O Telefone

Most of what can be said about this movie has been said by other commenters, but I still would like to put my views forward.

The is a horror movie, in the wake of The Ring (Ringu). The main character is a journalist (as in Ringu) who has written a series of articles about sex offenders which has brought down on her some dangerous people who have been exposed in the scandal.

When she changes her cellphone number to escape her tormentors she ends up with a number with special significance - 6644. From this point on she ends up getting very weird phone calls and after each one, she experiences increasingly violent visions.

The movie is very derivative, this is true. But which horror movie isn't? Dismissing a horror-flick and saying "This movie from 1954 has the same thing" is stupid. You can always find some older work which is similar or even the same. It's no mean feat. What's important in a horror movie is one thing: is it scary? My answer is: it is.

I was very skeptical at first and found the opening scene to be almost dull. But the enterprise takes off, most of all with the incredible performance of the little girl who can turn from sweet little angel to devlish banshee on a dime. If for no other reason, go see it and you'll have to agree that she is completely believable as possessed.

I also believe that the story is richer if less original than the Ring. It is also a very well made without much special effects or gore. It relies heavily on acting and suspense and does this well.

More story than the Ring, less originality. About as suspenseful. I think that if I'd seen the Phone before the Ring I would've liked it more.

That's my two cents worth. :) Go see it if you like horror. Don't see it if you're just going to go look for similarities with older movies.

The biggest problem this film has is that everyone's first impression of it is "Ringu (1998) with a cell phone". While understandable, it's not really a fair assessment. While both deal with spirits using modern technology to exact their revenge, Phone is more a story about personal betrayal and revenge that uses the supernatural as a means of exposing the actions of the living characters. It's not really groundbreaking, but overall I found it to be a very enjoyable film.

Special recognition, in my opinion, should go to Seo-woo Eun, who played Yeong-ju. The kid has a definite talent for looking creepy.

Man, this film gave me the chills! Quite a few scenes might not make sense until the ending explains why and how it all fits together. One doesn't really understand the young girl's obsession towards her father at first, but it all makes sense with the big reveal. I did feel some details were mentioned over and over for the sake of the story, and did not make believable everyday conversation. The film also jumps backwards and forward in time and one has to understand this storytelling method to fully understand the story. The twist ending was unexpected and a great turn of events.

PHONE is an outstanding example of a "haunted technology" movie. In the same way that Japan's Ringu made video tapes an instrument of evil, and Pulse turned the internet into a terrifying abyss, PHONE utilizes our cell phone addiction to great effect. In all of these films, supernatural forces are at work using our own gadgets against us! How can we escape these spooks if we install their conduits in our homes, and even carry them around with us? This movie also features one of the best portrayals of child possession since The Exorcist! Filled with betrayal, jealousy, bitterness, and murder, PHONE is another dark gem from South Korea...

although not quite as good as Ringu or Dark Water - or even Oodhishon - this movie is very interesting and a good horror movie from Korea. The little girl plays enormously well - it is amazing that such a young girl can perform like that. The horror elements are quite good, and the story is pretty good. I wonder why all Asian horror movies contain classical music? Anyway, I really enjoyed watching this movie and I am hopeful that Asian horror will at least stay on this enormously high level which it has achieved in recent years. The ghost story in Phone blends well with the drama, and like in Oodishon, sometimes it is difficult to know what is real and what is not. The lead role is so beautiful. I thought she is very attractive and that might remove some of the horror. Anyway, this movie is not as scary as Ringu or Dark Water. It does contain a few chills though, and I actually had to watch it at daylight because when I saw some of the first scene in the elevator I thought we would see a re-run of the unbelievable terror and ghostly "realism" of "Dark Water". "Phone" is highly recommended! 7/10.