The Scary Way to a Moviegoer’s Heart

Why do people pay to watch horror movies and scare themselves half to death in the process? Perhaps the gratification is in the sense of relief at the end of the movie, when good almost always triumphs over evil. Riding on the popularity of horror movies and the strong emotional attachment that so many Malaysian moviegoers have for all things macabre, award-winning Malaysian film director James Lee has initiated an effort for young filmmakers to showcase their works. He calls the annual event the 3 Doors of Horror. “It is easier to market horror films,” says Lee. It is harder to get an audience’s attention for a romantic comedy despite the feel-good experience it generates.

For Lee, 3 Doors of Horror will serve as an entry point for local filmmakers to get their names and works across to moviegoers. The event was launched in 2013 by Lee’s production company Doghouse 73 Pictures. At each of the first and second installment of 3 Doors of Horror, three short horror films by three professional film directors were featured. This year, the three short films that make up each installment combine into a 44-minute anthology. Three young film directors – Leroy Low, Sidney Chan and Chan Kean Wah aka Black Cat – took centrestage.

Read the full article by June Moh on Focus Wee