Hellbound Village (Tết Ở Làng Địa Ngục) - First Season

ALL STORYLINES AND IMAGES ARE FICTITIOUS. ANY SIMILARITIES ARE COINCIDENTAL.

Do you know who I am?

ADAPTED FROM THE PERIOD HORROR NOVEL BY THAO TRANG

IN THE LAST EPISODE

You hold this. And keep it close.

Most grateful to you!

Madam Tu got me new herbal blends.

As long as we have a kid.

Woe to the village.

You must protect yourself.

Unpleasant. Darkest omens.

I call upon your redeeming grace.

Oh, dear Thap!

You were once nearly died by being spirited away.

You will face tragedy when you're 39 years old.

Do you know about... the crippled beggar.

-The one in our own area? -Yes.

Of course we know of him.

That's right. I've seen him many times.

The old cripple who crawls around the market.

I hate all you fucking men.

I despise all of you!

Why do you cry, Missus?

In short, whoever meets and talks with that cripple...

will soon die.

Oh?

Who could be laughing at ghost stories?

Can you all hear it?

But wait, this laughter... is rather familiar.

Who is it?

Who's there?

It's my gold!

It's my gold!

It's my gold!

It's my gold!

"Congee" Tu.

-But he is dead. -Isn't he... dead?

Good heavens!

-What's wrong now? -Oh my God.

THREE YEARS AGO

Who's there?

Who's there?

Hello?

Who goes there?

Who's there?

Who is it?

Darling!

My dear!

Darling!

Tu...!

Aboard!

Tu...!

Aboard!

Help, anyone!

Congee Tu is dead!

Listen.

Death is already a dour thing.

But he also met the ferrying wench.

Good heavens!

I only need to hear about her...

And I shiver all over.

Now here's a thing not all of you know.

Not everyone who dies is transported to whatever after

and is able to meet the Ferry Woman.

Only people with hard karma

can really see her.

But the fact that Tu died,

how the hell does it tie to the beggar?

You all are bad at paying attention.

Use some more effort now to see here.

The day before

Congee Tu ended himself,

the person he met

was the crippled beggar.

Tu has zero love for that beggar.

But every day

the beggar would just hang around his stall.

Sooner or later,

Tu would run a knife into him.

Hot yams are here. Please enjoy, sir.

My love rarely tells it wrong.

No lie!

I also saw it with own two eyes, of course.

That day,

Tu was packing up to go home

and the beggar came crawling in.

You cripple!

Go the hell away!

-If you are here, I just can't sell! -I have no idea what words were exchanged.

I need you to go, can you fucking do so?

But Tu's eyes, they were blood red.

Oh, you're not going, eh?

He reached for the butcher's knife on the shelf.

To chop at the beggar.

But then he muttered something,

that stopped Tu in his tracks.

Scary!

Wait?

That day you said...

you were going to the next village for a feast.

Why did you go to the market?

Well...

After the feast, I...

I realized the market was on the way

and these yams were there.

Right. You bought yams.

Stop it.

Let us go back and rest. I'm getting scared now.

We have to wake up early tomorrow.

Hey!

Walk with me past the bamboos first, deal?

That story about Tu is giving me chills.

Sure! Let's take the long way home.

-Don't walk by where Tu lives. -Yeah.

Creeping the hell out of me.

-Let's go. -Go.

Good yams.

It's my gold!

It's my gold!

Sir Kham!

Who's out there?

It's me, Thap's wife. I'd like to see you.

-Come on in. -Yes!

SIR KHAM - THE HEALER

What is it... that has you here so late?

The thing is, sir...

These past few days, my skin has grown red.

It's prickly all day, unbearably so.

So... have you been to the woods,

or to the creek, and something's bitten you?

The woods, I haven't gone there.

The creek, when I go, I wear a palm coat.

So it's hard for things to bite into it.

Then, with your permission,

I'll check out the reddened area.

-May I? -Yes.

All done. Please adjust your clothing.

Wait for me.

Here.

Go home with this remedy.

Rub it onto the reddened area.

Twice daily, morning and night.

See if it works.

Yes. I thank you, sir.

Hey!

Mrs. Thap!

Money matters, tend to them later.

See if it works well on you first!

Yes. I thank you, sir.

I'll take my leave.

Sure, you may go.

And, sir...

Last month Madam Tu gave me new herbal mixes.

I've been drinking them

but nothing has happened.

Childbirth depends... on heaven's planning, Mrs. Thap.

I have been healing folks for generations

and thus, am familiar with your situation.

It's good for my business, sure.

But maybe you should

stop worrying too much about children.

Then the gods might bless you with one.

Moreover...

our village has been... a far from fertile place.

But you know this.

Must our suffering last across lives, sir?

That, I can't say for sure.

But what our ancestors did...

the consequences...

I'm afraid...

are now on our backs.

I'll leave you now, sir.

Yes. You go on.

DAI - MANIC BOY

Good heavens! Dai?

You frightened me!

But why?

What are you scared of?

Of ghosts?

Of ghosts, huh?

It's this late and that laughter, who wouldn't be scared?

The dead aren't scary.

The living are.

You speak nonsense.

It's so dark out, yet you're still running around,

not worried you'll be spirited away?

You forgot that last time already?

Where are you going if you aren't scared?

Still lively and steady, huh?

Like a tree that can't bloom

Your womb's so ill.

Home's empty, still...

Thap!

-Go home, child! Be quick! -Granny!

Granny!

Go home quick, or you're late.

Hours are short.

-Granny, I'm hurt! - Living hours are ending.

Late to return.

Souls turn demonic.