‘My screaming is real’: Lim Yan Xin gets genuinely spooked while filming horror microdrama with Fauzi Azzhar
For artiste Lim Yan Xin, there was one thing she did not have to fake while filming horror-comedy microdrama CONNECTED: her screams.
“My screaming is real,” she told Stomp with a laugh.
Seated beside her during their interview, co-star Fauzi Azzhar could attest to that.
“Her screaming is always real,” he said, recalling how Lim’s genuine fear sometimes made his own reactions more convincing.
The pair, who are managed by FLY Entertainment, star in CONNECTED, a first-of-its-kind horror-comedy microdrama by SPH Content Lab in partnership with Singtel.
The series follows three spooky stories set in Singapore, with a focus on friendship, relationships and human connection.
Judging from the actors’ experiences on set, some of the scares felt a little too close to reality.
“I also don’t know if we were acting or not because (some moments) felt so real,” admitted Fauzi.
Lim agreed, saying the finished scenes were so realistic that she found herself watching through her fingers when the microdrama was shown to her.
‘You confirm run first’
The first story in CONNECTED follows a female ghost who has died but remains attached to a house, while the second takes viewers into an old matrimonial home haunted by a music-loving ghost.
The third moves into an office, where the ghost of a former boss has a particular fondness for karaoke as a form of team bonding.
Lim admitted to feeling “freaked out” while filming the first story of CONNECTED, especially as she had not worked with the crew before.
Already afraid of the supernatural, the “random creaking, dog barking, red lights and lanterns” only added to her fear.
While the cast and crew did not observe any superstitions before each of the three overnight shoot, Lim recalled making a trip to the temple to seek protection from the deities and mentally prepare herself for filming.
Fauzi, meanwhile, joked that he would protect her if a ghost appeared.
“You confirm run first, you won’t bring me,” Lim quickly shot back.
“We ran a lot,” Fauzi confessed, likening it to cardio workout.
It might be hard to believe when watching the series, but Lim revealed that she and Fauzi had met for the first time only during the casting process.
“When I went for the audition, I immediately wanted her to be my partner because she is so funny, and I’m just bouncing off her,” Fauzi added.
From hantu stories to the screen
Phin Wong, Head of Content & Solutioning Division at SPH Media and executive producer of CONNECTED, said the project began with spooky stories submitted to Stomp.
The team wanted to turn them into something distinctly Singaporean, rather than relying purely on jump scares.
“The best horror films are really about the people you relate to and root for,” he said.
The creatures in CONNECTED were also designed with familiar Southeast Asian folklore in mind.
Senior animator Harriet Buckland, the brains behind the series’ spirits, said the first ghost drew inspiration from the Pontianak, while another creature was influenced by the orang minyak, or “oily man”.
The production team combined live-action filming with visual effects to bring these supernatural characters to life in familiar Singapore settings.
The project is SPH Media’s first microdrama and SPH Content Lab’s first VFX-heavy video series.
‘It’s humans who develop the story’
At the media launch of CONNECTED, the first eight-part drop drew bursts of laughter and moments of pin-drop silence from the audience.
During his opening address, SPH managing director Kuek Yu Chuang highlighted how ghost stories have long been part of Singapore’s culture, from tales whispered in kampungs to spooky encounters involving banana trees and barracks.
He said CONNECTED was another way for SPH Media to explore new storytelling formats while celebrating local talent and content creators.
“I think we’re always looking at how we can evolve, how we can innovate, how we can leave no stone unturned to bring new things to the market, to Singapore,” he said.
Even Singtel CEO Ng Tian Chong was kept in suspense ahead of the launch.
He shared that his team had been excitedly briefing him about CONNECTED but refused to reveal more, telling him to wait until the event itself.
Ng also emphasised the importance of human understanding as AI technology continues to evolve.
While AI can help speed up content creation, he said human understanding remains crucial in capturing the nuances of how people speak, act and react, particularly in an Asian context.
“AI can only succeed when we marry up the key skills like critical thinking, empathy,” he said.
“At the end of the day, it’s still humans who develop the story.”
For Wong, who highlighted the friendship and human connection at the heart of CONNECTED, the microdrama is also an opportunity to bring people together.
“There’s a nice irony in the fact that CONNECTED is a microdrama made for personal screens, but it’s actually a really fun communal watch with the gang,” he told Stomp.
Ultimately, Wong takes pride in creating a microdrama that stands out from the rest.
“It’s funny, creepy, very Singaporean, and it’s a bit of an oddball that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
“I hope they squeal. I hope they laugh. I hope they have a good time. I mean, that’s as much as any proud parent of a weird little horror-comedy microdrama can hope for.”
Where to catch it
CONNECTED will be released in three drops from Oct 10 on Stomp’s Youtube and Instagram channels. Viewers can also catch the microdrama on:
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