South Korea has produced some of the best films of the last decade, and this represents their horror genre at its very best. It follows a couple of sisters who return to their family home following a stay at mental institution to stay with their father and unpleasant new stepmother. Along with dealing with their stepmothers obsessive, controlling and downright cruel ways, the sisters also have to deal with a ghostly presence that affects their recovery. You think you know where this seemingly generic East Asian ghost story is going but it constantly throws up twists and turns to keep you guessing. Director Kim Jee-woon masterfully navigates us through an exquisitely designed, creepily atmospheric psychological horror thats as much about the compelling characters and their haunted past as it is outright moments of ghostly horror. Come for the scares, stay for the complex exploration of loss, regret and the bonds of family.
I am a freelance writer specializing in film, writing for a number of different websites including my own ThoughtsOnFilm.co.uk, for which I am the editor and main writer. I am also the Freelance Film/TV Editor for student-focused magazine/website Scotcampus. I watch as many films as I can with some of my favourites including The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Mulholland Drive. I'm just a passionate film fan expressing his opinion.
