Detention (2019 film)

Detention
Taiwanese theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese返校
Hanyu PinyinFǎn Xiào
Directed byJohn Hsu
Written by
  • John Hsu
  • Fu Kai-ling
  • Chien Shi-keng
Based onDetention
by Red Candle Games
Produced by
  • Lee Lieh
  • Lee Yao-hua
Starring
CinematographyPatrick Chou
Edited byShieh Meng-ju
Music byLuming Lu
Production
companies
  • 1 Production Film Co.
  • Filmagic Pictures
Distributed byWarner Bros. Taiwan
Release date
  • 20 September 2019 (2019-09-20)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryTaiwan
LanguageMandarin
BudgetNT$95 million (US$3 million)
Box officeUS$10.1 million

Detention (Chinese: 返校) is a 2019 Taiwanese supernatural psychological horror film directed by John Hsu and based on the popular horror video game of same name developed by Red Candle Games. Set in 1962 during Taiwan's White Terror period, two students are trapped at their hillside high school at night. While trying to escape and find their missing teacher, they encounter ghosts and the dark truth of their fate.

The film was not released in mainland China (due to government order),[1] but enjoyed strong box office success in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and South Korea;[2][3] the film was also selected in the official section of the 2020 International Film Festival Rotterdam.[4]

A TV series of the same name aired in 2020 on PTS and Netflix. The TV series is based on the video game, but its story is different from the film.

  1. ^ Frater, Patrick (13 July 2020). "'Detention' Wins Top Awards at Taipei Film Festival". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020.
  2. ^ Wong, Silvia (20 February 2020). "EFM 2020: the buzz titles from Taiwan". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  3. ^ "【最佳助攻?】《返校》《十年》越鬧越旺 胡慧中文革舊戲曾被禁" [The best attack? 'Detention' and 'Ten Years': the greater the disturbance, the better they do] (in Cantonese). Apple Daily. 3 July 2020. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Detention". International Film Festival Rotterdam. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.