*very minor spoilers*
Do watch it if:
-You've wanted to for ages and can't wait any longer.
-Your girlfriend can't handle seeing much more than the odd school girl at the end of corridors and a few hangings.
-You're scared easily or more scared by subtlety.
Don't if:
-You can't tell one Asian girl from another. Maybe this makes the film better, I don't usually have a problem with it but did here!
-You hate happiness and love in horror films.
-You don't respond well to subtlety.
-You really want to be terrified by the film you watch tonight. IE I recommend it, just remember it was made 9 years ago, and if you're looking for terror today, stay away.
Unlike usual, after watching this film tonight and then reading some love and hate reviews, I'm somewhere in the middle, agreeing with points from both sides. The social aspect of Korean schools in this film is interesting and done well, and it is creepy, but I watched it alone and it didn't really scare me at all. I'm not a snob and I don't think I have bad taste, and it doesn't mean its a bad film, it just didn't scare me. There just wasn't enough ghost action. I know everyone's sick of CGI in Asian cinema, but it can be done well and a useful tool when dealing with the supernatural.. just not so much yet.. I've loved (been fascinated by) horror since I saw Child's Play when I was 7, and for some reason feel I have been waiting all my life so far for "the one" in terms of a ghost horror film. I enjoy subtlety and slow moving pace for effect, but in my opinion you should back it up with more in the way of storyline and twists (I liked A Tale of Two Sisters for these reasons, It's incredibly long, yet I'm never bored.) I mostly prefer ghost-horror to slasher-horror because of what is potentially possible. There's a wide scope. I like films about psychos because there's a wide spectrum of neuroses to explore there. I loved The Devils Rejects and House of 1000 Corpses and alike, their graphically depicted tales of insanity made my heart ache, much better than a film packed with jumps with some random guy who never gets much of a back story and you never meet, running around with an axe. But with ghosts... there's no way out... I haven't written off their existence and therefore these films disturb me.
I don't usually "spoil" but I wanna talk a bit about the end "twist". I felt like there were a few girls who would manifest as something "more" but who seemed later obsolete. Throughout I was thinking "Who's gonna end up being a ghost?" Maybe two of them? Maybe one cant be seen, maybe the teacher's a ghost, I didn't know, but thought more would happen than did after some of the scenes were so drawn out, I expected a bigger rush of information toward the end.. In ATOTS, its just so raw, the acting, the scraping of the bag on the floor, the looks of terror, and then an ending which almost makes you doubt yourself.. Nothing much happens here ghosts wise, but as a social commentary it's good. I can relate to the friend aspect but it all seemed rather shallow from what had actually happened and what was said.. I was expecting more from the ending, It would have put more meaning into the needless mild violence.
In summary, It again depends what you're looking for, see top.
Right I'm off to watch Shutter now, hopefully that'll be good and I expect I will write about it.
Do watch it if:
-You've wanted to for ages and can't wait any longer.
-Your girlfriend can't handle seeing much more than the odd school girl at the end of corridors and a few hangings.
-You're scared easily or more scared by subtlety.
Don't if:
-You can't tell one Asian girl from another. Maybe this makes the film better, I don't usually have a problem with it but did here!
-You hate happiness and love in horror films.
-You don't respond well to subtlety.
-You really want to be terrified by the film you watch tonight. IE I recommend it, just remember it was made 9 years ago, and if you're looking for terror today, stay away.
Unlike usual, after watching this film tonight and then reading some love and hate reviews, I'm somewhere in the middle, agreeing with points from both sides. The social aspect of Korean schools in this film is interesting and done well, and it is creepy, but I watched it alone and it didn't really scare me at all. I'm not a snob and I don't think I have bad taste, and it doesn't mean its a bad film, it just didn't scare me. There just wasn't enough ghost action. I know everyone's sick of CGI in Asian cinema, but it can be done well and a useful tool when dealing with the supernatural.. just not so much yet.. I've loved (been fascinated by) horror since I saw Child's Play when I was 7, and for some reason feel I have been waiting all my life so far for "the one" in terms of a ghost horror film. I enjoy subtlety and slow moving pace for effect, but in my opinion you should back it up with more in the way of storyline and twists (I liked A Tale of Two Sisters for these reasons, It's incredibly long, yet I'm never bored.) I mostly prefer ghost-horror to slasher-horror because of what is potentially possible. There's a wide scope. I like films about psychos because there's a wide spectrum of neuroses to explore there. I loved The Devils Rejects and House of 1000 Corpses and alike, their graphically depicted tales of insanity made my heart ache, much better than a film packed with jumps with some random guy who never gets much of a back story and you never meet, running around with an axe. But with ghosts... there's no way out... I haven't written off their existence and therefore these films disturb me.
I don't usually "spoil" but I wanna talk a bit about the end "twist". I felt like there were a few girls who would manifest as something "more" but who seemed later obsolete. Throughout I was thinking "Who's gonna end up being a ghost?" Maybe two of them? Maybe one cant be seen, maybe the teacher's a ghost, I didn't know, but thought more would happen than did after some of the scenes were so drawn out, I expected a bigger rush of information toward the end.. In ATOTS, its just so raw, the acting, the scraping of the bag on the floor, the looks of terror, and then an ending which almost makes you doubt yourself.. Nothing much happens here ghosts wise, but as a social commentary it's good. I can relate to the friend aspect but it all seemed rather shallow from what had actually happened and what was said.. I was expecting more from the ending, It would have put more meaning into the needless mild violence.
In summary, It again depends what you're looking for, see top.
Right I'm off to watch Shutter now, hopefully that'll be good and I expect I will write about it.