TIFF 2024: Dead Talents Society

Co-writer and director John Hsu is back exploring a different realm of the supernatural in his latest film, Dead Talents Society. After his 2019 feature film debut, Detention, which was far more serious in tone, Hsu pivots here with more comedic fare. But this comedy is rife with dark humor, incorporating bodily fluids, gore, and occasional scares to keep audiences on their toes. Strip back the layers, and you’ll find Dead Talents Society has an ooey gooey center in that just being okay is good enough.

The young college-aged ghost, known as The Rookie (Gingle Wang), is going through the motions as the undead. Hanging out with her undead pal, Camilla (Bai Bai), she’s content spending her days hanging around. A visit to her family sparks a change in her, and not for the better. Once her family misplaces her Certificate of Merit, she starts glitching, signaling the beginning of the end for the young ghost. If she does not successfully scare, create her own urban legend, and acquire her license to haunt in 30 days, The Rookie will cease to exist forever.

It’s an uphill battle for The Rookie. The supernatural community deems her a talentless loser, reinforcing The Rookie’s internalized sense of self. However, the eccentric Makoto (Bo-Lin Chen) takes The Rookie and Camilla under his wing, hoping they can stick around. But also to help assist his boss, Catherine (Sandrine Pinna), in adding a little razzle-dazzle to her scares now that the power of her urban legend is on the decline.

The world Hsu and co-writer Kun-Lin Tsai have crafted here is rich. A hierarchy is in place, with successful scarers becoming exalted as celebrities. Successful scaring being tied to a ghost’s longevity adds even more significance to the celebrity status. As the audience surrogate, The Rookie tries to learn the rules of scaring and the intricacies of the underworld with great speed. And, in her learning process, The Rookie steals the hearts of those around her.

Gingle Wang carries her physical comedic chops over here in Dead Talents Society. She is hopelessly pathetic yet earnest as The Rookie, who is quite literally not good at anything. She wears her insecurities on her sleeve. But The Rookie is so incredibly normal and relatable you can’t help but want her to succeed as the clock ticks down. It is a win for all when she finally perseveres in shocking fashion.

The cast in Dead Talents Society has great chemistry with one another, with most having their moments to shine. As a mentor, Sandrine Pinna’s Catherine is prickly but cares. Having been betrayed by her protege, Jessica (Yi Ti Yao), she struggles to let go even when she herself is failing to shine among the next generation of scarers. But she has a soft spot for losers like The Rookie, and it is through The Rookie’s journey that Catherine can break free from her hang-ups.

Bo-Lin Chen’s Makoto is the supportive male figure type The Rookie always needed in her life. He’s wonderfully silly, but Chen balances between the humor and the seriousness his manager-type character needs. As her friend-in-scaring, Bai Bai’s Camille is supportive but doesn’t get too much room for character growth. The same can be said for Soso Tseng’s Kouji, both of whom are there as the comedic relief best friend archetypes. Across the board, the chemistry of this ghostly-powered team of misfits sells the beating heart of the picture.

Even with its heartfelt thread carrying through the film, Dead Talents Society can’t sell itself without the scares and gore. And it does. There are jump scares, car crashes, ripped-off hands, bloody bodily trails, and contortionist Exorcist runs galore. These moments accentuate the humor Hsu and co lean in on, reinforcing that the undead are doing their best at the end of the day. They were regular people, and how each tackles their scare highlights how normal they are in the process.

Where the supernatural tale loses its footing slightly is in the rules and mechanics of the ghosts destabilizing. For new souls like The Rookie, there’s a clear clock down for her to acquire her first scare. However, with the introduction of the Chairghost, it seems like he controls whether or not a ghost dematerializes. This moment in Dead Talents Society muddies the waters, breaking free from the clear set structure Hsu and Tsai had written into the film.

Regardless, Dead Talents Society showcases another side to John Hsu. With its zany humor, the embrace of physical comedy, and central takeaway message mic dropped at the end by The Rookie, this horror comedy is bonkers. It may be a bit sentimental for some, but just because we die doesn’t mean our problems die with us. For The Rookie and those in her periphery, life and healing only begin after death.

Dead Talents Society is a darkly comedic love letter to the misfits, the losers, and anyone who has ever struggled to find what makes them special.

Dead Talents Society played as a part of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.