The Tag-Along – original title: Hong yi xiao nu hai – 紅衣小女孩 – is a 2015 Taiwanese supernatural horror film directed by Wei-Hao Cheng from a screenplay by Shih-Keng Chien. It stars Wei-Ning Hsu, River Huang and Yin-Shang Liu.
A sequel, The Tag-Along 2, also directed by Wei-Hao Cheng, was released in September 2017.
Property agent Wei (River Huang) lives with his grandmother (Liu Yin-shang), but one day she suddenly disappears without a reason, and yet the routines of the house still continues as usual – the laundry is done, the house is well-cleaned as usual and even Wei’s breakfast remains prepared every morning.
A clueless Wei starts to search for his grandmother until he finds an uncanny video in his neighbour’s camera, where a little girl in red was tagging behind his grandmother while she was hiking.
Oddly enough, after Wei’s grandmother finally returns, Wei goes missing instead. Wei’s radio DJ girlfriend, Yi-chun (Hsu Wei-ning) gradually discovers that all these mysteries might be connected to the urban legend “The Little Girl in Red” and that the worst is yet to come…
Reviews:
“The Tag-Along is a flawed but fun outing that feels more like a J-horror romp from 2006 than a modern horror film from Taiwan. It’s far from perfect, but it provides a handful of scares and more than enough emotion to constitute a viewing from fans of paranormal horror tales. Treat this one more like a romantic drama than a creepy horror film, and you might actually dig it.” Blair Hoyle, Cinema Slasher
The Tag-Along out-forests The Forest when it comes to supernatural thrills fueled by emotional suffering and trees, and it does so while spending far less time in the woods. This is effective, hair-raising filmmaking that will leave you worried about what’s behind you but too afraid to find out.” Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects
“There’s a pleasing psychological depth to the script, playing upon guilt, fear, loss and loneliness, and the relationship between the two, and between Wei and his grandmother, holds the interest, making for some emotional, if depressing moments. This helps distract from the film’s lack of originality in other areas…” James Mudge, Eastern Kicks
“Arguably, the film starts out vibing like Juno Mak’s eerie Rigor Mortis, but morphs into something closely akin to the okay but not exceptional The Forest. Still, if you enjoy a good Blumhouse, Cheng uncorks enough to be worth your while.” Joe Bendel, J.B. Spins
Cast and characters:
- Hsu Wei-ning as Shen Yi-chun, a radio DJ and Wei’s girlfriend
- River Huang as Ho Chih-wei, a property agent who lives with his grandmother. Yi-chun’s boyfriend of five years.
- Liu Yin-shang as Ho Wen Shu-fang, Wei’s grandmother
- Chang Po-Chou as Uncle Kun, security officer of the apartment building
- Lin Yi-zhen, Yang Jia-yun, Chen Liang-tong and Chen Ling-fan as “The Little Girl in Red”
- Yumi Wong as Bei-bei’s mother
- Mario Pu as Property agent manager, Wei’s manager
- Pai Ming-hua as Aunty A-shui
- Jin Mei-an as Aunty A-li
- Basang Yawei as Captain of Search and Rescue Team
Filming locations:
Fuzhoushan Park, Da’an District, Taipei
