Jang-san-beom

Like other horror movies this one has symbolism in it, which isn't a bad thing if you are willing to accept that. If your going into the movie to expect jump scares and what not, that isn't the main point of this movie. The main focus is a family that is still suffering from the loss of their little boy. Specifically the mother, who can't move on with her life, constantly looking for her son and one simple thing ends up easily setting her off a number of times. It's a movie about dealing with grief and what can come from it when going unchecked. Personally, I enjoyed the movie for what it was. Though it was no top tier movie, I found my self caring for the family and hurt with then ending. I think it's at least worth a watch if your interested in getting into more Korean horror films.

Caught this on TV just past midnight, and was watching with dim lighting, which definitely set the ambience. There are some horror movie clichés and definitely plot holes, but overall it's a pretty decent and entertaining film, just don't go in expecting award winning, complex writing & characters. I found the acting, atmosphere and cinematography to be quite decent. There are intense and scary moments, and the make-up is pretty good, especially on the Tiger, who's popping out from every single angle. The girl is also pretty freaky when you think about it. As others have noted, her innocence is what makes it her scary. I recommend it if you have some spare time and like Asian horror movies.

This movie feels like it's been edited to the bone - there are a bunch of unrelated story elements which pop up throughout, yet go nowhere, and instead of complementing the plot, they just muddy the waters and make the story confusing. Some characters are introduced with apparently important information to reveal, but with absolutely no context as to how they know what they do, or why other characters should even listen to them. Characters affected by the mimic can experience various physical responses, one of which seems quite dire, but the experience just ends as if incomplete and leaves you wondering what happened to the character afterwards.

The most definitive element of the film is the acting of the young girl playing the mimic. She's hard not to like, making the viewer's response conflicting with the scenes that follow, and engaging you to wonder what she will do next. Unfortunately though, the constant plot holes and character actions which simply don't make sense detract from this being anything other than a forgettable horror flick.

I have a soft spot for Asian horror films. While the movie does move at a slow pace, it does continually build suspense. Sure, there are some clichés in the movie, but a positive benefit is that the movie is without jump scares. Some viewers might find the ending to be "infuriating" as it defers from a traditional feel good ending, but let's be honest here. Most horror movies involve regular people dealing with grief or trauma while simultaneously battling supernatural entities. The movie is ultimately about a woman dealing with grief and trying to keep her family together. The main characters household is charitable to a deadly fault. Ultimately, the woman's grief defies all rational logic as she is continuously warned about the impending perils she's facing. The concept of a mimic, an entity that mirrors the voice of a loved one, may not be the most innovative monster. However, the movie portrays the creature in an interesting way. If you're a fan of Asian movies that deal with human trauma and the supernatural, this may be a good watch for you. One word of caution, this is a horror movie and horror protagonist always make dumb mistakes. The cinematography was great, the acting was believable, but there were no memorable scores or music to really drive it home. Ultimately, I think it's worth a watch if you don't mind a slow build up.

I found The Mimic suspenseful. The jump scares were well executed and not overdone. The acting performances were on point. The camera cutting back and forth to things that are not there helps with the imagination. The creepy little girl was cuteness overload; I adored her. Does the film have clichés? Umm, yeah, pretty much 90% of horror films do. The closet, the mirrors, the voices etc. But here it was very well done and those tropes came in when appropriate in the story. Not just random occurrences like many B-horror films often use. So here they are effective in my opinion. I appreciated the film wasn't campy or riddled with CG. I think the reverse mirror image CG could have been better done.

This one is definitely worth streaming.