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The West has a tendency to lump horror from East and Southeast Asia into one basic but limiting category. Because of this, someone might write off an entire continent’s contributions to the genre based solely on a few popular movies with similar plots and executions. However, Eric Khoo’s series Folklore highlights — not to mention celebrates — the differences that make each episode’s depicted culture so unique. That’s not to say there isn’t an overall theme here. This anthology show emphasizes a commonality among its stories; every tale of terror draws from the supernatural. More specifically, each self-contained episode is based on a local custom, myth or superstition. And as the second season demonstrates with both flair and potency, defying the past and ignoring tradition has serious consequences.

Like other anthology series, there is no specific order when watching the episodes. Skipping around is surely an option,...

Malaysian drama film, “Rise Ini Kalilah” has been picked up by Netflix and will go to air from Feb. 26. The film released in Malaysian theaters and in Singapore in September.

Involving six intertwined fictional tales, “Rise” documents personal stories and struggles in the build up to last year’s historic general election in Malaysia. To the surprise of many, the election was a people’s revolt, deposing corrupt prime minister Najib Razak, and the ruling party after 61-years of rule.

It was produced by Fred Chong through his Prodigee Film company, and backed by his digital media outfit WebTVAsia. WebTVAsia produces original content and acts as a multichannel network for some 2,500 Asian creators.

“The world wants to know how a small democracy like Malaysia managed to make a monumental political shift without violence and bloodshed. So I told this story from the lens of six normal citizens, to demonstrate that...