps and the way many characters are clearly terrified creates a great atmosphere. Inevitably there are some jumps scares; I didn't find them excessive though. We do get some decent twists, which I personally didn't see coming. The acting was solid enough as were most of the special effects. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of far eastern ghost stories looking for something made somewhere other than Japan or South Korea.
These comments are based on watching the film in Chinese with English subtitles.
Early on I thought I might have picked a dud here but it isn't long before things improve. As a chiller it is highly effective; more than once it gave me goose bumps and the way many characters are clearly terrified creates a great atmosphere. Inevitably there are some jumps scares; I didn't find them excessive though. We do get some decent twists, which I personally didn't see coming. The acting was solid enough as were most of the special effects. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of far eastern ghost stories looking for something made somewhere other than Japan or South Korea.
These comments are based on watching the film in Chinese with English subtitles.
A routine if still enjoyable genre effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder30 December 2020
Attempting to investigate an urban legend, a news reporter begins looking into the mysterious disappearance of several students after they were playing a game to invoke the spirit of a ghost who haunts a nearby bridge on campus, and when she discovers that she's next in line to suffer the ghosts' wrath must find a way to stop it.
For the most part, this one offers some enjoyable aspects. One of the films' best features is the strong background work that gives off a rather fine set up that contains a nice immersion quality. As we're given a lot of information about the legacy of the stunt and how it turned into a student hazing stunt, the film carries on quite nicely. Starting in-universe as the typical urban myth about a woman who died on the spot and now haunts the area after being rejected by her boyfriend, the start of the legend is a suitable small-town ghost-story that could conceivably grow into a more prominent urban legend. The beginning of the film showing off the historical background of the as well as the recreation of the main prank committed by the students finely completes this. As well, the atmosphere created here is quite chilling at times. The fabled bridge where the action takes place is a rather creepy area, taking place in a seemingly deserted part of the campus where the cobblestone construction and prominent trees surrounding it leaves quite an impression when traveling through at night. That plays a part in the resulting atmosphere featured during the attacks which are quite chilling and creepy at times, from the ambush out at the bridge to the various encounters around the campus including the bathroom scenes and the hallways of the dorm. The intensity and ferocity of the ghostly attacks are quite fun as the being continually moves out of the darkness to attack, creating some stand-out shock scenes in the randomness around the campus where it appears or the creepy setup to it doing so. Featuring a rousing finale with some nice twists and stand-out ghost action, this one is quite enjoyable at times. This one does have some issues with it. The main problem is the films' seemingly random and arbitrary jumping back-and-forth throughout the various timelines as we switch from the original incident involving the students trying the legend for themselves and encountering the ghost and the reporter investigating the incident in the present. As this creates some severe jumping around to figure out what happened, the resulting whiplash trying to keep track of everything is a hurdle to getting into the film even though it settles down considerably as it goes along. Likewise, the film's over-reliance on standard formulaic ghost antics is a big disservice, bringing nothing new to the table as this one goes for all the expected tropes in a creaky, slimy, scuttling pale figure leaps out of nowhere to grab victims and kills them in ways as to suggest suicide upon later discovery of the body. It's all been seen before and can come off as wholly cliched for the most part to some viewers.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.
For the most part, this one offers some enjoyable aspects. One of the films' best features is the strong background work that gives off a rather fine set up that contains a nice immersion quality. As we're given a lot of information about the legacy of the stunt and how it turned into a student hazing stunt, the film carries on quite nicely. Starting in-universe as the typical urban myth about a woman who died on the spot and now haunts the area after being rejected by her boyfriend, the start of the legend is a suitable small-town ghost-story that could conceivably grow into a more prominent urban legend. The beginning of the film showing off the historical background of the as well as the recreation of the main prank committed by the students finely completes this. As well, the atmosphere created here is quite chilling at times. The fabled bridge where the action takes place is a rather creepy area, taking place in a seemingly deserted part of the campus where the cobblestone construction and prominent trees surrounding it leaves quite an impression when traveling through at night. That plays a part in the resulting atmosphere featured during the attacks which are quite chilling and creepy at times, from the ambush out at the bridge to the various encounters around the campus including the bathroom scenes and the hallways of the dorm. The intensity and ferocity of the ghostly attacks are quite fun as the being continually moves out of the darkness to attack, creating some stand-out shock scenes in the randomness around the campus where it appears or the creepy setup to it doing so. Featuring a rousing finale with some nice twists and stand-out ghost action, this one is quite enjoyable at times. This one does have some issues with it. The main problem is the films' seemingly random and arbitrary jumping back-and-forth throughout the various timelines as we switch from the original incident involving the students trying the legend for themselves and encountering the ghost and the reporter investigating the incident in the present. As this creates some severe jumping around to figure out what happened, the resulting whiplash trying to keep track of everything is a hurdle to getting into the film even though it settles down considerably as it goes along. Likewise, the film's over-reliance on standard formulaic ghost antics is a big disservice, bringing nothing new to the table as this one goes for all the expected tropes in a creaky, slimy, scuttling pale figure leaps out of nowhere to grab victims and kills them in ways as to suggest suicide upon later discovery of the body. It's all been seen before and can come off as wholly cliched for the most part to some viewers.
Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.
I was pleasantly surprised, good watch!
Alania_K5 May 2021
Solid Taiwanese horror; tho nothing too original, it's done very well with some legitimately creepy moments, very fitting atmosphere, and a nice little twist at the end. Overall, it feels a bit like...Blair Witch Project meets The Grudge.
Pass on it
derek-7617816 September 2020
Nonsense is too good a word
JPEI6428 August 2020
One time watchable with a good twist
yuvangkrishna5 October 2020
Essentially just a very ordinary and generic horror movie...
paul_haakonsen15 July 2021
I must say that the concept idea for "The Bridge Curse" sounded interesting enough. And the fact that this was an Asian horror movie that I hadn't already seen, was of course more than sufficient to make me sit down to watch it, as I had the opportunity in 2021.
However, "The Bridge Curse" turned out to be a very generic horror movie, with writers Keng-Ming Chang and Po-Hsiang Hao just playing it safe and making use of just about every single trope and archetype seen in the 'how-to-make-a-horror-movie' manual. Sure, this was keeping it within the confines of what worked, but it also made for a very indistinct and bland horror movie.
The storyline was adequately written, but everything that transpired throughout the course of the movie was things already seen and done countless times in other horror movies. So there wasn't much of any surprises or innovative moments throughout the course of director Lester Hsi's movie.
The acting in the movie was adequate. But I must say that the character gallery was so mundane and generic that all characters essentially blended together and was just one massive, faceless crowd.
Ultimately, then "The Bridge Curse" is a watchable, albeit a very generic horror movie that packs little to no punch at all. I must admit that I had hoped for a bit more than what director Lester Hsi managed to deliver here.
I am rating "The Bridge Curse" a very bland five out of ten stars. Sure, it was watchable, but it was a very forgettable movie. And this was by no means a horror movie that can sustain more than just a single viewing, as the contents here just are too vague.
However, "The Bridge Curse" turned out to be a very generic horror movie, with writers Keng-Ming Chang and Po-Hsiang Hao just playing it safe and making use of just about every single trope and archetype seen in the 'how-to-make-a-horror-movie' manual. Sure, this was keeping it within the confines of what worked, but it also made for a very indistinct and bland horror movie.
The storyline was adequately written, but everything that transpired throughout the course of the movie was things already seen and done countless times in other horror movies. So there wasn't much of any surprises or innovative moments throughout the course of director Lester Hsi's movie.
The acting in the movie was adequate. But I must say that the character gallery was so mundane and generic that all characters essentially blended together and was just one massive, faceless crowd.
Ultimately, then "The Bridge Curse" is a watchable, albeit a very generic horror movie that packs little to no punch at all. I must admit that I had hoped for a bit more than what director Lester Hsi managed to deliver here.
I am rating "The Bridge Curse" a very bland five out of ten stars. Sure, it was watchable, but it was a very forgettable movie. And this was by no means a horror movie that can sustain more than just a single viewing, as the contents here just are too vague.
Did not like
Just_Buse24 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I do not know why, but generally the far east movies have open end, that is not linked with anything in the movie. I do not love to stay unanswered because it is obstacle between my consciousness and movie actions.
This movie does not give you a reason. There is a wicked girl profile, who is hanging out in the campus for finding new victims, but we do not see her background and where her force comes from. These are weak sides of the movie because I did not catch any bond about the main problem, called as evil.
Actually movie made me feel bored so I fast forwarded the movie, and randomly focused to the end.. I wish I had not watched it..
It is not enough for calling as Horror movie.
This movie does not give you a reason. There is a wicked girl profile, who is hanging out in the campus for finding new victims, but we do not see her background and where her force comes from. These are weak sides of the movie because I did not catch any bond about the main problem, called as evil.
Actually movie made me feel bored so I fast forwarded the movie, and randomly focused to the end.. I wish I had not watched it..
It is not enough for calling as Horror movie.
Not 'The Grudge' Level but still good and enjoyable
xillib29 November 2020
I know everyone is talking about the acting but the point of this is to bring an enjoyable horror movie with a twist. They're not trying to be 'The Grudge' but it's still enjoyable with those similar elements but a very different story and a good end twist. I think it's worth a watch if that's the kind of movie you enjoy. It's all sub-titled, though, so I'll agree that you need to be sitting down and paying attention throughout.
Not another ghost movie
I_Ailurophile21 March 2021
'The Bridge Curse' isn't bad, but it's also nothing terribly special.
The thrust of the narrative is familiar, but duly unsettling nonetheless: University students conduct a hazing ritual that involves testing one's courage against a local folk tale. A young girl was horribly mistreated and murdered years ago, you see, and so anyone that approaches this bridge and the stairs at the end of it is at risk of suffering her vengeful wrath.
As with similar films, it's not particularly clear why the spirit of this person would continue to lash out at innocent people. It's just what angry ghosts do, apparently. We're also left to wonder how it comes to be that students are housed in a neglected, otherwise empty dormitory - how could such a detail escape the attention of school administrators?
Even if we accept such things at face value, what minimal, serviceable plot there is to 'The bridge curse' amounts to about 5 minutes of screen time, mostly shuttled to the very end. This movie needed more, to be honest - and better. Just as the purpose of killing innocent people is unclear, the point of the ghost's activities as revealed in those 5 minutes of plot is rather nebulous.
Some scenes feel too drawn out, but to be fair, there are some suitably hair-raising moments, too. The filmmakers set out to create a scary movie, and it is reasonably chilling at times. Objective met. One just wishes the writing were better overall.
If you want a horror film but are short on time, you could do a lot worse. 'The bridge curse' isn't going to be remembered in the annals of cinema history, but it serves its purpose well enough.
The thrust of the narrative is familiar, but duly unsettling nonetheless: University students conduct a hazing ritual that involves testing one's courage against a local folk tale. A young girl was horribly mistreated and murdered years ago, you see, and so anyone that approaches this bridge and the stairs at the end of it is at risk of suffering her vengeful wrath.
As with similar films, it's not particularly clear why the spirit of this person would continue to lash out at innocent people. It's just what angry ghosts do, apparently. We're also left to wonder how it comes to be that students are housed in a neglected, otherwise empty dormitory - how could such a detail escape the attention of school administrators?
Even if we accept such things at face value, what minimal, serviceable plot there is to 'The bridge curse' amounts to about 5 minutes of screen time, mostly shuttled to the very end. This movie needed more, to be honest - and better. Just as the purpose of killing innocent people is unclear, the point of the ghost's activities as revealed in those 5 minutes of plot is rather nebulous.
Some scenes feel too drawn out, but to be fair, there are some suitably hair-raising moments, too. The filmmakers set out to create a scary movie, and it is reasonably chilling at times. Objective met. One just wishes the writing were better overall.
If you want a horror film but are short on time, you could do a lot worse. 'The bridge curse' isn't going to be remembered in the annals of cinema history, but it serves its purpose well enough.
Creepy and Captivating
ChrissyValkyrie28 December 2020
The Bridge Curse was definately fresh and new, at least personally. The ghost was spooky. The ambience was horrifying. I actually loved the backstory and setting of the movie. However, the cast (apart from the main "main characters") were pretty flat and I find myself confused of who's who since most of them didnt have a unique personality or trait. The plot twist was almost unexpected, though there were many hints dropped during the "Present Day" segments.
Overall, great story, great setting. Ghost was absolutely unpredictable and scary.
Available on Netflix as of 28 Dec 2020
~ Chrissy V.
Overall, great story, great setting. Ghost was absolutely unpredictable and scary.
Available on Netflix as of 28 Dec 2020
~ Chrissy V.
Exceeded every expectation I had
influxtwo29 September 2022
What starts as a routine, ambiguous, found footage film, ramps up the tension when it switches in and out of "cinematic" mode. It's as if the perspective jumps from camera to camera to real life in a way that asian technology horror should. The characters bring enough action, intensity, and drama to make this a fun cliche urban legend meets spirits Disturbed popcorn flick. Really enjoyed the relentlessness and fun spooky asian settings. Absolutely exceeded my expectations and sits there with why asian horror is so pulpy and fun. Some viewers noted the derivative nature as a weakness, I actually found it a highlight. It reminded me a bit of early iconic 2000's asian horror like 'Forbidden Siren' and such. The green camera filter and abandoned setting was perfect.
My thoughts
tejasavkhurana18 December 2020
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