Bunshinsaba
Director: Ahn Byeong-ki
Year: 2004
Rating: 6.0
Country: Korea
Aka - Ouija Board
Aka - Witch Board
Back in 2004 Korea was waist deep in horror
films and knee deep in ones that took place in girl schools. Like much of
Asia at the time, their horror films were very much influenced by those from
Japan with long haired ghosts frequenting a number of them. There were a
few real stand-outs like A Tale of Two Sisters, Phone, Memento Mori but most
of them though well produced and looking good, fell short of their goal of
scaring the hell out of us. Still entertaining though but after a while they
begin to feel familiar. This one falls into that category. It is directed
by Ahn Byeong-ki, who had made Phone two years before this (and even has
a short cameo here by the little girl who was terrifying in that film) but
it doesn't reach the scare standards of that film. He followed this one with
Apt in 2006 which was solid as far as I recall. Since then not very much
from this director other than three Bunshinsaba films that seem to have been
made in China with a Chinese cast.
That said, this is a quality film with
a few solid jump scares and a number of gruesome deaths that keep escalating
but the second half loses its way and rhythm by trying to explain what is
going on by a series of flashbacks. And then still having a murky ending
that left me totally puzzled. But the first half is terrific as it builds
up slowly with a few mysterious deaths and a high school girl with 3-D eyes
in a 2-D movie going insane. There are some chilling moments primarily provided
by those eyes just starring with rage. I wonder how the husband of that actress
must feel if he wakes up at night and sees her looking at him. Creepy eyes.
Full of hatred.
One theme that runs through many of these
Korean girl high school horror films is cruelty. A group of mean girls
making life hell for others. This high school is set in an isolated town
where newcomers are not welcome. When Yoo Jin (Lee Se-eun) and her family
arrive from Seoul she becomes an immediate target for bullying by a group
of girls. She doesn't appreciate it and with two other girls she performs
a ritual that calls for a spirit called Bunshinsaba to come forth and punish
her tormentors. But she warns the girl not to open their eyes during the
ritual or bad things will happen. But Yoo Jin is the one who opens her eyes
and sure enough bad things begin to happen. All the names on the list begin
putting bags over their heads and setting them on fire - but it begins to
appear likely that the spirit she called forth was not some ordinary run
of the mill spirit but that of Kim In-sook, a girl who died 30 years ago
in a manner that no one in the town is willing to talk about. But this revengeful
ghost has just begun her work.
