But what I don't like, is a horror film with little to no real plot.
While this movie did seem interesting at first, it became very boring very quickly. The problem of this movie, was that there were too many plot holes and no real explainable plot. It was all sort of muddled and confusing.
People died without explanation as to why they were the target, the film relied on jump scares for the main element of horror and there's no real explanation as to why possession became possible in the first place.
I don't mind if a movie leaves a few loose ends for the person watching to determine and make up their own idea (like at the very last rooftop scene) but when in every corner there's an unanswered question, you start to become more frustrated with the situation than the characters of the movie.
Unless there is some symbolism I don't understand because the differing cultures of Korea and America, this film was very random and just not a very worthwhile watch in my opinion.
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This review may contain spoilers
It was the mother, really!
With a background in Religious Studies, mythology and knowledge of shamanism, atheism (and many other ism's) I found this movie fascinating and intriguing.Religiosity can be a strength for many people, but religious fanaticism usually is detrimental to all socio-economic classes, especially the poor!
Over-religiosity can lead to fanatics like David Koresh, Jim Jones and even a mother like Hee Jin's, briliantly played by Kim Bo Yun.
Religious fanaticism can lead to conditions such as OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and even worse, such as the disassociation of those close to the practitioners, such as Hee JIn's younger sister, Kang So Jin (Shim Eun Kyung), whose every scene except for the very last one (with mother dead) showed her mother's overbearing impact on her life. It can even lead to residual problems to others, such as Hee Jin's cough at college, which stopped after her mother's death.
Hee Jin's mother, in my opinion, had already crossed the fine line between 'believer' and 'Satan's henchman'.
I admit it was slow at times, but part of that was necessary to set up the interaction of opposing forces in the movie.
The movie started working on the question, "What is faith" to the participants, although it gave up before it go to any conclusion (and it wasn't long enough to come to any definite conclusion as well!). It should have been, possibly, a series instead looking at such topics more thoroughly.
The other reviewer complained about the film being slow at times; I agree, but this movie wasn't so much about action horror, as it was about a continuous philosophical horror which will let down some viewers.
A complaint about the "murders without reason" is answered later on in the film; the tenants of the apartment build from admiring, then fearing, and ultimately condemning Kang So Jin, as she is manipulated by her zealous mother. Enter the shamanass and the tenants find out how powerful, and dangerous, Kang So Jin' mother is!
I admire the use of black and white to make the apartments and complex itself fit the eerie atmosphere of the film during most paranormal scenes. The main and support staff also work well together to create a film that should become a classic in the future.
The director used every inch of film to build on the film's atmosphere (the furnace room lit only by a cell phone light) and did an excellent job. Without so much of a "Gotcha" moment of fright, this movie seems to keep you rather in constant suspense, which I thought the director did a good job.
I could write another 7-8 pages on this movie, but you probably wouldn't stay here that long!
Suffice to say, come here every Halloween or more often and be prepared to be glued to the edge of your seat, rather than being occasionally scared out of it!
I down-voted it due to unanswered questions at the end but really felt it deserved a better score
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Supernatural thriller about human’s weak minds.
Surprisingly well crafted and presented story, that despite its simplicity, was able to keep me interested till the end.Expecting horror from this watch would be a mistake, and for me, the poster and the title were misleading in terms of the core focus of the movie - it’s not the wacky possession scenes Emily Rose style. The plot centers around the investigation of the missing kid - So Jin. While there is a fair share of creepy supernatural elements, the more important part is the human aspect.
How much are we willing to do in a dire situation? How easily can we be influenced and believe in unbelievable things when all the other options turned out to be futile? I felt like the true horror came from people, and not from the supernatural. Rather than a critical view on religious views, for me it spoke more on the desperation people face and how they are willing to try and believe anything as long as it might produce the needed results.
That said, I’m not the biggest fan of mixing different religions and folklore in one story (unless there is clear investigation of the origin that would validate it). A little bit of christianity here, some shamanism there, and big nothing big nothing by the end, since it’s neither one or the other in the conclusion.
The acting was rather good. I was not impressed with Shim Eun Kyung as Kang So Jin. She did not really have that much screen time, but the few scenes I have seen just did not convince me at all.
The production was good. Nothing outstanding and visually over the top. It had the usual thriller aesthetics with some darker suspense moments that were supposed to bring that horror out of it.
Overall, surprisingly fun to watch for such an overdone topic. Nothing new, but presented in a decent way.
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