
It Remains is a 2023 Hong Kong supernatural horror film, directed by Kelvin Shum. Kelvin started his directing career with a number of short films such as Devils Lure (2015), What Remains (2016), and The Exchange (2017), before moving on to his first feature-length title Deliverance (2022).
Finn embarks on an island adventure with his friends in an attempt to overcome a haunting tragedy, but this journey into the wilderness takes a terrifying turn. They begin to suffer from frightening dreams and come upon strange artifacts on this strange island, it’s not long before they realize that an ancient evil exists and stalks them at every turn. What awaits them are things they never expect out of this supposedly serene trip.
Beginning with a creative introduction to the narrative, It Remains forgoes a standard info dump of the main plot points on the audience in its emergence. Instead, the film implements an ethereal, dream-like sequence full of beautiful cinematography and intricate editing to construct a visually stunning yet concise introduction. With a heavy focus on loss, regret, dependency, and revenge, the story weaves an incredibly solemn tale that takes full advantage of generalised shared trauma to be both powerful and relatable. While our main protagonist’s anguish stems from alternating experiences, they all share the negative effects of erroneously processing said grief.
However, while the story features methodical pacing throughout, the film’s writing is noticeably weak at points. While the film’s second act is a competent display of supernatural horror and hallucinatory insanity, the first and third act features somewhat stilted character depth outside of their trauma—at times, feeling two-dimensional. Despite this, this is hardly detrimental to the film as a whole.
Featuring a plethora of differing styles and techniques, the cinematography in It Remains is one of its strongest features. The likes of alluring boom tilts, dolly pans, and ariel drone shots, when twinned with stylish editing produce a visually stunning piece of cinema. Moreover, the use of lighting and manipulation of darkness create an eerie stage on which this supernatural story unfolds. The vast shadows transform enclosed locations into environments of deeper dread.
With amazing performances from Chu Pak Hong, Ng Siu Hin, Lam Yiu Sing, and Kwok Chui Yee, their congenial delivery of guilt and woe is certainly one of the film’s driving forces. Although the actors don’t have much to their characters outside of their trauma, they all give their respective performances a cordially somber rendition of grief.
Evocative and perturbed, It Remains is an unsettling projection of family trauma and emotional suppression expertly presented within a haunting, supernatural narrative. With an astonishingly artistic level of cinematography, standout performances from the entire cast, and spine-chilling supernatural scares, the film is certainly a return to form for Hong Kong horror.
It Remains (2023) will premiere in the UK on Oct. 28th
More Film Reviews
The term “remake” is often met with blatant vitriol and is usually accompanied by assertions that Hollywood is either running out of ideas or is cashing in on the audience’s… Edge of Sanity is a 1989 American slasher horror, directed by French director Gérard Kikoïne in one of his last films in the director’s chair. The story combines elements from… The audience meets Ozzie Gray at a turning point in her life, dealing with her past trauma through an upbringing with a grandmother, Dorothy Bell, who was violent towards her… The Old Man: The Movie (Vanamehe film) is a 2019 Estonian stop-motion animation, written and directed by Oskar Lehemaa and Mikk Mägi with additional writing from Peeter Ritso. The film… Content Warning: This film contains depictions of ne***philia. Bad Candy takes place in the town of New Salem during Halloween, where two radio DJ’s invite callers to share local myths…. Johanna is just twenty years old but struggling with her boring and aimless existence. Disturbing visions start the day she gets fired from her job. Soon Johanna is carried off…Cube (2021) Film Review – Japan Beat Hollywood to the Punch
Edge of Sanity (1989) Film Review – Anthony Perkins Exploitation Classic
What Happened to Dorothy Bell? (2024) Film Review – Living in the Shadow of Evil [Fantastic Fest]
The Old Man: The Movie (2019) Film Review – “Adventures, Robots, Explosions”
Bad Candy (2021) Film Review- A Frightfest Halloween Anthology
Dark Circus (2016) Film Review – The Goths Are Alright

Hey there, I’m Jim and I’m located in London, UK. I am a Writer and Managing Director here at Grimoire of Horror. A lifelong love of horror and writing has led me down this rabbit hole, allowing me to meet many amazing people and experience some truly original artwork. I specialise in world cinema, manga/graphic novels, and video games but will sometime traverse into the unknown in search of adventure.