Haunted Mountains: The Yellow Taboo

One of the weightier genre entries to emerge from Taiwan in recent years, Tsai Chia-ying’s contribution to the Fantasia 2025 line-up is something of a hybrid beast. It draws on the South East Asian tradition in which the name of the genre is taken very literally, to the point of intentionally distressing the audience both viscerally and psychologically, but it also has folk horror aspects and a Korean-style interest in using genre structures to explore the complexities of modern relationships. If the structure that it adopts partway through frustrates you, bear with it, because it’s more complicated than it seems.

We begin with a young men whom we will later learn goes by the name of An-wei (Tsao Yu-ning). He’s wandering through the mist-shrouded forests of the mountainside alone and afraid. There is little light, he’s coughing, and he has almost run out of water. Hearing a voice which seems to call “This way,” he makes the curious decision to strip off his clothes, then tries to follow it, coming to a building with a red door; but no-one answers when he knocks. Then he catches sight of a mysterious figure in a yellow raincoat. This will not end well.

Some time later, another young man wakes up in a youth hostel down the mountain slopes. This is Chai-ming (Jasper Liu) and he’s here with his girlfriend Yu-hsin (Angela Yuen) – in fact, he’s secretly carrying an engagement ring, and hopes to pop the question. All in all, it might not be the most sensitive place to do so; and, indeed, we will learn that he has tried before and she has turned him down. He thinks it’s because she’s still in love with the vanished An-wei, whose body they hope they might find in order to gain some closure. The real reason is more complicated, but he is not the most perceptive of people. Soon, he will be placed in a position where everything depends on his capacity for deep and honest reflection; the question is, can he pass the test?

The two young people’s search for their lost companion brings complications of its own. It’s followed by a lengthy flashback in which we see something of the original trip, before An-wei became separated, and we learn how he violated a local taboo by climbing through barriers made of yellow cloth, ignoring a poster which requested privacy for a ritual, and persuading the others to follow him. As a result they all saw something they were not supposed to, but what that means might be harder to unravel. As other parts of the story reveal, the area is steeped in ritual and tradition. The mountain is said to be haunted due to a disaster which occurred there long ago. Dozens of people have gone missing there since, which makes on wonder why nobody has intervened to discourage the parade of hikers visiting the area, or at least to organise them into larger, guided groups.

Once the film starts to get brutal, it’s easy to become so focused on the horror that one loses sight of the mystery, and this seems to be a conscious trick on Tsai’s part. Though there are relatively few action sequences, he also uses action techniques to surprise and distract. To find your way, you will need to question your own prejudices and engage with cultural difference – as will the characters. It’s a fitting challenge on an island which is desperately trying to hold on to its unique heritage as young people increasingly turn their eyes towards China, rejecting ancient beliefs in favour of a more individualistic, acquisitive way of engaging with the world. Even without the supernatural, mountains are a force not easily tamed, and the underlying tragedy is neatly summed up by a scene in which it emerges that our hero’s only navigation equipment is a mobile phone app.

Diligently assembled, with good technical work and high production values throughout, Haunted Mountains: The Yellow Taboo is a satisfying watch which suggests that Taiwanese horror is heading in the right direction.

Reviewed on: 28 Jul 2025