When adaptation gets it right
Being plugged into foreign cinema has opened my eyes to a wider range of horror subgenres than I even realized were out there. One example is the examination of existential dread under the conditions of real-life political oppression, something entirely unfamiliar to Americans. The 2017 game Detention by developer Red Candle Games is a great example of that, being set during Taiwan’s “White Terror” period, where the nationalist forces of the Kuomintang committed what amounts to a holocaust in order to oppress political dissenters. It’s a setting you don’t see crop up in American stories often, unless it’s a retelling of World War 2 where we can be the “good guys.”
My first exposure to Detention wasn’t through the game, however. I was aware of Red Candle Games after its second title, Devotion, stirred controversy in 2019 for including an Easter Egg stating Chinese President Xi Jinping was Winnie-the-Pooh, but I overlooked both games as I’ve never really been big on horror. It wasn’t until 2021 when the live-action adaptation of Detention, directed by John Hsu and released in most Asian territories in 2019, made its way West that I was plugged into this particular story. I had received a press release which highlighted that it was a video game adaptation. Out of morbid curiosity, I figured I’d see what the fuss was, and I ended up being floored. This film really should be at the top when it comes to “best game adaptations” lists.
From that point on, I was intrigued by the whole idea of Detention. Sort of a mixing Silent Hill with real-life terrors (the scariest type of horror) as political and social commentary, I wanted to see if the game held up to what the film presented. That’s when I found out there was a live-action Netflix adaptation of Detention that acted as a sequel to the game. Figuring that would be easier to check out at the moment, I watched it and was, again, stunned by how poignant everything was. You have the original story that presents the evil that men will do, then this sequel series that explores the lingering effects of such a tragedy on society at large.
After finishing the show, I obviously had to play the game to complete the circle of misery. I found the game on a deep discount and booted it up in anticipation of discovering how it became such a cultural phenomenon. What I found was an adventure game dripping in atmosphere and filled with engaging writing, but one that went a bit too light on its puzzle aspects. Interestingly, I would say the film tackles the narrative better, even if the game presents a different perspective on things.
I won’t spoil any specific plot details, but the game puts players in the shoes of two students at the fictional Greenwood High School in what appears to be a nightmarish purgatory. Through investigation and puzzle solving, you slowly unravel what happened, while also learning about the horrors perpetrated by the KMT against Taiwanese citizens. It’s rich in historical context and a fantastic marriage of horror aesthetic with cultural specificity, as well as presenting a story that highlights the vulnerability and naivety of childhood.
The film mostly shares the same plot, but does a better job showcasing the past events that led to the current situation players navigate. There’s more background given to its characters, as well as a direct showing of the domestic abuse that protagonist Fang Ray-Xin undergoes at home. It condenses large portions and maybe reaches its conclusion too quickly, but it manages to include some of the more striking images of the game in all of their graphic detail. It really is a great distillation of the story.
The game leans more into Chinese iconography, but the most persistent image is that of a mutated version of a KMT officer. He skulks around the school carrying a body bag and jingling prison keys as if to signal your impending doom is nigh. The film, conversely, is more direct and frequently highlights hanging bodies from the gym rafters. Both have Fan Ray-Xin kill a fellow student to uncover the truth, though the film is more graphic in how that plays out. The Netflix show, meanwhile, directly confronts suicide and makes you watch a girl plummet to her death. I appreciate how unflinching each adaptation is with displaying the horrors that children go through during times of war.
What I find so fascinating is that the two adaptations stay true to the core of what the game was about. It’s very rare for video game adaptations to keep every detail intact during the transition between mediums, not to mention improve on some lacking elements from the original. Detention is a rare example that showcases the proper way to adapt a story across mediums, not to mention one that presents a completely overlooked period of history to westerners. For that alone, I think every iteration of it is worth engaging with. I’ve learned so much about history through Detention and I would urge anyone interested in learning about the world at large to check at least one version out.
