The Tag-Along: Devil Fish (2018) Spoiler-Free Summary – What It's About

In the mist‑shrouded streets of modern Taiwan, ancient whispers still drift from shrines and market stalls, weaving a world where the unseen feels almost palpable. Beneath the hum of everyday life, a centuries‑old legend about a fish with a human face lingers in taverns and temple corners, its eerie question—“Is the fish meat tasty?”—echoing like a forbidden lullaby. The film opens against this folkloric tapestry, inviting the audience to feel the subtle chill that rises whenever myth brushes against reality, setting a tone that balances subdued dread with a lingering, almost reverent curiosity.

When a desperate exorcism is staged to free a man from a dark possession, it becomes the unintentional stage for something far more unsettling. Two eager film students, Jun and Hao, arrive with cameras in hand, hoping to capture the supernatural on film, only to find their lenses opening a doorway to the feared devil fish demon. Their youthful enthusiasm and skeptical banter clash with the solemn gravity of the ritual, creating a dynamic tension that drives the story’s emotional core. As the unseen presence begins to ripple through the air, the pair are forced to confront a reality far beyond their academic aspirations.

Guided by a seasoned spirit medium, Mei‑Ling, who carries both the weight of ancestral knowledge and a calm, almost mystical composure, the trio forms an uneasy alliance. Mei‑Ling’s quiet authority and deep respect for the old ways contrast sharply with the students’ modern, technology‑driven perspective, highlighting a clash of generations and belief systems. Together, they stand at the threshold of a world where the line between the living and the otherworldly blurs, setting the stage for a tense, atmospheric pursuit that promises to test their resolve, ingenuity, and faith in the unseen forces that shape their heritage.