If It, The Mist, and even Doctor Sleep have left you longing for a horror film that truly gets under your skin, it might be time to go back... to school. But not just any school — a cursed one. We’re talking about the Taiwanese horror film Detention (2019), streaming on Netflix — a tense, atmospheric, and deeply political story that even hardcore horror fans may have overlooked. 86% critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes — and still, few have heard of it.
Based on the cult indie game by Red Candle Games, the film is set in 1962 during the White Terror — a time of severe political repression in Taiwan. At the heart of the story are two students, Wei and Fang, who find themselves trapped inside their school one night. But this isn’t Saw, and it’s far from a formulaic teen slasher. This is something much darker.
1962, Taiwan — in the midst of the White Terror. Despite harsh government bans and violent crackdowns, two teachers organize a secret book club for senior students to read banned literature. When Inspector Bai catches wind of it, Wei Chong-ting — like the rest of the club — is subjected to brutal torture but refuses to betray his peers. His deepest fears come alive in terrifying dreams, where he roams the nightmarish halls of the school with the enigmatic student Fang.
With each step, the two are drawn deeper into the nightmare: shadowy corridors, ghosts that merge terror with guilt, and truths they were never meant to uncover. The real horror lies not in the monsters — but in what the students learn about their school, their teachers, their parents… and themselves. Political betrayal, fear of hidden books, adults too scared to speak — even when it’s already too late.
Director John Hsu understands the genre with precision, but never forgets the human drama at its core. Alongside his cinematographer, he creates an eerily beautiful film — each frame like a scene from a dream you want to wake from but can’t. The atmosphere is anxious, almost suffocating. The music doesn’t relieve the tension — it intensifies the dread.
Detention is a film where fear lives not in screams, but in silence. Not in jump scares, but in the eyes of the characters. Not in monsters, but in the society that creates them. It’s no surprise the film was banned in China — and not just for the ghosts. If you’re drawn to horror that frightens both in form and meaning — Detention is a must. Just don’t watch it alone. And definitely not at night.
