Black House (Geom-Eun Jib)

A Good Samaritan’s actions produce unintended results as portrayed in this Korean flick, which settles more into the niche of a thriller than a typical horror film. On his first day of work, Junoh (Hwang Jeong-Min) receives a patron’s curious call about the procedures of an insurance settlement involving suicide. Against company policy, Jun-oh provides his name and seeks to soothe the caller from her intended tragic end. Days later, he is summoned to evaluate an insurance policy and encounters the tragic hanging of a seven-year-old boy. All circumstances insist death by suicide, but Jun-oh’s suspicions are not swayed, and ultimately he withholds the settlement.

Eventually and reluctantly, settlement is reached between the two parties as the seemingly psychopath father stalks the insurance company to give him his due. Jun-oh cannot refrain from intervening, trying to help those closest to this demonic man. When Jun-oh discovers the man’s spouse, he intrudes on the family trying to warn her she may be the next tragic instance to transpire under the roof of the desolate ‘Black House.’ If a letter was not enough involvement, he visits the unfortunate spouse pleading for her to escape from the almost certain death grip she is under.

As previously stated, the movie fits the category of thriller more than horror, and a bloodthirsty horror-seeker will be grossly disappointed. While containing brief surprising elements and few twistsand- turns, the movie does not contain an intriguing plot to hold the viewer on the edge of their seat. More of an old-fashioned thriller with a mesh of minute bloodshed preceding the grand finale, the movie lacks any existence of a gripping embrace and frankly has more instances of boredom than quality. For a simple viewing, it may satisfy, but don’t run any red lights to get a copy.

The Curse of February 29th (2 Weol 29Il)

Typical Asian horror qualities are represented on the big screen as evil spirits return from the past torturing numerous unfortunate souls of the present. A mysterious black car’s driver presents a bloodstained ticket to an unsuspecting Ji-yeon (Park Eun-hye) adding more sinister traits to an already eerie evening. When consulting her friend Jong-sook, she learns of a prisoner transport vehicle’s tragic incident 12 years prior. Shortly after the event, a murder occurred at the tollbooth on February 29th. Since the affair, murder frequents the scene quadrennially on the night in question, living up to its urban legend status.

With fear pulsating through her veins, Ji-yeon is frequently involved in numerous peculiar events culminating in her friend Jongsook’s death on the fateful night of February 29th. With concern and suspicion expressed by the detectives, the group seeks to find an answer to the mystery involving spirits who just cannot come to grip with the reality of their death, but would rather take the lives of others than find an eternal resting place. Humanity is pitted against extraterrestrial spirits and the track-record of humanity looks bleak, but a shocking revelation is in store.

Based more on quick takes to startle the viewer by having images arise seemingly out of nowhere trumps the gore factor in this horror flick, resulting in a scare factor fit to satisfy a horror seeker looking for a frequent shock. A creepy ambience is relevant throughout the duration and does not let the viewer take a quick breather without having the possibility of another jolt of fear likely to occur. While somewhat predictable, the movie will instill fear and is worth a viewing; so draw the drapes, turn off the lights and settle in for instances of fright, panic and anxiety.

By Daniel Joseph Vorderstrasse

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