Arang

A Korean horror film from first-time (not counting a short) writer/director Sang-hoon Ahn. It is also a first film for TV actress So-yeong Choo, who plays a detective coming off suspension.

First, you would think the writers didn't miss a flick: The Grudge, One Missed Call, Shutter, or CSI. Min (So-yeong Choo) has a new partner straight from a year in Forensics. Can a film that borrows from so many present anything original? Several men die under mysterious circumstances after being visited by a long-haired ghost. Sound familiar. They are tied to a dead some 10 years ago.

What is good about the film is the cinematography and the sound, and the fact that it focuses on the detectives rather than the ghost or the victims. Min has a secret that probably drove her to become a detective.

Her partner has a secret, too.

An ex-convict fresh out of prison, devoid of any means of financing his livelihood, situates himself in an expensive apartment. Not soon after a black-eyed ghost with long black hair (hey... it's a K-horror, so what did you expect) appears and the man is soon found dead burnt to a crisp and strangled. Within days two of his former friends die in similar circumstances, whilst the fourth starts having similar deadly visions. Can two detectives Dong-min (Jong Su-Lee) and Hyun-ki (Dong-Wong Lee) solve this supernaturally flavoured series of murders? The movie starts out very disappointingly, as we are privy to watch yet another Asian ghost story, that initially seems to reek of repetitiveness. Additionally some of the initial acting, dialogue as well as pasting together of scenes seems amateurish and rashly done. The movie does however start to unravel into interesting directions and the cast + crew somehow start getting their act together to dispose of faults apparent in the opening sequences. The dialogue does seem unfinished and misused at times, but apart from that the story starts to involve.

Thanks largely to two key twists in the movie. One concerns the construction of the story, which intermingles your typical ghost story into a police procedural thriller. An idea so obvious and simple, but somehow I fail to remember anyone to have attempted this in the past. The second twist would unravel too many mysteries, so the less said the better.

I was however severely disappointed with the end scene of the movie. After starting to heap on the praise for the solid attempt at twisting expectations the movie falls down into its own trap and gives a very crappy, disappointing end scene, which really should be cut for the sake of the viewers.

Nonetheless a much more engaging movie than I was expecting. Maybe disappointingly repetitive in the horror itself, but finely makes up for it in the mystery/police department.

I've been hoping that this movie will bring something new to the South Korean horror industry, but I was wrong. The plot is basically the same as in tons of other Asian movies, dealing with an old grudge, that seeks retribution. I would say the best part of the movie is it's beginning, as later on almost every scene is so predictable it makes it hard to watch. The ghost is depicted as in a dozen Asian movies, a female with long black hair falling over her face, with "spooky" eyes. A strange mix of Ringu an Ju-on, to be polite and not say rip-off. There are twists in the plot, but again, the twist is so predictable it makes you laugh. Even though, this is a good movie, it will entertain you for 90 minutes, but that's all. You won't be talking about it and hoping to see it again. As I'm a fan of Asian horrors, I was glad to watch this, but after seeing it I can't say I'm delighted. A few scares, predictable plot and twists, long haired ghosts with "funny" eyes.

Let me preface by saying that I'm not really familiar with the Asian horror genre, and I can't tell you if the long-haired-ghost routine is, by now, trite and derivative. I can tell you Arang is a pretty movie with well done visuals. It also had a number of solid "jump" moments-- a scene near the beginning where the ghost appears only on film during a wedding is memorable, as is a still image of the bride twisting into a wicked, inhuman grin. I was amused by the visual imagery of each supernatural murder, if not genuinely frightened.

The movie is interesting because it represents a fusion of two genres: cop drama and ghost-horror. It seems like such a natural match, I was astonished that I hadn't seen it on film previously. A ghost is killing people, the cops are trying to solve the murders, and in the process discovering the connection between the killings and the reasons the ghost cannot rest. The two genres tie together with an amusing twist 3/4 of the way through that re-contextualizes the relationship between the two genres to each other.

Arang is a competently executed piece of genre fiction; it isn't groundbreaking, but it is entertaining, and I'm glad to have seen it.

The movie starts with an ex-convict found to be dead after releasing from jail. However, the reason for his dead isn't confirmed yet. Forensics couldn't find anything rather it seems to like an Heart Attack. Then his friends are also getting murdered / dead for unknown reasons. Besides that all of them received an email containing a video. The video is sent from a website which was once owned by a girl. Here is the thing, the girl have been missing for 9 years and assumed to be dead by now. But every one of them seen the ghost of that girl! Is she dead and taking revenge? Revenge for what? If not then what's happening here?

Ending was really good. I didn't see that coming. Worth watching for me.