This is Yorick's skull.
I want you to stare deep into its eyes...
...while I read from Shakespeare's Hamlet...
...as the Prince of Denmark holds the skull.
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well (Horatio).
A fellow of infinite jest...
...of most excellent fancy.
He hath borne me on his back a thousand times.
And now, how abhorred in my imagination it is.
In my imagination it is.
Or is it?
Concentrate on the skull.
Five...
Four...
Three...
Two...
One...
The skull is gone...
...but you still see Yorick's afterimage.
His skull a ghostly apparition...
A phantasm.
This is an afterimage effect.
A glimpse of what is to come...
...when you return from holiday break...
...and we discuss optical illusions.
But hopefully this give you some inspiration...
...for your upcoming projects...
...which are due when you return.
So what's the story?
Rich uncle on holiday?
House all to yourself, Derek?
Just house-sitting, for the rest of the month.
Is this one of those old heritage shophouses?
Why yes it is Tess.
The design tells us this charming heritage home...
...once belonged to a writer or scholar.
Note the vertical pillars at the entrance...
...representing a chinese calligraphy brush.
At least that's what Rylee told me.
Maybe a scholarly muse lingers.
Can help us with the script.
We can only hope.
Explain the concept again?
Ghost month.
All the spirits have returned and the Chinese believe that...
Well, I don't even know why I'm explaining this...
Rylee, you're the fortune cookie.
Rylee, gimme your pitch again?
The Chinese will burn offerings to their dead ancestors.
And offering are usually spirit money...
Or it can also be useful. Like a cellphone...
...computer, a house, a car.
So this year...
I'm burning...
...a camera.
Basically you burn offerings to your ancestors...
...and they will receive it in hell.
I don't know. I'm not buying it.
It's called suspension of disbelief Deuce.
Maybe you don't believe.
Just accept it and enjoy the show.
Come on.
You're joking right?
I found them in the ashes....
...exactly where Rylee burned the camera last night.
Yeah right.
I swear to God.
That is creepy.
Hey...
What if... we burned a movie camera?
Nothing.
No film Derek!
Nice try Derek.
That was an original song from Tess...
...my gorgeous girlfriend. Amazing.
Okay guys! Everybody!
I've gotta say... we've talked about it...
We've even burned cameras and made offerings to the spirits.
It's time to put up, shut up...
...and make our movie.
We still need a finished script.
Boo to you man!
Rylee, maybe we should burn a pen and paper.
I just want to make this movie!
Come on!
No way.
Where did you really get this from?
It was in the ashes.
I told you.
What is it?
Strips of motion picture magic.
Sixteen-millimeter film.
My grandfather used to shoot home movies on this stuff.
Looks abstract.
Looks abstract. Like one of those trippy...
Like one of those trippy experimental films.
Has a soundtrack too.
How are we going to watch this?
Antique shop outside Chinatown.
It wasn't cheap either.
This better work. Cost me an arm and a leg.
Yeah!
Alright!
Showtime!
So exciting!
So, let's see what we've got on the menu tonight.
A lovely Asian dish?
Maybe Japanese?
Korean?
Or maybe a local dish.
Ooh. What have we got here?
Possibly a European number.
Let's have a look.
Don't let this old fella down sweetie.
I'm gonna crack a fat one off for you.
Oh yeah.
Aw, sweet.
That's it Sheila, drop the towel.
Let's have a bit of naughty.
Yeah, that's more like it.
All nice and nuddy.
Ah yeah, yeah.
Ah, rubbish!
Bloody hell.
There you are, my little aquatic beauty.
Night after bloody night.
It's like clockwork.
Cannot, cannot, cannot.
Pool closed. No swimming at night.
Too dangerous.
I don't think this pool's gonna whip up much...
...of a undertow tonight boss, do you?
Cannot.
Look mate, I pay my fees here.
I see people swimming in the pool all the time after dark!
Not people.
Yes, people.
Not people!
Ghost!
Gui La Jiao!
Ghost pull leg!
You're pulling my leg, mate.
It's true!
Chinese woman drowned last year.
Now the ghost comes back at night looking for replacement.
Yeah, whatever happened to simple reincarnation?
Cannot. Ghost that drowns...
...swims under and pulls your leg!
Must drown another...
...then she can be free.
More dangerous at night!
Yeah, more dangerous at night.
Night is yin!
Ah, the old yin yang is it?
Ok, tell you what mate...
To keep your mind at ease...
...how about I stay at the shallow end.
Therefore, if the bogeyman does come and...
...try and pull me down, I'll just stand there!
And the water will just come up to there.
And besides, you've got your little...
...safety pole over there.
You can come and rescue me.
You shouldn't be swimming at night!
He says the night is yin...
I say the night is young.
Hey come on man!
I need some help over here!
Hey! Help us!
We need to get her out!
Help us!
Can help herself.
She nearly drowned. We've got to get her out now!
I know.
I told you.
What the hell is your problem?!
It's not my turn...
It's freaky man.
Not bad.
A horror movie.
Creepy but confused by the end.
So he drowned, then he came back?
Then he drowned again?
What was that about?
No...
He died the first time...
...and the rest was all in his mind.
The third eye on his forehead.
What?
When he drowned the second time...
...his third eye opened.
But, what was the point of the story?
To respect each other's beliefs... and the spirits.
Sex equals death.
Okay, come on people!
Where does this film come from?
Look guys, understand this...
We burned a camera...
...we made an offering to the spirits.
And in return...
...they sent something back to us.
A film.
I posted in forums, searched the movie database...
I couldn't find anything. Nothing.
It's like the movie doesn't exist.
Obviously it does.
It was just never distributed properly.
What do you mean?
What I mean is, ladies and gentlemen...
...we've got our class project finished already.
I don't know about that Deuce.
We can't do that.
Rylee transcribes the script.
Derek ghost-directs. I...
No, I mean legally.
Why not? It's public domain.
No traces of copyright.
Whoever claims it, owns it.
Besides... I produced it from the ashes.
Hey, it was my idea to burn the camera.
I don't know...
Wait a second.
Why stop with just one film?
Funny you should say that.
Nothing.
Wait!
It looks like a compact flash card.
Play it.
I'm sorry!
"Amy - See you next week. Love, Mom"
"Air-conditioner broken again!"
"I'm really sorry. I know what I did was wrong."
No cameras. Turn off your camera.
"dead woman"
Going up.
The cops are everywhere when I got home from work.
All I know is that she lived on the twenty-ninth floor.
She must have jumped or something.
Suicide. Very sad.
Fourth floor.
Going down.
Sorry.
Hey!
The ghost is looking for somebody to replace her.
Replace-the-body ghost!
You know, you better be careful.
"dead woman"
"Move to Trash"
"Cannot be completed because it is locked."
"Get Info"
"Locked"
"Delete All"
Please, please, please.
"Unknown Error"
"Syncing"
What do you want me see?
Fourth floor...
Yes?
I found this outside.
Oh.
It might belong to... her.
It's the baby's favorite.
I couldn't find it anywhere.
Thank you so much.
(Thank you.)
Okay, I can dig it.
I don't know how or when you guys made these films...
...but 'm not buying into this little stunt.
Tess, you really think we could do this?
Like I could keep something like this from you?
What's it going to take?
Ok, I can believe in your little project...
...on one condition.
I retain some creative control.
Cut it, fold it, burn it.
"More body parts found!"
VHS.
Technology from the 1970s.
They don't even make VHS anymore.
We might as well fire up a magic lantern.
Truly the format from hell.
How are we going to watch this?
Might as well watch it as intended. VHS.
For the record, I've purchased everything so far.
Can you believe that not long ago people paid money to rent VHS movies?
Wait, people used to pay for movies?
- What the hell is this? - This is what we paid for.
- What was that? - Are you alright?
Are we stuck or what?
- I'm not getting anything. - Me neither.
Nothing.
Alright, it's ringing.
Security services.
Hi, we're all trapped in the elevator here.
Stay calm. I'm calling a lift technician.
- Ya, but how long? - How long?
Can you give us an idea on how long maybe?
Hello?
This is when I ask myself... why didn't I just take the stairs?
You're kidding, right?
I'm just joking.
Well, I'm not. Scotch anyone?
No thanks.
Xiang? Are you okay?
It's almost empty.
That's why I was going to the pharmacy.
I need a refill.
No worries love. We'll be out of here in no time.
Don't worry. The elevator tech is on the way.
Yeah, and the check's in the mail.
It's going to be okay. You're going to be fine.
Just a little ice breaker.
You gotta love how nothing in this elevator works.
A bloody hour. There's must be something more we can do.
We tried to open the doors and the ceiling...
Let's see if we can get the doors to budge again.
Guys, guys! You smell that?
What?
- Smoke. - The damned place is on fire!
Xiang!
Breathe!
It's empty.
Her lips are turning blue.
Alright, alright!
Look, we just need to settle down right now.
And let's give her some space, okay?
- Are you a doctor? - I'm a dentist.
Let's take a look. She has cyanosis. It's a lack of oxygen in the blood.
- That's why her lips are turning blue. - Is there anything we can do?
Wait for help.
We've got to make a move out of here now!
Look, even if we manage to get out of here, we don't know what's going on out there.
If there's a fire we're better off just waiting here.
- But what about Xiang? - Let's just sit tight.
Suppose we don't have a choice then.
She's hanging in there.
Why don't you sit? Make yourself comfortable.
No, thank you.
- You're very beautiful. - Thank you.
- Where are you from? - I was born in Malaysia.
I'm Helen. From the UK.
- This is my husband, Henry. - Cheers.
Ah yes, proper introductions.
Romesh... Sri Lanka. Happy to be part of the team.
Harrison... States.
Celina... Singapore. Xiang.
It's going to be okay sweetie.
Yasmin.
Are you alright?
You have an inhaler?
My friend can barely breathe and you...
I'm sorry. I need this for myself.
It's almost empty.
It's the smoke.
Give it to me.
Give me that.
Give me that!
Hang on!
Hey! Hold on.
Yasmin.
Why don't we give Celina your inhaler?
It might help her friend, okay?
No. You don't understand.
I can't die. Not like this!
Nobody is going to die.
Xiang might die because of you!
I'll give this right back.
We are all going to die here.
Look out! She's got a knife!
Come on sweetie. Give it up.
Take it!
Give it up!
No!
You don't understand. I cannot die like this.
Will you stop saying that? Nobody is going to die!
We're all going to die!
The smoke... the fire outside!
We're all trapped here! Give me the knife!
We are not going to die.
And we're not going to let you kill yourself or harm anybody else.
There is something I must do.
Well, if it entails using this knife then it's not going to happen.
We're all going to die.
Smoke! Fire outside!
We're all trapped here!
I have a secret.
It's alright. You can tell us.
We're going to get through this.
A long time ago...
I went to see a... bomoh.
- Bomoh? - A witchdoctor.
Yes, witchdoctor.
For beauty... and power.
I needed to become more beautiful.
To attract more clients.
Get more jobs.
More power.
The bomoh...
...he gives me...
...susuk.
- Susuk? - Yes, susuk is a magic spell.
Golden needles. How do I say this?
Talisman. Believed to enhance the person's appearance.
Yes -- this is true.
Superstition. Urban legend.
No, it's very real!
Yasmin, you're already beautiful.
You don't need anything like that.
No. Susuk makes me beautiful.
So you did some hoodoo-guru nonsense...
...and now you're a little bit dishy.
And the problem is?
I must remove them before...
Alright then, give me the bloody talisman...
...and I'll poke it through the cracks in the door.
No! You don't understand.
The needles are inside my face!
Under my skin!
Bomoh warned me.
He said I must remove the needles before I die...
Or my soul will be cursed forever.
Unless...
This is complete bullocks.
My dear, this is all nonsense.
There are no golden needles.
No, you don't understand.
Bomoh's magic creates them inside!
The entire ritual's an illusion.
Bomoh massaged your face and poked you a little bit.
Probably gave you some tea right? Made you feel numb and sleepy?
And I doubt Malaysian witchdoctors are giving away golden needles.
See, no needles. No susuk.
No, I'm telling you it is real.
I have felt them.
And I must remove them from my face before I die.
This is insane.
Yank, you're a doctor.
Tell her this susuk is nonsense.
Yeah, Yasmin.
Forget about the susuk. It's nothing.
That was a half-hearted attempt!
Look, everybody just needs to calm down right now.
If I didn't know any better... I'd think you're hiding something.
I don't feel comfortable adding to this discussion.
He knows!
The American one knows! He knows that susuk is...
Please.
Please -- I need the knife.
- Daft. - Henry?
What did he say?
He said it's real.
Only to a certain extent.
Alright. I had a colleague and he had this case.
He was a radiologist.
An elderly Asian woman came in for dental surgery.
X-rays of her face revealed foreign objects...
...in her cheeks, under her eyes.
The woman said it was susuk...
...golden needles embedded in the face using black magic.
And she did say that it helped to attract people.
As she was getting quite old, she wanted to have them removed.
Out of curiosity...
...my colleague sent the extracted needles to a lab.
It turned out they were ninety-five percent pure gold.
Yasmin, you can believe whatever you want.
But I'm telling you, you're not going to burn in hell...
...for having Susuk needles in your face, okay?
It's empty.
See, I told you...
...susuk is real.
Now I can die in peace.
Date of Birth: May 9, 1945
If you guys really didn't made these movies...
...I think we're messing with something we shouldn't be.
Tess, we burned your camera.
You produced this one.
What are we going to called this little horror anthology?
"Ashes to Ashes"
"Films from the Dead"
"Grave Offerings"
"Playing with Fire"
No, wait. How about...
"Afterimages"
Hey, not bad.
Might work Rylee.
"Afterimages" people!
Now, I want you to stare deep into the eyes...
...of Yorick's skull!
Deep!
You cannot just take intellectual property with no consequences.
Oh, yes you can.
It's called bit torrent.
- Pirate Bay. - Welcome to the digital revolution Tess.
Twenty-first century filmmaking.
Information sharing.
"Afterimages" -- a collection of horror movies...
...straight from hell.
Thirty-five -- awesome.
Okay guys. Let's burn an offering.
I thought you're going to direct the kind of movies...
...that you always wanted to make. Not this.
But these films are honestly better than anything we could make.
I guess we'll never know right.
No, look. We can collect these and make a feature.
We'll make some money...
...then we can make the films that we want to make.
Our own films. I promise.
So we sell out first, is it?
No Tess.
Not sell out.
Cash in.
- Fourty-four thousands hits! - In one day.
- I told you. It's gone viral! - This is gonna be epic!
Already registered a website: Afterimagesmovie.com
Cause for celebration?
What is this?
Cameron gave me some of the "Ghost Pool Leg" footage...
...so we edited it into a teaser.
Yesterday upload... today viral.
- What's wrong? - You uploaded the film?
No, just a teaser trailer to gauge interest.
This is good Tess.
Derek!
What in the hell did you guys do?
Awesome right?
Not awesome! This is intellectual property.
- That's what I was... - No! My intellectual property.
The sixteen-millimeter projector, the VHS deck... my investment.
I've clearly got more skin in this game than all of you combined.
Hey, it's my idea to burn the camera.
Ya, try copyrighting that Rylee.
The footage was found here on my Uncle's property.
By everyone.
Now captured and digitized.
Ok Deuce, we can work something out.
Everyone chill.
We get it. You're Mister Wall Street.
And as producer...
...you can get us a thirty-five millimeter screen right?
Yeah Derek.
Thirty-five millimeter prints don't grow on trees.
That's going to cost a lot of money.
Unless it's developed in hell.
In the can.
We burned another camera last night.
Gotta be worth something.
You actually managed to pull it off Deuce.
Oh yeah, the magic man.
Connections. That's what producers do.
No producer... no movie.
And here we are...
...pirating our own movie in the cinema.
"Rekindling"
Anna Mei?
No, she never call you?
No. I call her again and again.
Left messages, but she never call.
Probably go back to China for awhile.
All the same, I tell you.
Boss! What do you want?
I'm looking for some... lady fingers?
Lady's finger.
Me too. I'm looking for lady's finger also.
Lady finger... Hey, Hok!
Yang jiao dou. Which stall?
Over there.
Alright, thanks.
Don't worry. She will come back.
They always do, I tell you.
Ladies, want drinks?
Lime juice, lychee. Cheap cheap, want or not?
Don't worry.
China girls not satisfied until got everything.
If money not enough... steal your heart. That's what they always do.
Ladies, walk walk, see see. Enough or not?
Drinks? Come!
Singapore is so nice.
Don't want to go back to China.
I want to stay with Hok.
But everything is so expensive here in Singapore.
Video camera... no, don't want.
I don't want video camera okay.
This ring... I want the better one. Bigger one.
More money. I need money.
Buy me bigger ring okay?
Hello, this is Anna Mei.
So sorry I miss your call.
Leave sweet message. Bye!
Anna Mei, this is Hok Leng.
Why you don't call?
Where are you now? I'm worried.
No more fighting. Do whatever you want.
I buy you a bigger ring.
I love you.
I just know something happened to her.
Crazy!
No, I just know something must have.
Just a dream. Ghost month playing tricks on you.
Plays tricks on your mind.
And I told you... I know where she is.
China. She go back to mainland.
She told you that?
No! Use you head!
Did she take all of your money?
Only some.
Still working right?
Still selling chicken rice right?
Still making money right?
Yeah!
She'll be back.
They always do, I tell you!
Excuse me.
Yes?
I'm looking for...
Yan... jow... dou?
Yang...
Lady finger dish.
Yes! Lady fingers dish.
How do you say that?
Lady's finger dish (okra)
Tiny penis bean.
Yes correct. Over there.
How come this lady finger dish...
...so popular with these foreigners nowadays?
Hok! Stoned?
You know the ring I bought for Anna Mei?
You know I take the ring...
I spin it and it stopped.
And it stands on edge.
Then I roll it... it rolls and stops.
And it stands up.
Then I take the ring...
...then it falls over the floor...
...then it still stands up!
Woah!
You got lucky a ring.
Hey, got customer. Gotta go.
Lychee drink. One-fifty.
Ah, lady finger dish.
It's really hard to find.
It's not a famous dish, but this week...
...it's very popular.
Tomorrow Anna Mei gone seven days.
Relax.
Hey, just now I remember something.
Last time I watched this show...
This man wants to buy a newspaper.
Then he throws the coin into the box.
Then the coin lands on it's side.
Stands up! Just like your ring!
Then he become very powerful.
Like... got yin yang yan.
Got third eye open.
But then later he... goes crazy.
Maybe he saw too many bad things happen.
Then... can stop it or not?
Just knock it over.
"Lady Fingers"
Anna Mei...
"More body parts found!"
Anna Mei?
This ring no good.
Cheap, cheap. You tell me lots of money.
Poor stupid chicken rice man. I go back China!
I hate you!
You cannot go!
You have to stay!
Police!
Calm down!
We found your precious Anna Mei in the canal.
She's already told us everything.
Get me out!
She's going to get me.
Trust me. No one's going to get you in here.
Sweet dreams.
Heart failure.
But very strange. There's no sign of violence...
...and yet his face is completely contorted in fear.
It's as if...
...he'd been frightened to death.
If money no enough... steal your heart!
That's what they always do.
Creepy... and disgusting.
Best one... but didn't record.
Battery died.
Could've sworn I had a full charge.
I loved it. What did you think Deuce?
Hey, where's Deuce?
He's not here.
What?
He's not back here.
Wait.
Is this blood?
No, don't go there.
No! Don't go there!
Rylee?
Run! Run!
You ass!
Good one. But seriously, where is Deuce?
I don't know.
Derek?
He completely disappeared.
With the movie.
We just keep moving forward.
- But, we need Deuce. - Yeah, he's the money man.
No, look! We can do this.
We burn more cameras and crowdfund the project online.
We've got to stop this Derek.
Can't stop now. We're too close.
Something bad is going to happen.
There's something about this house. I just feel it.
But we're almost finished.
Tess.
This place is creepy.
Look, I don't know what you believe in, but these walls...
...like I told you, they got a history.
You just don't have an old building like this without...
...having some kind of presence attached to it.
Okay, so filmmaking is a collaborative effort.
If we're gonna do this, we need each other.
You tried to burn a camera on your own, didn't you?
- It didn't work. - It is this place.
What do you mean?
Tess and I walked through the archives to dig up the history of this place.
Derek was right when he said this place used to belong to a scholar.
He wrote a book of poems and short stories just before he disappeared.
- Morbid, horrific things. - Interesting.
He made his money on the side as a letter writer.
So illiterate Chinese migrant workers could communicate with their families back home?
Not exactly.
He was a letter writer so families can communicate with their ancestors in hell.
He was writing letters to the dead.
And he was getting replies.
The poems and stories.
He published them in the book.
This is brilliant. I love it. Wait, who's idea was this?
- Well, they say it's real. - It is real.
This is not a story. This really happened.
Come on, we're one film away from creating a feature.
We can even turn this into a TV series.
- Can't you feel it? - Feel what?
Something's not right anymore.
Just one more camera.
One more offering.
Fine.
The last act.
Back to sixteen millimeter.
Looks like a thousand feet.
About thirty minutes.
Just enough new footage for us to complete our feature film.
Hit the lights.
- Here we go. - This is a finale.
Our last one.
"Warning Extreme"
Be careful.
What happened?
- The damned film broke. - Can it be fixed?
We've got to splice it back together with tape.
- This entire film is in pieces. - Tha's why we've got to splice it back together.
We'd be better off burning another camera.
Hey, I've got a shot of an old heritage house here.
Me too.
What?
Either the film is decayed or it's the house. I can't really tell.
It's both
- Oh my god! - What?
- It's me! - What do you mean? Are you okay?
It's me on the movie! It's me on the film!
That's it, I'm out of here!
- Hey, it's Rylee too! - What the hell are you talking about?
Where's my bag?
It's you in the film. And it looks like...
...you're screaming.
I'm getting out of here!
It's me on the film!
Wait!
There's got to be a solution. Run it through the projector.
The door is locked!
- Run it through the projector. - I'm trying.
Wait!
- What the hell is that? - Go check it out.
Derek!
- You gotta see this! - Get back in the room.
- Sir. - Zi.
Agent Wilkinson. Still packing heat, huh?
Agent Zi.
I'm running a test for the Bomoh's powder. We just found traces of hell money.
- Hell money? - For the spirits.
Oh yeah... "ghost month!"
Oh, only left three weeks left.
You can dismiss the supernatural all you want Agent Wilkinson...
But you can't ignore the consequences of dismissing the supernatural.
Sir.
Total of five bodies from an incident three nights ago.
Three by fire on the second floor.
Traces of nitrate.
But very strange... two others, blunt force trauma in a different room.
And what about the sixth body?
What sixth body? The police report says only five bodies.
Nope, there was another body right here.
And burnt real bad too.
Okay, I'll look into it, but the police report says five bodies.
The police report doesn't sound very accurate.
Oh, and something else. The room where the fire took place.
In the ashes... we found an entire collection of films.
- Films? - Old films.
Thirty-five millimeter, 16mm, DVDs, VHS tapes.
- Flash cards and hard drives too. - A piracy ring?
The thing is...they were completely untouched by the blaze.
It's almost like they were placed there sometime... after the fire.
Chai is trying to see something right now.
Burn!
It's a positive on the black powder.
Burned!
Burn... then receive.
But why?
It's some kind of a portal.
A feedback loop!
Alright, this is our case now. We need to tie up the loose ends.
The sixth body...
...the black powder connection...
...and the collection of films.
Collect everything in that room as evidence.
I want to see what's on every one of those films.