The Tag-Along: Devil Fish 2018

Rooted in Taiwan’s decades-old urban legend about a fish that bears a human face, this prequel revisits the old tale from a new angle. It starts with the famous moment when three men in central Taiwan catch a fish and, as they begin to eat, notice a face emerge from within. The memory of that eerie encounter lingers, and the film captures the chilling line that follows: > 「魚肉好吃嗎？」.

Expanding beyond the legend, the story shifts to the present tension surrounding a group of people—a temple priest, a young boy, and the boy’s mother—who find themselves haunted by malicious spirits released by the caught fish. At the center of the drama is Lin Meihua and her daughter, around whom the supernatural harassment intensifies. The narrative treats the fish’s power as more than a single scare; it becomes a catalyst that unsettles a community and exposes how fear can travel through families and temples alike.

The film also threads connections to The Tag Along universe, hinting at events that precede The Tag Along 2. It situates itself before those later appearances, with nods to characters like the Tiger Temple priest’s son and his grandfather who will show up in the later installments. This setup suggests a larger tapestry of Taiwanese urban legends, where each tale feeds into the next and where motifs of lineage, ritual power, and possession recur across generations.

At the heart of the prequel’s backstory is a descent into origin myth. The demon that possesses Mei-Hua’s daughter is born from the vengeful spirit of a disfigured son of a wealthy man, Mr Chung. His father’s harsh treatment and the boy’s untimely death seed a haunting force that malevolently awakens itself. A master shaman—the father of Lin Chun-Kai’s line—fights the demon and the Tiger Lord’s spirit to protect the living, but the price is grave: the father dies, leaving a legacy of ritual mastery to be carried on by his grandson. That grandson is raised by his grandfather, a master shaman, who trains him to become his successor, setting the stage for the events that will unfold in Tag-Along 2.

The tale remains grounded in its folkloric roots while weaving a modern ensemble story about belief, fear, and the ways in which legends shape lives across generations. Through the threads of possession, prophecy, and ritual, the prequel paints a broader picture of Taiwan’s rich tapestry of folk tales, hinting at how the past echoes into the present and propels the next chapter in the saga.