The Bridge Curse is a Taiwanese Horror Movie by Lester Hsi.
At Tung Hu University is a bridge that was built for the convenience of its students. In the years that followed, it's become known as "The Female Ghost Bridge", and is a spot where students like to put each other through tests of courage. The rules are simple: on midnight of the Leap Day, cross the bridge and circle the lake, but when you're climbing the steps, don't look back.
In 2020, a female reporter is doing an article on the murders of the students who took part in the test in 2016. The film jumps between her P.O.V. as she investigates, and the P.O.V. of the students as they go about their business after the test, only to be haunted by some mysterious entity.
The film was released on February 27th, 2020.
A video game, The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation loosely based on the film is released in 2022.
The Bridge Curse contains examples of:
- Cellphones Are Useless: When two female students are running through the halls, one suggests the other use her cell phone to call for help. She comments that she doesn't have any bars.
- Downer Ending: After killing all the students and taking one to help them in four years, the ghost is revealed to be the reporter's cameraman, who attacks her. Then we see a new batch of students taking part in the bravery test, showing that the hauntings and deaths will continue.
- Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: The hauntings always happen on Leap Day, and continue afterwards until all students involved with the ritual have been killed, and one of them offers themselves up as the ghost's next helper.
- Intrepid Reporter: The woman in 2020 investigating the students' murders.
- Smash to Black: Happens after a ghost attack. Also at another point in the movie.
- Sequel Hook: In one of The Stingers, a pair of feet walks up to the reporter and tells her that he needs her help to break the cycle, implying he wants to put an end to the Bridge Curse deaths.
- Switching P.O.V.: Between the reporter's investigation in 2020, and the doomed students in 2016.
- Trail of Blood: One of The Stingers shows one leading to the reporter's head, though she is still alive.
- Unnaturally Looping Location: When two girls try running down the stairs to a lower floor, it takes them a lot of stairs before they realize they're still in the second-to-third-floor section, which is indicated by a 2/3 on the wall.
- Urban Legend: About the Female Ghost Bridge. The story is that a woman committed suicide there at midnight after her boyfriend never showed up for a planned rendevouz. Apparently, the actual story is that she was raped and murdered there by five guys, then dumped in the lake. Ever since, on the anniversary of her death, a mysterious 14th step has appeared on the bridge, and there's been that whole test of courage thing the students like doing.
