Nothing is coming between Giddens Ko and chicken rice this time

What's scarier than a horror movie?

For Taiwanese novelist and filmmaker Giddens Ko, it's missing out on Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Foreign celebrities might wax lyrical about chilli crab and durian, but Giddens — also known as Jiubadao, which means 'nine knives' in Chinese — has his heart set on chicken rice, which he described as "the most delicious food in Singapore".

The 41-year-old recalled his failed quest to try the iconic local dish when he and his wife, television reporter Chou Ting-yu, were in town a few months ago.

"The last time we tried to find Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, we found the place after a lot of effort, but it was under renovation," he told AsiaOne over e-mail. "It was quite a horrifying situation."

Fortunately, Giddens, who said he is "very serious" about getting his hands on some chicken rice, would have a second shot this weekend when he drops by to conduct a horror movie masterclass as part of the film festival Scream Asia.

Scream Asia 2019, which runs until the end of October, is jointly organised by mm2 Entertainment and Cathay Cineplexes.

While local audiences might be more familiar with the former's iconic Ah Boys to Men comedy franchise, mm2 Entertainment has also produced horror flicks such as Ghost Child and Bring Back the Dead.

MARRYING HORROR AND COMEDY

Giddens, who shot to fame after writing and directing the 2011 film You Are The Apple Of My Eye, might be most well known for the campus romance, but his books and filmography span a variety of genres, from the mystery The Tenants Downstairs to horror-comedy Mon Mon Mon Monsters.

We often think of horror and comedy as polar opposites, but Giddens argued that they are more similar than people think.

"Actually it's quite common to see audiences laughing at the scariest part of the movie. It's not that they aren't scared. In fact, they laugh because they are scared. The moment a character deviates from the norm, the audience laughs to release the fear and tension."

He cited the common horror movie trope of a character washing their face in front of a mirror.

"When they raise their head, you'd expect to see a ghost in the mirror. Because of that expectation, when something else appears in the mirror, subverting the audience's expectations, it usually gets a laugh."

WILL THERE BE ANOTHER APPLE OF MY EYE?

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Since You Are The Apple Of My Eye and 2014's Cafe. Waiting. Love, fans of Giddens' romance films have been left thirsting for more.

But they might not have long to wait.

When asked if he was working on more romance novels and movies, Giddens emphasised that he was not giving up on the genre anytime soon, saying, "Yes, yes, yes. It has always been something I really want to do and something that I will definitely do."

However, the director remained coy about his upcoming projects, simply revealing that he is currently making plans for a movie and is talking to "certain actors".

PICK HIS BRAIN IN SCREAM ASIA MASTERCLASS

Want more insight into Giddens' creative process?

As part of Scream Asia 2019, Giddens will be conducting a horror movie masterclass at 2mm Talent Hub on Oct 26 from 2pm to 5pm.

Participants could also receive a pair of tickets to a special screening of Mon Mon Mon Monsters on Oct 25 — with Giddens in attendance — on a first-come-first-served basis.

Tickets for the masterclass are available for purchase on the Cathay Cineplexes website at $10.

Scream Asia 2019 continues with horror movie classics such as The Thing and A Nightmare on Elm Street at $7 per ticket. Click here for more. 

This article is brought to you in partnership with mm2 Entertainment.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com