Incantation opens with a warning: what's on screen is presented as a cursed recording, and viewers are told directly that watching carries some risk. That framing sets the tone for this 2022 Taiwanese horror-mystery from director Kevin Ko.
What is Incantation about?
Told largely through found-footage style camerawork, Incantation builds its mystery around the warning that opens the film — the idea that the footage itself is dangerous to watch. Hsuan-yen Tsai leads a cast that includes Kao Ying-Hsuan, Sin-Ting Huang, Sean Lin, RQ, and Queenie Chen, working through a story that blurs the line between documentary-style horror and a more traditional mystery. The film leans on dread and uncertainty rather than jump scares, keeping its central threat mostly unseen and letting the framing device do the unsettling work.
About the cast
Hsuan-yen Tsai anchors Incantation in the lead role, carrying much of the found-footage material directly to camera. Kao Ying-Hsuan and Sin-Ting Huang appear in key supporting parts, with Sean Lin, RQ, and Queenie Chen rounding out a cast that stays small and tightly focused, in keeping with the film's intimate, first-person style.
Context & significance
Incantation comes from Taiwan and runs 110 minutes, sitting at the intersection of horror and mystery rather than committing fully to either. Director Kevin Ko builds the film around its found-footage warning conceit — the sense that the audience has been handed something they shouldn't watch — which sets it apart from more conventional supernatural horror. The mystery and horror genre pairing carries through the whole runtime, with the film's tension coming from what's implied rather than shown outright.
Watching Incantation on Ktime
Incantation, listed on K-Time under its Farsi title طلسم, is available with both a Persian dub and Persian subtitles. Watching the film requires a free K-Time account login, though its page can be read without signing in. K-Time's Farsi-first interface is built for horror fans who want either a full Persian dub or subtitled original audio.