‘The Teenage Psychic’ Director Chen Ho-yu Mines Cultural Identity in Vampire Comedy Project at Taiwan Creative Content Fest

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran “Don’t Worry About Vampire,” a fantastical comedy that explores Taiwan’s cultural identity through the lens of vampire-human relations, is being pitched at Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) by writer-director Chen Ho-yu.

The film will follow a bumbling protagonist who saves a vampire princess and becomes an overnight sensation, only to watch his hometown transform into an unrecognizable place as human-vampire peace treaties reshape society. “I’ve always wanted to write a fantasy story from a Taiwanese perspective,” says Chen, known for HBO Asia’s “The Teenage Psychic.” “If every country has its own monsters originating from its historical, political, and cultural fears, what is it that Taiwan fears the most?” Chen frames the story as an allegory about self-identity and cultural preservation. “If doing business with vampires could make you rich, but at the cost of losing your soul and freedom, would you agree?” he asks. “For the society, this is a process of the collective abandoning itself, gradually losing its local identity.

For the individual, it is about a protagonist who feels useless, giving up all ideals and persistence. He wants to transform himself and rise to greatness, only to find that the cost of joining the vampire family is the sacrifice of his life.

In a critical moment of survival, he discovers that the one thing he always thought was useless but deeply loved is what can truly save the world.