Why watch horror movies when the economy is already terrifying as it is? It's not masochism; sometimes you just want to scare yourself silly despite fear being a not-so-positive emotion. According to a Harvard Business Review article on Oct. 16, 2021, some of us just crave horror so we can experience mental and physical stimulation both positively and negatively. Another explanation? Some of the scenes we see in horror films would probably never happen to us in real life, so watching these allows us to gain new experiences.

Halloween or not, these 10 Asian horror flicks may just give you the right amount of frivolous thrill and scare for when you need them. Just don't flinch, look up, or look under the bed...

'Kuwaresma' (2019)

This Filipino horror movie is directed by Erik Matti and stars veteran actors John Arcilla and "Megastar" Sharon Cuneta. Arcilla plays Arturo, the patriarch of the Fajardo family, while Cuneta is the passive wife Rebecca, a medical doctor. Their son, Luis (starring Kent Gonzales), returns home to Baguio for the wake of his sister Manuela (Gonzales' real-life sister Pam), who passed away under strange circumstances. The movie, set in 1980s Baguio, was released in May 2019.

'Eerie' (2018)

Another Filipino horror movie, "Eerie" by Mikhail Red sees superstars Bea Alonzo and Charo Santos-Concio together as Pat Consolacion, a clairvoyant school counselor, and nun Mother Alice, respectively. When a student in the all-girls Catholic school takes her own life, Consolacion sets out to investigate her death. Other actors who starred in the movie include Jake Cuenca, Maxene Magalona, AJ Muhlach, and more.

'Roh' (2019)

This critically acclaimed Malaysian indie folk movie was the country's official entry for the 93rd Academy Awards' Best International Feature Film category and has gone on to win Best Film, among five other awards, at the 31st Malaysia Film Festival. The directorial debut of Emir Ezwan, "Roh" centers on two children, Along and Angha, who live in the forest with their mother Mak. Their lives are upended when the children meet Adik, a young girl who warns them of death before taking her own life. They also meet Tok, a mysterious old lady who is actually an iblis, considered the personal name of the devil in Islam.

'Voice' (2005)

This 2005 South Korean supernatural horror movie is the fourth installment of the "Whispering Corridors" series, the first of which was released in 1998 with the titular title "Whispering Corridors," followed by “Memento Mori” (1999), and “Wishing Stairs” (2003). It follows the story of Young-eon, a singer at an all-girls school, who is murdered by a music sheet slicing her throat. Her friend, Seon-min, is the only one who can hear her and the two try to solve how Young-eon was murdered.

'Incantation' (2022)

Just released this 2022, Taiwanese supernatural horror movie "Incantation" by director Kevin Ko is regarded as the highest-grossing film of the year in Taiwan. The film is presented non-linearly and in found footage form, centering on Li Ronan, who compels the viewers to chant an incantation to get rid of a curse on her young daughter Dodo after the former broke a religious taboo years back.

'May the Devil Take You' (2018)

This Indonesian horror movie was written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto. It made its premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival and has a sequel called "May the Devil Take You Too" (2020). It follows the story of Lesmana Wijaya who performs a satanic ritual so he can become rich. While he indeed became affluent, his success was marked by the death of his first wife Intan and his eventual marriage to Laksmi, a retired actress, before becoming bankrupt.

Alfie, Lesmana's estranged daughter from his first wife, experiences strange occurrences when Lesmana is hospitalized due to an inexplicable illness and Laksmi begins searching the family villa to look for valuable possessions. This search eventually sets off a supernatural entity to possess Laksmi.

'The Whole Truth' (2021)

"The Whole Truth" is a Thai horror movie directed by Wisit Sasanatieng. It centers on Pim (Sutatta Udomslip) and Putt (Mac Nattapat Nimjiwarat) who move into their grandparents' house after their mother Mai sustains an accident. In the house, the two discover a hole in the wall, which reveals their family's secret, sinister history.

'Revenge of the Pontianak' (2019)

Directed by Glen Goei and Gavin Yap, this Singapore-Malay horror romance movie is set in 1965 Malaysia. It centers on newly married couple, Khalid and Siti, whose lives and the villagers are terrorized due to the arrival of a beautiful pontianak or female vampire who is out to take revenge on Khalid. The villagers grow fearful and paranoid as their community suffers from horrible deaths and supernatural occurrences due to the pontianak.

'Bliss' (2017)

This Filipino film directed, written, and scored by Jerrold Tarog is more of a psychological thriller than horror. It stars Iza Calzado as Jane Ciego, an actress who attempts to produce her own film but suffers an accident in the process. The accident leaves her disabled and kept at home with a strange nurse named Lilibeth (played perfectly by Adrienne Vergara) and her husband Carlo (TJ Trinidad). As Ciego is confined at home, she slowly becomes insane. Calzado garnered the Yakushi Pearl Award at the Osaka Asian Film Festival in 2017 for her performance in the film.

'Aurora' (2018)

Directed by Yam Laranas, this horror thriller sees actress Anne Curtis take on the role of Leana, who runs a failing inn near the shore where a ship named Aurora has crashed. Leana partners with a fisherman to retrieve the dead bodies for money before asking another contact to help her with the task. Leana's young sister, Rita, is able to see the dead, and soon enough, Leana can see them too.