The Tag-Along (2015) - A Review

A Taiwanese horror movie that will surprise you.

 The Tag-Along is a horror movie released in Taiwan in 2015 starring Hsu Wei-ning, River Huang, Liu Yin-shang, Chang Po-Chou, Pai Ming-hua, and Basang Yawei. It was directed by Cheng Wei-hao and is based on a Taiwanese urban legend.

Hsu Wei-ning (left) and River Huang (right) play a couple with different ideas about the future of their relationship.

 In The Tag-Along, River Huang plays Ho Chih-wei, a hard-working property agent who lives with his grandmother (played by Liu Yin-shang). He has a girlfriend, Shen Yi-chun (played by Hsu Wei-ning), who is a radio DJ. They love each other, but they have different goals in mind for their relationship. Yi-chun also seems to resent Chih-wei's grandmother.

 One day, Chih-wei's grandmother encounters something strange in her house, and seems to be affected by it. Chih-wei and Yi-chun go to his grandmother's house to find that she is acting strange. She leaves during the night and doesn't come back. Chih-wei is at his job worried about his grandmother when a package is delivered to him. It is a camera with a file showing his grandmother and other people walking through the forest. Chih-wei notices that they are followed by a little girl wearing red... Chih-wei asks the apartment security officer, Uncle Kun (played by  Chang Po-Chou) for help, and things go downhill from there.

Things get pretty gross in The Tag-Along...

 Chih-wei eventually disappears as well, and Yi-chun becomes determined to find him. She experiences a lot of horrifying events on her journey to find Chih-wei, and she also realizes what she's going up against. Can Yi-chun find Chih-wei and reconcile their differences?

 I did not know what to expect with The Tag-Along. I was pleasantly surprised with how good this movie was! Not only is the movie actually creepy and tense, but it has interesting characters as well. Chih-wei's and Yi-chun's conflict regarding their relationship is portrayed well. I, personally, could see both of their viewpoints, and that makes a really interesting dynamic to the story. As you can imagine, what the characters are going through with their emotions affects their reality. Hsu Wei-ning and River Huang give excellent, believable performances. The scares are pretty good, and the jump scares are effective. There is a lot of gross stuff that happens as well! The sound design in this movie is excellent. It really ratcheted up the tension and scares. The cinematography is also good, with everything looking dark and foreboding. The Tag-Along is a really well-made movie!

There are a lot of scares in this movie!

 As you can guess, I highly recommend The Tag-Along. The movie is well-made, scary, and very entertaining. Truthfully, this movie made me think about my life and my (very few) relationships. Maybe the day I watched it was just the perfect day to watch it, so it affected me more than I expected it would. Everyone's life is different (obviously) so it may not have an impact on you, or maybe it will. You might not even find it scary! Regardless, give it a chance. I loved it!

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams