With its many adaptations, it might be that Detention (返校)—released as a horror game and later made into both a film and a TV series—doesn’t need any introduction! Since its release as a game in 2017, Detention was quickly converted into a film in 2019 and then a Netflix series in 2020. But, what is it about this story that it makes it so compelling?
Originally created by Taiwanese indie game studio Red Candle Games for release on Steam, Detention is an atmospheric horror game set in 1960s Taiwan when the country was ruled under martial law by the Kuomingtang (KMT) in a period known as White Terror. Military suppression and heavy censorship were common during the years of White Terror; many intellectual elite who were suspected to be communist sympathizers were imprisoned or killed and schools were tightly supervised.
Against the backdrop of this tumultuous time, the player takes on the role of two students, Wei Chong-ting (魏仲廷) and Fang Ray-shin (方芮欣), as they work to piece together the dark past of Greenwood High School. The game draws heavily on religious and cultural aspects of Taiwan to create a haunting landscape of ghostly nostalgia, and the player must solve puzzles while enduring monsters and supernatural events. Still, the supernatural horror of the game pales against the atrocities of the past, as Detention chillingly translates the fear and anxiety of surveillance of the era of White Terror into its interactive horror story.
Like many interactive horror games, the player is able to explore the environment through point and click interactions. As a 2D side-scroller, the mechanisms of the game are simple, but effective. By using more simple animations, the textures of the art are able to shine through, and the side-scrolling aspect of the game keeps you guessing at what supernatural horrors are waiting just off-screen.
Despite the fact that Detention addresses a difficult part of Taiwan’s past—or maybe because of it—the game was well received in Taiwan. Within three days of its release it reached #1 on Steam for Taiwan and #6 globally. Director John Hsu was also among the fans of Detention, and after shedding tears at the ending scene he resolved to bring the story of Detention to a bigger audience.
Even though the story of the film is largely the same as the game, the lack of puzzles puts more focus on the characters and results in a narrative that is less disjointed—albeit not as detailed or atmospheric as the game. Throughout the adaptation, the creators of the film were careful to pay homage to the same inspirations that the game was based upon. For instance, Hsu took inspiration from the posters related to the 1947 Keelung Senior High School Incident on which the original game was based, and the composer of the film score, Lu Luming, was determined to keep the production of the soundtrack all within Taiwan.
Whether it was due to the captivating story that Red Candle Games created or the careful attention given to making the film, Detention did well in the box office and became the first domestically released film to net over NT$100 million (3.6 million USD) in the first week of its release. The film also won 5 awards at the 56th Golden Horse Awards and 8 awards from other film festivals, including the Grand Prize as the Taipei Film Festival.
At eight 60-minute episodes, the 2020 Netflix version of Detention is much longer than the previous adaptations. In my opinion, the extra length comes with both positives and negatives. One advantage is that the series has more time to slowly build up the atmospheric horror elements that make the story so successful. Additionally, the TV series connects the past with a present timeline that echoes the same fears and pains and asks the viewer whether the progress we’ve made is really enough.
The contrasting present timeline adds many benefits to the story: it allows us to connect a bit more readily to the main character, it contextualizes some of the problematic elements of the original story, and it also provides a glimpse of modern-day rural Taiwan. However, due to the creators’ decision to focus more on realism, the Netflix adaptation lacks some of the supernatural charm of its predecessors and in some parts the modern-day storyline feels more drama than horror.
Although my personal favourite adaptation of Detention is the 2019 film, the cinematography of the Netflix series is stunning and the performances by its young cast make it more than worth watching. The Netflix version also provides more depth and context to the original, which allows even viewers who are not as familiar with Taiwan to understand the culture and history embedded within. From video game to film to a Netflix series, at the core of Detention is a touching story that exposes one of the unhealed wounds in Taiwan’s not-so-distant history. Still, as Detention reminds us, it is the horrors of the past that make us even more protective of a hopeful future.
(Featured image by Red Candle Games)
Taiwan Culture Corner 
Of the three pieces of media, I’ve only watched the film but it was incredibly impactful. I didn’t know enough about the historical context going in, but after watching the film I read up on it and was really moved. I’m not sure the game is for me, but I’d love to watch the TV show (even if it sounds scarier than the film!). Thank you for your thoughtful post about the overlaps and USPs of each medium!
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