By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The currently lensing film was inspired by true events.
Joan Chen (TWIN PEAKS) takes the lead in THE EVIL INSIDE, being produced by Taiwan’s DaSun Pictures. The film is directed and co-written by Lingo Hseih (THE BRIDE, Netflix’s GREEN DOOR), based on her 2014 short film of the same title. The synopsis: “Once a showbiz icon in Taiwan, Ho Jen-jen (Joan Chen)–better known as Golden Phoenix–vanished after reckless gambling left her drowning in debt. She abandoned her young daughter, severing all ties. Years later, she collapses during a police raid and wakes up in a sinister nursing home. Beneath its eerie calm lurks ‘Death Bet,’ a twisted game where terminal patients’ lifespans are gambled away. Desperate to escape and find her daughter, she soon realizes the true horror has yet to unfold, and the most harrowing secret is still waiting to be revealed.
“The film is rooted in chilling real-life events that once shocked Taiwan. The film exposes a sinister operation in which the lives–and deaths–of terminally ill patients were used as stakes in an illegal gambling scheme, under the guise of compassion.”
“This role was written with Joan in mind,” Lingo says. “I’ve long felt she would be perfect for such a flawed yet complex character, the antihero of motherhood in this story. I’m truly delighted we’re finally collaborating.”
“I look forward to embracing and defending this deeply scarred and morally complex woman,” says Chen, “an incorrigible gambler–infusing her dark, tormented soul with light and warmth, and granting her the ultimate triumph: salvation through defeat.”
“We envision this film as a Mandarin-language production with strong international storytelling appeal,” says producer Jackol Kao. “With Lingo Hsieh’s distinctive direction and Joan Chen’s remarkable performance, we believe the film will captivate global audiences and showcase the unique voice of Asian genre cinema.” World rights to THE EVIL INSIDE are being sold at the current Cannes Film Festival.
