Michelle Wai reveals that she inexplicably grew attached to a scary prop doll (right) while filming the 2019 horror movie 'Walk With Me' at a haunted mansion in Malaysia. Photos: Handout
Hong Kong actress Michelle Wai recently opened up about a series of eerie encounters she experienced while filming the 2019 horror movie Walk With Me in Malaysia.
Speaking on an episode of the variety show Talker – One Beside You, the 41-year-old said the movie was shot in an abandoned mansion widely believed to be haunted.
Although the location had long been sealed off by authorities, it was specially reopened for the production at the request of Malaysian director Ryon Lee.
"The mansion had four floors, but the second floor was strictly off-limits as there were too many 'things' there," Wai recounted.
"A local exorcist stationed on set even said that if he were to stay on that floor, he wouldn't be able to handle it, so it was completely sealed off," she said, adding that the crew only used the rooftop and third floor for filming.
Wai recalled an incident involving a new actor who, unfamiliar with the set, jokingly suggested exploring the second floor.
Not long after, a bottle filled with water toppled over on a table.
"The bottle was clearly full, so there was no way it could've been blown over by the wind. We all believed it was a warning telling us not to go up there," she said.
The actress also talked about a prop in the movie – a handmade cloth doll with a rather terrifying appearance.
"The child actors were initially scared of the doll and didn't like touching it. But when they finished filming, they refused to return the doll, saying they wanted to bring it home," she added.
Wai also felt an inexplicable attachment to the doll, experiencing a sudden urge to take it home herself.
"The local exorcist felt something was off. While I wasn't paying attention, he snatched the doll and drew talismans, saying that no one was allowed to touch it," she said.
The chilling experience didn't end there.
Wai revealed that on her first day on set, her co-star Emily Kwan claimed to have seen a spirit.
"She later told me that I had sat on it. When I was looking for a place to do my make-up, there was a spirit seated there, and I sat down without knowing anything.
"She didn't tell me at the time because she didn't want to scare me," Wai said.
Fortunately, despite the eerie encounters, nothing serious happened.
However, Wai mentioned that she was disappointed about the film's box office performance.
"People say if you encounter spirits during filming, the movie will be a big hit, but this one wasn't," she lamented.
