Hwa-i-teu: Jeo-woo-eui mel-lo-di

I found this to be a decent horror movie about K-pop. The story is interesting with a struggling K-pop gain success when they sing a song that is cursed. It's a pretty creative idea for a song to be cursed for a current reason. The movie builds up pretty well, with one of them discovering the tape with the song and them performing it. It also shows the struggles of being a member of a K-pop of the challenges and stressful it can be. I like the psychological horrors with current members seeing hallucinations and them getting injured by it. There's also a standard mystery story on two of the characters trying to figure out where this song came from and who created it. The backstory of it is interesting and pretty disturbing on where it came from. I found the creepiness factor to be really weak with standard creepy stuff you see in any horror movie and isn't that effective. And I didn't like the climax of the movie on how it executed and the flashing lights of it. The characters themselves aren't really that bad, but aren't that interesting or developed.

White: Melody of Death is a decent Korean movie that has an interesting premise and is pretty creative, but it isn't the most memorable movie that I have seen.

Watching "White: The Melody of the Curse" in 2023 feels like stumbling upon one of those old-school horror movies that would randomly play on TV late at night. It has that nostalgic vibe, making it an interesting watch, especially for fans of K-horror.

The movie mixes K-pop with supernatural elements, which is a pretty cool concept. The creepy atmosphere and some genuinely eerie moments work well, especially as it delves into the darker side of the K-pop industry. But the pacing can be a bit off, and some of the characters don't get as much development as they need.

As the story goes on, it starts to feel a bit predictable, and while there are some good scares, they don't always pack the punch you'd hope for. The ending, unfortunately, feels a bit rushed and doesn't quite deliver the payoff you'd expect.

Overall, "White: The Melody of the Curse" is an interesting film, especially if you're into that nostalgic, late-night horror vibe. It's not a must-see, but it has its moments, and the unique mix of K-pop and horror makes it worth checking out. I'd give it a solid 6/10.

Not directly, but I watched this years ago when I was sick in bed and had called off from work, but the quest to find that song's owner and it's mysterious past made me remember this.

This is a respectable solid effort on a similar horror element to Ringu (which was remade into The Ring). The idea has been borrowed into stuff like The Stream, V/H/S etc. here they take the idea and instead mix it with the backdrop of the K-pop and music industry and it works really well in this case. The music segments are well filmed too. Whereas those movies often real "fake" because the premise is kind of ridiculous if you think about it setting it to a more real world scenario leaves it more fulfilling.

Many Asian horror films actually trying to depict a horrifying situation from different perspectives. This one, White, based on issues regarding harsh nature of Kpop idols. It's quite original, although I have to conclude both the plot and execution are mediocre at best.

The premise of the movie revolves on a struggling girl group, Pink Dolls who garnered attention when they sang a song titled 'White' from unknown performance that found in their new renovated studio after fire incident 15 years ago. When the management decides to promote the song with center (lead singer), the chosen member become terrorized by unknown force.

It's interesting, in fact that the movie told us many information behind what's actually happening off camera. I don't know if the movie is exaggerating, but many issues like center choice, performance and MR in music shows (it's hella debatable by Kpop fans), and surge of popularity, are quite staple in Kpop and to know that for a bit, is fun.

Unfortunately, those are trivial things because we mainly have to face the acting that is confusing. Probably it's not how the act, but how inconsistent the character is. While it's understandable that being Kpop idol is stressful, I recognized these characters changing their attitude heavily, that makes me wonder how the reading process ever finished? The characters seem to be at the pole of bully and Cinderella continuum quickly. It ruins the flow of the plot, since it makes me have to understand many things.

In terms of production design, the movie also seems to know that this movie ain't A-class movie. It's understandable, but I can't stand how the movie like to give trippy shots when the ghost is around. I guess it's a trend back then. Honestly, it cheapens the movie, because I feel that the executed horror scenes aren't good enough compared to the other scenes.

I also note some plot holes, but I let it slide. This movie seems like B-class horror that fun enough to watch without high expectation. It has original and creative story (also direction) that makes you stay through the movie, but it lacks execution to many details that I'd like to observe when watching a horror movie. To conclude, if you want a horror from unusual setting just for fun, it is a great movie.

"White" or "White: The Melody of Curse" has a fairly familiar premise: a failing pop idol group finds an old, uncredited song, and use it to rise to the top. However this tale of fame and fortune becomes mixed in with the paranormal: the song is cursed, fueled by the wrath of a vengeful ghost.

The comparisons with Ringu/The Ring are obvious, from the ghost itself down to the fact the song is discovered on a videotape. The movie does give a respectable effort in ratcheting up suspense, and to be fair there are a couple of effective scares.

However the real strength of this film lies in two areas. First, the story is pretty well done. While the paranormal stuff is prominent, there's also a strong focus on the characters, who are as much affected by their shifting fortunes as they are any bumps in the night. You would think once the ghostly stuff showed up, it would take center stage. Instead it runs parallel to the sudden pressures, ego trips, and bouts of jealousy of their new found fame, meshing together very well and creating a greater emotional and psychological depth than one might expect from such a premise. The film is even fairly touching and somewhat sad at points, aided by pretty good performances.

The second main area is the visuals. There is a certain flare here. It's not Argento or Fulci by any stretch, but the film does look really good. Whether it's a dark room/hallway or the flashiness of the dance stage, the cinematography and imagery are strong. Even without caring for the plot and characters, one could sit back and appreciate the look.

Is the movie a masterpiece? No, I wouldn't go that far, but it is very enjoyable, and if you're a horror movie fan with nothing to do on some afternoon, you could do a lot worse than this.