SPOOKTOBER chapter 9:
A South Korean Horror
Having glanced this movie ranking high one some Asian horror film lists over time, I unfortunately had set my expectations too high... "Phone" is a by-the-numbers J-horror spawned from and striving to be the likes of "Ringu", "Dark Water" and "Ju-On" or "The Grudge", but instead of Japan it's made in South Korea.
Investigative reporter Ji-Won begins to receive mysterious phone calls, and they continue to haunt her despite changing numbers and moving houses. Could it be one of the men her journalistic achievements have put on trial of law, or is it a vengeful ghost in form of a pale woman with long, black hair, who needs her story told in order to stop her from killing people? Yeah, you got it right.
Alright, "Phone" takes itself seriously, and puts effort in building atmosphere and telling a compelling, dark story, however, the outdated and sometimes silly jumpscare tactics don't fortify the creepiness. The ghostly entity lacks character, and absolutely does not distinguish itself anyhow from most horror flicks of the same kind. The key portion of "Phone" or the long mystery, juggling betrayal, jealousy and mad love, never truly engages deep enough emotionally, or has any shocking surprises at the end. This call ends exactly how you'd expect it to. The aesthetic face of "Phone" is consistently grey, cold and drab, which works great half of the time, and makes you a little tired the other half. A commendable part of "Phone" is the acting work, especially that by the little can't-be-more-than-5 girl who had to go through demanding phases of possession, and did so impressively.
"Phone" is by no means a bad or wholly ineffective supernatural horror tale, but it is, however, a very average one. A lesser echo of other horror films its more than just inspired by. I'd say it never got as popular as its similars for a reason. Recommended to enjoyers of the old-school recipes of a J-horror. My rating: 5/10.
Having glanced this movie ranking high one some Asian horror film lists over time, I unfortunately had set my expectations too high... "Phone" is a by-the-numbers J-horror spawned from and striving to be the likes of "Ringu", "Dark Water" and "Ju-On" or "The Grudge", but instead of Japan it's made in South Korea.
Investigative reporter Ji-Won begins to receive mysterious phone calls, and they continue to haunt her despite changing numbers and moving houses. Could it be one of the men her journalistic achievements have put on trial of law, or is it a vengeful ghost in form of a pale woman with long, black hair, who needs her story told in order to stop her from killing people? Yeah, you got it right.
Alright, "Phone" takes itself seriously, and puts effort in building atmosphere and telling a compelling, dark story, however, the outdated and sometimes silly jumpscare tactics don't fortify the creepiness. The ghostly entity lacks character, and absolutely does not distinguish itself anyhow from most horror flicks of the same kind. The key portion of "Phone" or the long mystery, juggling betrayal, jealousy and mad love, never truly engages deep enough emotionally, or has any shocking surprises at the end. This call ends exactly how you'd expect it to. The aesthetic face of "Phone" is consistently grey, cold and drab, which works great half of the time, and makes you a little tired the other half. A commendable part of "Phone" is the acting work, especially that by the little can't-be-more-than-5 girl who had to go through demanding phases of possession, and did so impressively.
"Phone" is by no means a bad or wholly ineffective supernatural horror tale, but it is, however, a very average one. A lesser echo of other horror films its more than just inspired by. I'd say it never got as popular as its similars for a reason. Recommended to enjoyers of the old-school recipes of a J-horror. My rating: 5/10.