So, who else didn't know this thing existed? Just me? Because this is right up my alley! Not knowing a season 1 existed just made me excited that I've got a lot of content to jump into. Especially since this is the perfect time for this kind of spooky stuff! And as far as spooky things go, the Asian stuff grade-A, top-shelf material.
The 6-episode season starts off on November 14, 2021, at 10 PM exclusively on HBO GO and HBO! And then a new episode comes out every Sunday after then.
Folklore Season 2 sees even more Asian... well, folklore. In this season, the series will be set across Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore, exploring supernatural phenomena and the human reaction to such things. Each episode will be directed by a local filmmaker, which gives it that much more authentic flavor - Shih-Han Liao from Taiwan, Seiko Matsuda from Japan, Sittisiri Mongkolsiri from Thailand, Erik Matti from the Philippines, Billy Christian from Indonesia, and Nicole Midori Woodford from Singapore. Eric Khoo returns as the showrunner.
Here's the synopsis for each episode:
Folklore S2: The Rope
Debut date: Sunday, November 14 at 10 PM HBO GO and HBO
Directed by: Shih-Han Liao (Taiwan)
Cast: Vivian Sung (Sung Yun-Hwa), Wu Kang-Ren
A newly-wed woman is walking home alone after a joyous wedding ceremony when she gets caught in a purification ritual performed for suicide victims. The ritual officers warn her that she will need to follow the ritual, or she will be cursed. However, she runs away despite their warning. Her life is turned upside down with strange phenomena and disturbing hauntings. Fearing that she has been cursed, she seeks aid from the Master of the purification ritual who confirms her worst fears. However, there’s more to the situation than meets the eye and she needs to get to the bottom of the mystery before it destroys her completely.
Folklore S2: The Day the Wind Blew
Debut date: Sunday, November 21 at 10 PM on HBO GO and HBO
Directed by: Seiko Matsuda (Japan)
Cast: Win Morisaki, Haori Takahashi
Mika is a schoolgirl who meets the man of her dreams - Ken, her favorite singer. As she takes her seat at Ken’s concert, nothing could be more perfect. Not only is she witness to a performance that is everything she’s expected and more, it seems he’s actually taken an interest in her. But something seems amiss. Ever since the day of the concert, a cold wind has stalked the woman’s path as her dream encounter is marred by a bone-chilling presence. What appears to be the beginning of a fairy tale love can only be described as a fable destined for a hellish end.
Folklore S2: Broker Of Death
Debut date: Sunday, November 28 at 10 PM on HBO GO and HBO
Directed by: Sittisiri Mongkolsiri (Thailand)
Cast: Natee Ngamnaewprom (Ton), Jennis Oprasert
Manop is a 45-year-old single father who owns an amulet shop. It doesn’t pay him well, especially when he has to pay for his daughter’s exorbitant medical bills. In fact, his main source of income comes from being a “Broker of Death” - someone who trades in corpses. One day, he is told to pick up a dead body. The corpse is to be a part of the ritual so that a wealthy politician can have more power. Manop has to choose between two frightening options – ghost haunting or poverty.
Folklore S2: 7 Days Of Hell
Debut date: Sunday, December 5 at 10 PM on HBO GO and HBO
Directed by: Erik Matti (Philippines)
Cast: Dolly de Leon, Roshson Barman
A righteous policewoman and mother race against time to save her son when he falls dangerously ill from an unknown cause. When her son is given only a few weeks to live, she discovers that his illness is of supernatural origin and that a powerful sorcerer has cursed him. The only way for her son to survive is for him to apologize and make amends to the sorcerer. As the clock ticks, she is sent on a desperate quest to save her son.
Folklore S2: Grandma’s Kiss
Debut date: Sunday, December 12 at 10 PM on HBO GO and HBO
Directed by: Billy Christian (Indonesia)
Cast: Lydia Kandou, Ken Zuraida
Marni is a new resident at a nursing home, having been left there by her daughter. She feels abandoned and longs for her old life. She suspects that her roommate Ningsih might be a supernatural being - a Palasik - haunting the home and able to make any wish come true if caught. Will Marni use the Palasik to get what she desires - her old life back?
Folklore S2: The Excursion
Debut date: Sunday, December 19 at 10 PM on HBO GO and HBO
Directed by: Nicole Midori Woodford (Singapore)
Cast: Mindee Ong, Ethan Ng, Darren Lim
A troubled mother is depressed and suffering from insomnia. Her husband is never at home and her son talks to an imaginary friend Under immense stress, she starts to see a ghostly, somehow familiar figure in her house. Her son’s erratic behavior becomes dangerous and life-threatening. Can she save her son and her family before it’s too late?
Excited yet? I sure as heck am.