Not much theme to this one, but highlighting two Asian horror films I've seen recently. They're both from 2004. One is Japanese, the other is South Korean.
1. Infection (2004)
Infection is a film by prolific Japanese horror director Masauki Ochiai (also known for 2008's Shutter). It takes place in an understaffed and underfunded hospital. A patient is brought in by an ambulance, but the hospital clearly cannot handle someone with an infection of this type. The hospital director, however, is convinced this will be the doctors' break-through discovery and bring them all fat grant checks. As with all horror movies, there are, of course, disastrous consequences.
What I liked about this film is the pervasive feeling of loneliness and anxiety throughout the film. It's the kind of feeling you might get when you wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, but have no recollection of the specifics of the dream. The viewer is thus thrust from the garrison of comfortability, down into the eerie nether regions that lie beneath the rabbit hole.
I would also say that one might pick up thematic hints of Kōbō Abe's 1997 novel Secret Rendezvous. Infection is not nearly as openly sexual as Secret Rendezvous, but anxieties about medical science and hospital settings, sexual tension between males and females and questionable medical practices are themes present in both works.
Trailer:
Full film:
2. The Doll Master (2004)
The Doll Master is the directorial debut of South Korean director Yong-ki Jeong. It is a story in the House on Haunted Hill (1959) format whereby a wealthy eccentric invites a group of unwitting outsides to their manor for twisted reasons that they're less than upfront about.
In this case the eccentric rich person is some sort of doll maker who adorns her house with creepy, life-sized dolls. Every room has some sort of doll in an unsettling pose. Of course, it isn't long before people start dying and you can guess the rest.
This film was not entirely thrilling as it was a hackneyed, cliche premise and the acting and filming weren't entirely impressive either. Worth a watch if you're in for some light entertainment a la Steve Beck's remake Thir13en Ghosts (2001), but hardly an earth-shattering experience.
Trailer:
1. Infection (2004)
Infection is a film by prolific Japanese horror director Masauki Ochiai (also known for 2008's Shutter). It takes place in an understaffed and underfunded hospital. A patient is brought in by an ambulance, but the hospital clearly cannot handle someone with an infection of this type. The hospital director, however, is convinced this will be the doctors' break-through discovery and bring them all fat grant checks. As with all horror movies, there are, of course, disastrous consequences.
What I liked about this film is the pervasive feeling of loneliness and anxiety throughout the film. It's the kind of feeling you might get when you wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, but have no recollection of the specifics of the dream. The viewer is thus thrust from the garrison of comfortability, down into the eerie nether regions that lie beneath the rabbit hole.
I would also say that one might pick up thematic hints of Kōbō Abe's 1997 novel Secret Rendezvous. Infection is not nearly as openly sexual as Secret Rendezvous, but anxieties about medical science and hospital settings, sexual tension between males and females and questionable medical practices are themes present in both works.
Trailer:
Full film:
2. The Doll Master (2004)
The Doll Master is the directorial debut of South Korean director Yong-ki Jeong. It is a story in the House on Haunted Hill (1959) format whereby a wealthy eccentric invites a group of unwitting outsides to their manor for twisted reasons that they're less than upfront about.
In this case the eccentric rich person is some sort of doll maker who adorns her house with creepy, life-sized dolls. Every room has some sort of doll in an unsettling pose. Of course, it isn't long before people start dying and you can guess the rest.
This film was not entirely thrilling as it was a hackneyed, cliche premise and the acting and filming weren't entirely impressive either. Worth a watch if you're in for some light entertainment a la Steve Beck's remake Thir13en Ghosts (2001), but hardly an earth-shattering experience.
Trailer:
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