Japanese comedian Naomi Watanabe stars as a pop star returning to the Taiwanese countryside in the horror comedy film "Oh My Ghost! Oh My God!" Released today, the movie marks the directorial debut of indigenous actor Soda Voyu and serves as a spiritual sequel to the 2018 film "Hidden Treasures in the Mountain."

The story centers on a diverse group of characters who face supernatural challenges while traversing remote mountain terrain. The cast includes Esther Huang Ching-i, Sakinu, and Soda Voyu himself, reprising his role as Wan-de, now depicted as the last in a lineage of shaman priests struggling with his calling. Huang portrays Xin-lan, Wan-de’s girlfriend and a skilled mountain guide, while Watanabe plays Juliet, a half-Japanese pop star and former classmate of Xin-lan who returns to her ancestral village following her mother’s death. Joining their journey are Juliet’s manager, Xiao Luo (played by Jasper Liu Yi-hao), and Zumai (Sakinu), a hairdresser drawn into the group by Xiao Luo’s presence.

Set against the backdrop of Taiwan’s mountainous countryside, the film shifts from the trio’s previous encounter with smugglers and wood thieves in "Hidden Treasures in the Mountain" to the folk horror genre, a category that has seen notable success in Taiwan in recent years with titles such as "The Tag-Along" (2015) and "Incantation" (2022). The plot unfolds as the group becomes lost and fragmented, encountering eerie characters and unsettling phenomena that compel Wan-de to rely on his questionable shamanic abilities, while the other characters confront their personal struggles.

Despite a premise promising a blend of horror and comedy, the film struggles to deliver on both fronts. Critics note that the screenplay often defaults to predictable jump scares and juvenile humor, particularly through repeated jokes about Zumai’s sexuality. Watanabe’s charismatic performance, often described as one of the film’s few bright spots, fails to fully elevate the material. The overall reception characterizes "Oh My Ghost! Oh My God!" as lacking the effective scares or laughs expected from the genre, resulting in an experience described as laborious and foggy rather than engaging.

The film is now available for audiences across Taiwan, entering a market where folk horror continues to attract viewers despite mixed critical responses.