Trivia

The movie was inspired by an incident that occurred in 2005 in the District of Gushan, Kaohsiung (Taiwan). A family of 6 people claimed that they were possessed by evil entities from Chinese folklore. The oldest daughter died and the other members of the family were arrested. Ultimately the surviving family members were released when it was determined the daughter had starved herself to death in the belief it could drive the deity out of her body. The most anyone could be charged with under Chinese law was the equivalent of improper disposal of a corpse after the rest of the family abandoned her body outside of a hospital before leaving town.

The translated transcription of the prayer to Suffering Buddha Mother is as follows:

Silent bless silent pray holy hell heave spell Death summon live collect wish connect fate link birth Offer take circle balance share Suffering Buddha mother yours mine god all one Spread join agony deity sacrifice spirit meat soul blood flesh mind Hou-Ho-Xiu-Yi, Si-Sei-Wu-Ma We are all one we are all one Recite chant recite chant names to share Fate connects names to share fate Connects pray silently pray silently Answer your name silently answer you name silently I do I wish I agree I agree

Since its premiere in March, the movie has become the highest grossing Taiwanese horror film of all time, and Taiwan's highest grossing film of 2022. Incantation also finds itself at the center of a debate on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The hashtag "Is Incantation scary?" has garnered millions of views. The ultimate consensus: not that scary, but still worth watching.

The film was released in Taiwan on March 18, 2022, and it became the highest-grossing Taiwanese horror film.