South Korean cinema seems to be particularly good at horror movies. Their individuality lies not only in the peculiarities of the Korean mentality, but also in their rich mythology, perfectionism, and impeccable sense of style.
Instead of throwing fast cuts and jumpscares at the audience, these films explore the darkest depths of the human mind. And thanks to Korean cinema, nearly forgotten horror subgenres are rising from the ashes.
Mockumentary horror practically died without even having time to produce a sufficient number of cult films. More than a decade has passed since the Spanish Rec, and while films have been made with some consistency, each one movie that has followed has only multiplied the genre's well-known flaws.
However, after dying on the big screen, the genre has been revived in the form of YouTube videos. The format has become so popular around the world that its development has been transferred to the big screen again,...
Instead of throwing fast cuts and jumpscares at the audience, these films explore the darkest depths of the human mind. And thanks to Korean cinema, nearly forgotten horror subgenres are rising from the ashes.
Mockumentary horror practically died without even having time to produce a sufficient number of cult films. More than a decade has passed since the Spanish Rec, and while films have been made with some consistency, each one movie that has followed has only multiplied the genre's well-known flaws.
However, after dying on the big screen, the genre has been revived in the form of YouTube videos. The format has become so popular around the world that its development has been transferred to the big screen again,...
- 5/21/2024
- by zoe-wallace@startefacts.com (Zoe Wallace)
- STartefacts.com
Now that everyone's finally stopped gushing about season 1, the sophomore season of "Squid Game" is (hopefully) almost here. The horror-tinged dystopian thriller about a group of participants tricked into playing deadly versions of childhood games debuted back in 2021 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Originally planned as a limited series, the wild success of "Squid Game" led to its season 2 renewal, and it took some time to pull together a continuation of the story.
Will lightning strike twice for "Squid Game," or is it a premise that's about played out? We won't know until we see more of season 2, but everything we do know indicates that the show will be even more ambitious in its second outing. Season 1 exposed the corruption and greed behind the killer gameplay, but season 2 seems poised to dig deeper into the systems that enable the games as winner Gi-hun continues to be impacted by the...
Will lightning strike twice for "Squid Game," or is it a premise that's about played out? We won't know until we see more of season 2, but everything we do know indicates that the show will be even more ambitious in its second outing. Season 1 exposed the corruption and greed behind the killer gameplay, but season 2 seems poised to dig deeper into the systems that enable the games as winner Gi-hun continues to be impacted by the...
- 2/5/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
If there’s one thing horror fans love the most, it’s a solid scare that gets the adrenaline pumping. We’re forever chasing the thrills that a great scary movie can bring, which is no easy feat the more entrenched in the genre we become. That proves especially true in the current digital age, where there’s an overwhelming sea of options spread across multiple streaming services and platforms that can make finding the scariest offerings tricky. We’re here to help. As we head into the weekend, here’s a roundup of ten of horror’s most intense, bone-chilling movies.
These are some of the scariest horror movies you can and should stream this weekend.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe – AMC+, Hulu, Shudder, Tubi
André Øvredal goes full throttle for the scares in this quiet little chiller that sees a father and son coroner team stumped over the...
These are some of the scariest horror movies you can and should stream this weekend.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe – AMC+, Hulu, Shudder, Tubi
André Øvredal goes full throttle for the scares in this quiet little chiller that sees a father and son coroner team stumped over the...
- 1/26/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Chicago, Il – Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) announces its upcoming Season 17 lineup, running between September 8 and October 7 in Chicago. For the first time, this year's programming will include film selections from Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan, along with entries from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and more. This season's special guests attending with their films include Amarsaikhan Baljinnyham, Ben Yuen, Dornaz Hajiha, Lawrence Kan, Lee Won Suk, Ng Siu Hin, Park Dong-Hee, Rachel Leung, Roya Sadat and Wong You Nam. South Korean actor Lee Sun-Kyun will be Apuc's Excellent Achievement in Film Award recipient and will receive his award before the feature presentation of closing night film Killing Romance.
Apuc's Season 17 opens with a screening of director Masayuki Suzuki's Yudo, following architect Shiro Miura's (Toma Ikuta) attempts to modernize his outdated public bathhouse family business. As he immerses himself in the new role, Shiro connects with customers and begins to...
Apuc's Season 17 opens with a screening of director Masayuki Suzuki's Yudo, following architect Shiro Miura's (Toma Ikuta) attempts to modernize his outdated public bathhouse family business. As he immerses himself in the new role, Shiro connects with customers and begins to...
- 8/30/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Park Sang-min is mostly known as the co-scriptwriter of the horror film “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum”. “I Haven't Done Anything”, a rather funny ‘quarantine' movie is his feature debut in the director's chair.
“I Haven't Done Anything” is screening at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Oh Tae-kyung, once an up-and-coming actor, is currently unable to find jobs, and thus, decides to start a YouTube channel, adapting Oh Dal-su's appearance and persona from “Old Boy”, where he will grant people's wishes for a fee. One day, a subscriber offers him a great deal of money to find out the story of a man standing alone on the street with a picket saying “I Haven't Done Anything”. However, the guy remains in endless silence, despite Tae-kyung's efforts. Right when he is about to give up, he comes across the picket guy's sister and she tells him what had happened. As he starts...
“I Haven't Done Anything” is screening at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Oh Tae-kyung, once an up-and-coming actor, is currently unable to find jobs, and thus, decides to start a YouTube channel, adapting Oh Dal-su's appearance and persona from “Old Boy”, where he will grant people's wishes for a fee. One day, a subscriber offers him a great deal of money to find out the story of a man standing alone on the street with a picket saying “I Haven't Done Anything”. However, the guy remains in endless silence, despite Tae-kyung's efforts. Right when he is about to give up, he comes across the picket guy's sister and she tells him what had happened. As he starts...
- 6/30/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 27th edition with a whiplashing program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.
The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a selected first wave of titles and happenings.
Bright Spotlights On South Korean Cinema Illuminate Fantasia’s 27th Edition
Since the selection of Kang Je-gyu’s Gingko Bed at Fantasia’s 1998 edition, the festival has become one of the premiere destinations for South Korean cinema. Over the years, Fantasia’s audience has had the opportunity to discover several essential Korean auteurs: Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite), Park Chan-wook (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance), Kim Ji-woon (The Quiet Family), Hwang Dong-hyuk (Miss Granny), and Yeon Sang-ho (The King Of Pigs) among many others.
The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a selected first wave of titles and happenings.
Bright Spotlights On South Korean Cinema Illuminate Fantasia’s 27th Edition
Since the selection of Kang Je-gyu’s Gingko Bed at Fantasia’s 1998 edition, the festival has become one of the premiere destinations for South Korean cinema. Over the years, Fantasia’s audience has had the opportunity to discover several essential Korean auteurs: Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite), Park Chan-wook (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance), Kim Ji-woon (The Quiet Family), Hwang Dong-hyuk (Miss Granny), and Yeon Sang-ho (The King Of Pigs) among many others.
- 5/12/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 27th edition with a whiplashing program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.
The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia reveals a selected first wave of titles and happenings.
Here’s the press release:
Bright Spotlights On South Korean Cinema Illuminate Fantasia’s 27th Edition
Since the selection of Kang Je-gyu’s Gingko Bed at Fantasia’s 1998 edition, the festival has become one of the premiere destinations for South Korean cinema. Over the years, Fantasia’s audience has had the opportunity to discover several essential Korean auteurs: Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite), Park Chan-wook (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance), Kim Ji-woon (The Quiet Family), Hwang Dong-hyuk (Miss Granny), and Yeon Sang-ho...
The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia reveals a selected first wave of titles and happenings.
Here’s the press release:
Bright Spotlights On South Korean Cinema Illuminate Fantasia’s 27th Edition
Since the selection of Kang Je-gyu’s Gingko Bed at Fantasia’s 1998 edition, the festival has become one of the premiere destinations for South Korean cinema. Over the years, Fantasia’s audience has had the opportunity to discover several essential Korean auteurs: Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite), Park Chan-wook (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance), Kim Ji-woon (The Quiet Family), Hwang Dong-hyuk (Miss Granny), and Yeon Sang-ho...
- 5/11/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Fantasia International Film Festival announces today the first wave of programming for its forthcoming 27th edition, to take place in Montreal, Québec from July 20 through August 9. An initial highlight from this year’s slate includes a spotlight on South Korean cinema, which will feature several retrospective titles and a handful of premieres. Jung Bum-shik’s (Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum) The New Normal will have its North American premiere, and there will be Canadian premieres of An Tae-jin’s The Night Owl, Lee Sang-yong’s The Roundup: No Way Out and the 4K restoration of Jeong Jae-un’s Take Care of My Cat (2001). […]
The post Fantasia International Film Festival Announces First Wave of 2023 Programming first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Fantasia International Film Festival Announces First Wave of 2023 Programming first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/11/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The Fantasia International Film Festival announces today the first wave of programming for its forthcoming 27th edition, to take place in Montreal, Québec from July 20 through August 9. An initial highlight from this year’s slate includes a spotlight on South Korean cinema, which will feature several retrospective titles and a handful of premieres. Jung Bum-shik’s (Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum) The New Normal will have its North American premiere, and there will be Canadian premieres of An Tae-jin’s The Night Owl, Lee Sang-yong’s The Roundup: No Way Out and the 4K restoration of Jeong Jae-un’s Take Care of My Cat (2001). […]
The post Fantasia International Film Festival Announces First Wave of 2023 Programming first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Fantasia International Film Festival Announces First Wave of 2023 Programming first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/11/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Space is an incredibly important aspect when it comes to creating atmosphere in a horror movie. Many directors have understood that idea as they made unforgettable entries within the genre, relying to a certain extent on the place where they were shot. However, when it comes to the haunted house category, especially when it is blended with the found-footage sub-genre, many screenwriters and directors tend to use real or lost places in order to create suspense and a creepy atmosphere from the start on. Given its emphasis on genre cinema, it is no surprise the South Korean film industry have jumped on the band wagon with features such as “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” or “The Grotesque Mansion”. It is also a genre which director Sim Deok-Geun belongs to with “Guimoon: The Lightless Door”, a horror feature combining a haunted location, parallel narratives as well as light found-footage-esque scenes.
Guimoon: The Lightless...
Guimoon: The Lightless...
- 11/8/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Few setups and storylines have been explored and exploited more in the horror genre than the team of paranormal explorers contacting the other side and being confronted with their skeptical beliefs being confirmed wrong. From “The Legend of Hell House” to “Grave Encounters” and its sequel, “Ghost Killers vs. Bloody Mary” to the celebrated South Korean effort “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum“, to an entire franchise of TV shows based around “Ghost Hunters” performing this around the world, this concept is a huge part of the genre with entries being found around the globe. This Malaysian Barnstorm Entertainment-Brando Studios co-production, from director Brando Lee and starring a slew of recognizable American actors and actresses, arrives as a new entry in the style on October 7 from Outsider Pictures.
Led by troubled medium Jules (Fiona Dourif), her friends Mattie (Jordan Belfi), Wolf (Randy Wayne), Ben (Harris Dickinson), and Annie (Thao Nhu Phan), an American television crew of paranormal investigators,...
Led by troubled medium Jules (Fiona Dourif), her friends Mattie (Jordan Belfi), Wolf (Randy Wayne), Ben (Harris Dickinson), and Annie (Thao Nhu Phan), an American television crew of paranormal investigators,...
- 10/1/2022
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) has outlined plans for the restart of in-person screenings in July. But it says it will keep an online component as this reflects the “irreversible changes” in the film industry.
“The language of cinema, the form of the medium, and how the audience receives them have changed, and the changes are irreversible,” festival organizers said Tuesday at a press conference in Seoul and Bucheon, the far-flung suburb where the festival has grown up and developed into the country’s major genre film event.
This year’s event will run for 11 days, kicking of with a red carpet ceremony on July 7, 2022 and run to a closing ceremony on July 18. Most prizes will be unveiled on July 14, leaving the final three days for the public to make playful mischief – the festival’s slogans are “Stay Scary” and “Halloween in July” – with the most popular titles.
“The language of cinema, the form of the medium, and how the audience receives them have changed, and the changes are irreversible,” festival organizers said Tuesday at a press conference in Seoul and Bucheon, the far-flung suburb where the festival has grown up and developed into the country’s major genre film event.
This year’s event will run for 11 days, kicking of with a red carpet ceremony on July 7, 2022 and run to a closing ceremony on July 18. Most prizes will be unveiled on July 14, leaving the final three days for the public to make playful mischief – the festival’s slogans are “Stay Scary” and “Halloween in July” – with the most popular titles.
- 6/15/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Bifan will open with Cannes horror title Men and close with the world premiere of Jung Bum-shik’s New Normal.
The 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) will open with British director Alex Garland’s Cannes horror title Men and close with the world premiere of Korean director Jung Bum-shik’s New Normal.
At a press conference in Seoul today (June 14), Bifan organizers announced it will screen 268 titles from 49 countries. Of these, 80 titles will be world premieres and 20 international premieres.
Bifan will run July 7-17 with the awards ceremony and closing film screening on July 14.
The festival plans to...
The 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) will open with British director Alex Garland’s Cannes horror title Men and close with the world premiere of Korean director Jung Bum-shik’s New Normal.
At a press conference in Seoul today (June 14), Bifan organizers announced it will screen 268 titles from 49 countries. Of these, 80 titles will be world premieres and 20 international premieres.
Bifan will run July 7-17 with the awards ceremony and closing film screening on July 14.
The festival plans to...
- 6/14/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Leading into October – a right proper spooky season – it’s only natural for moviegoers to seek out horror films: to pre-game their mainstay genre favorites and stretch the bounds of what they’ve come to expect from it. And when moviegoers seek out horror films, it’s only natural that they seek out Shudder. You seek, September is a great time to test the waters of horror movies. This isn’t the season for Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980) or A Nightmare on Elm Street (1985). Rather, it’s to check out utterly unknown quantities like Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) and The
Five Must-Stream Movies to Watch on Shudder in September 2021...
Five Must-Stream Movies to Watch on Shudder in September 2021...
- 9/21/2021
- by Brian Hadsell
- TVovermind.com
This Squid Game article contains some spoilers, though not the outcome of the game.
There are so many things to like about Squid Game, Netflix‘s Korean-language series about a group of desperate people competing in a deadly game, but one of the major ones is the stellar cast. Featuring some well-known Korean actors, as well as some relative newcomers to the acting scene, Squid Game‘s ensemble is more than ready to elevate the clever script and sharp direction. If you’re interested in checking out other projects from this cast after finishing Squid Game, here are our recommendations!
Lee Jung-jae (이정재) as Seong Gi-hun
Squid Game character: Leading the cast of characters is Lee Jung-jae’s Gi-hun, a man who has fallen on tough times after losing his job and his marriage. We are first introduced to Gi-hun in the context of his gambling addiction, as he desperately...
There are so many things to like about Squid Game, Netflix‘s Korean-language series about a group of desperate people competing in a deadly game, but one of the major ones is the stellar cast. Featuring some well-known Korean actors, as well as some relative newcomers to the acting scene, Squid Game‘s ensemble is more than ready to elevate the clever script and sharp direction. If you’re interested in checking out other projects from this cast after finishing Squid Game, here are our recommendations!
Lee Jung-jae (이정재) as Seong Gi-hun
Squid Game character: Leading the cast of characters is Lee Jung-jae’s Gi-hun, a man who has fallen on tough times after losing his job and his marriage. We are first introduced to Gi-hun in the context of his gambling addiction, as he desperately...
- 9/20/2021
- by Kayti Burt
- Den of Geek
Further agreements struck for ‘Slate’, ‘Pipeline’ and ‘The Anchor’.
South Korean sales company Finecut has closed a raft of deals ahead of the EFM, led by a pick-up of crime thriller Midnight (working title) by The Jokers Films for France.
Finecut has also secured deals for action fantasy Slate, heist feature Pipeline and mystery thriller The Anchor.
Midnight marks the feature debut of director Kwon Oh-seung and follows a deadly game of hide-and-seek between a psychopathic killer and a deaf woman. It stars Jin Ki-joo (Little Forest) and Wi Ha-jun (Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum).
Slate, which premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival in November,...
South Korean sales company Finecut has closed a raft of deals ahead of the EFM, led by a pick-up of crime thriller Midnight (working title) by The Jokers Films for France.
Finecut has also secured deals for action fantasy Slate, heist feature Pipeline and mystery thriller The Anchor.
Midnight marks the feature debut of director Kwon Oh-seung and follows a deadly game of hide-and-seek between a psychopathic killer and a deaf woman. It stars Jin Ki-joo (Little Forest) and Wi Ha-jun (Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum).
Slate, which premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival in November,...
- 2/26/2021
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Fox’s free streaming service, Tubi, offers over 30,000 movies and TV shows from nearly every major studio and is available on over 25 devices including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Comcast Xfinity, and more. The service offers free movies to residents of Canada and the USA with intermittent commercials when streaming content.
With a huge collection of foreign-language film Tubi has plenty to offer for those who want watch a movie in honor of the Lunar New Year. You can browse the their collection of foreign titles over at Tubi.tv. We have highlighted a few titles currently available below.
Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013) by Herman Yau
“Ip Man : The Final Fight” is a kung-fu melodrama following Ip Man’s move to Hong Kong in 1949. The story is told in a series of vignettes, sketching out incidents and dramas of Ip Man’s time in Hong Kong, entwined with the stories of his students.
With a huge collection of foreign-language film Tubi has plenty to offer for those who want watch a movie in honor of the Lunar New Year. You can browse the their collection of foreign titles over at Tubi.tv. We have highlighted a few titles currently available below.
Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013) by Herman Yau
“Ip Man : The Final Fight” is a kung-fu melodrama following Ip Man’s move to Hong Kong in 1949. The story is told in a series of vignettes, sketching out incidents and dramas of Ip Man’s time in Hong Kong, entwined with the stories of his students.
- 2/11/2021
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
The unusual time saw a Zoom closing party and pre-recorded Q&As mixed with physical events.
Katrin Gebbe’s mother-daughter drama Pelican Blood won the Best of Bucheon Award at the hybrid edition of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) which wrapped in South Korea on Thursday July 16.
The award comes with KW20m in prize money and the festival closes with a screening of the winning title. The Germany-Bulgaria co-production is Gebbe’s sophomore feature after Nothing Bad Can Happen which premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2013. Pelican Blood opened Venice’s Orrizonti section in 2019.
The closing...
Katrin Gebbe’s mother-daughter drama Pelican Blood won the Best of Bucheon Award at the hybrid edition of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) which wrapped in South Korea on Thursday July 16.
The award comes with KW20m in prize money and the festival closes with a screening of the winning title. The Germany-Bulgaria co-production is Gebbe’s sophomore feature after Nothing Bad Can Happen which premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2013. Pelican Blood opened Venice’s Orrizonti section in 2019.
The closing...
- 7/16/2020
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, a very spooky found footage movie from South Korea, is getting an inevitable American remake. The original film follows a team of ghost hunters filming their overnight stay in a supposedly haunted asylum that turns out to be – you guessed it – really haunted. It’s not the most original of storylines, […]
The post ‘Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum’ Remake Will Offer a New Take on the South Korean Found Footage Horror Movie appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum’ Remake Will Offer a New Take on the South Korean Found Footage Horror Movie appeared first on /Film.
- 5/29/2020
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Los Angeles-based Black Box Management and Seoul-based Bh Entertainment have struck a strategic partnership, kicking off with a remake of the 2018 South Korean horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum.
Directed by Jung Bum-shik and sold by Showbox to Well Go USA for North America, the original Gonjiam revolves around an online reality show that recruits a handful of people to explore the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital.
"We are thankful to our friends at Showbox for putting their faith in us to develop Gonjiam for U.S. audiences. Korea has become a second home for us, and we are excited to help ...
Directed by Jung Bum-shik and sold by Showbox to Well Go USA for North America, the original Gonjiam revolves around an online reality show that recruits a handful of people to explore the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital.
"We are thankful to our friends at Showbox for putting their faith in us to develop Gonjiam for U.S. audiences. Korea has become a second home for us, and we are excited to help ...
- 5/27/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Los Angeles-based Black Box Management and Seoul-based Bh Entertainment have struck a strategic partnership, kicking off with a remake of the 2018 South Korean horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum.
Directed by Jung Bum-shik and sold by Showbox to Well Go USA for North America, the original Gonjiam revolves around an online reality show that recruits a handful of people to explore the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital.
"We are thankful to our friends at Showbox for putting their faith in us to develop Gonjiam for U.S. audiences. Korea has become a second home for us, and we are excited to help ...
Directed by Jung Bum-shik and sold by Showbox to Well Go USA for North America, the original Gonjiam revolves around an online reality show that recruits a handful of people to explore the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital.
"We are thankful to our friends at Showbox for putting their faith in us to develop Gonjiam for U.S. audiences. Korea has become a second home for us, and we are excited to help ...
- 5/27/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Despite horror’s thematic binding to society’s most current fears – this a year of parental devastation and horrors inside family units – my twenty favorite genre titles from 2018 still revel in variety: arachnid puppets, Nazi experiments, zombie musicals alike. Such morbid creativity would stick out like a sore severed thumb any other year, but today? You could drown out aforementioned absurdity with Nicolas Cage’s descent into occult revenge madness alone.
As I said, it’s been a wild year for horror – a damn fine one at that.
My ranking comes after killing many darlings, given my final tally of 118 seen horror films this year. Dig deeper, past these listed twenty, and you’ll still find plenty of gold worth mining. The following treasures just shine a little brighter and demand more attention. Feature debuts, streaming darlings, mainstream nightmares, all the works. It’s time for another end of year horror countdown,...
As I said, it’s been a wild year for horror – a damn fine one at that.
My ranking comes after killing many darlings, given my final tally of 118 seen horror films this year. Dig deeper, past these listed twenty, and you’ll still find plenty of gold worth mining. The following treasures just shine a little brighter and demand more attention. Feature debuts, streaming darlings, mainstream nightmares, all the works. It’s time for another end of year horror countdown,...
- 12/28/2018
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
The truth is, that despite common belief, horror is not dominant at all as a genre in Asia; in fact the only time it ever was, was during the J-horror explosion. However, a number of very interesting productions in the realm of the extreme do continue to be produced, while this year, “One Cut of the Dead”, a zombie movie, became one of the most impactful productions of the year, for various reasons, with the same applying to “Dukun”, a Malaysian film which was completed in 2007, but managed to be screened only this year, due to its controversial nature.
Nevertheless, here are the best horror/splatter/thriller movies of 2018, in random order. By thriller, we mean the part that leans towards the horror, not films like “I Saw the Devil”, for example. “Liverleaf” does not fall exactly under this category, but the gore involved allowed us to include it in...
Nevertheless, here are the best horror/splatter/thriller movies of 2018, in random order. By thriller, we mean the part that leans towards the horror, not films like “I Saw the Devil”, for example. “Liverleaf” does not fall exactly under this category, but the gore involved allowed us to include it in...
- 12/26/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
September 18th is definitely a phan-tastic day to be a genre lover, as we’re finally getting individual Blu-ray releases for both Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead and Phantasm IV: Oblivion this week, courtesy of Well Go USA. Scream Factory has given two classic horrors an HD overhaul—Scream for Help and The Evil—that cult film enthusiasts should definitely check out, and there is a pair of Special Edition Blu-rays arriving on Tuesday from Arrow Video to boot: Horrors of Malformed Men and The Pyjama Girl Case.
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases for September 18th include Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The X-Files: Season 11, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, Impulse, and 666: Seance Hour.
The Evil
A psychologist (Richard Crenna) and his wife (Joanna Pettet) buy a dilapidated historical mansion with a dark past in this terrifying chiller. Hoping to restore the estate and turn it into a drug rehabilitation clinic,...
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases for September 18th include Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The X-Files: Season 11, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, Impulse, and 666: Seance Hour.
The Evil
A psychologist (Richard Crenna) and his wife (Joanna Pettet) buy a dilapidated historical mansion with a dark past in this terrifying chiller. Hoping to restore the estate and turn it into a drug rehabilitation clinic,...
- 9/17/2018
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is a found footage styled horror film. Released earlier this year on Digital platforms, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is a Korean film, from director Beom-sik Jeong. In the film, a crew shoots in one the world's most haunted locations. A place of torture, these filmmakers will never be seen again. Now, Well Go USA will release the film, on home entertainment formats, this month. Release details on Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum are hosted here, before next week's release. The home entertainment artwork and trailer show the film's central setting. A multi-level, concrete block - this asylum was rumoured to use torture on its many inmates. Illegal experiments were also performed on some of the patients, supposedly. Now, this broken down, industrial building is the center piece of new horrors. As well, a number of early reviews have mostly been positive. Richard Gray, of Reel Bits, mentions that Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum stands out in the.
- 9/11/2018
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
With the rise of the horror genre, one of the biggest proponents of the style was the found-footage format where a cheap and easy alternative to traditional filmmaking could be found. Regardless of the critical analysis of the style, it found favor with audiences who came out in droves to support the films in the genre, producing incentive to try the format out in various countries around the world. Having already attempted with the film ‘Wol-Ha: A Very Bad Moon Rising’ the year previous, South Korea produces another film in the category, from filmmaker Jeong Beom-sik, who explores the real-life haunting of the Gonjiam asylum.
Attempting to get more viewers, Seung-wook (Lee Seung-wook), Charlotte (Mun Ye-won), Je-yoon (Yoo Je-yoon), Ji-Hyun (Park Ji-hon), Sung-hoon (Park Sung-hoon) and Ha-joon (Wi Ha-joon), the crew of a popular horror web-show, decide to visit the Gonjiam asylum. Having heard the legends and...
Attempting to get more viewers, Seung-wook (Lee Seung-wook), Charlotte (Mun Ye-won), Je-yoon (Yoo Je-yoon), Ji-Hyun (Park Ji-hon), Sung-hoon (Park Sung-hoon) and Ha-joon (Wi Ha-joon), the crew of a popular horror web-show, decide to visit the Gonjiam asylum. Having heard the legends and...
- 8/29/2018
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. They soon encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building in the horror thriller Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. And today we have word that the film will be terrorizing on digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack […]
The post Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Haunts Blu-ray This September appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Haunts Blu-ray This September appeared first on Dread Central.
- 8/5/2018
- by Mike Sprague
- DreadCentral.com
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum On Digital, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack & DVD September 18 The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. They soon encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building in the horror thriller Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, terrorizing on digital, Blu-ray™ …
The post Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Arrives On Digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD September 18 appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net. Copyrights 2008-2018 - Horrornews.net...
The post Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Arrives On Digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD September 18 appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net. Copyrights 2008-2018 - Horrornews.net...
- 8/3/2018
- by Horrornews.net
- Horror News
Lasso starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Lindsey Morgan, Karen Grassle, and Andrew Jacobs is set to premiere at this year's FrightFest on August 25th but if you can't trek all the way to London, a trailer for the film has been released as well as when the film will premiere in the U.S. Also: Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum's Blu-Ray, Digital, and DVD details, and, lastly, The Forest of the Lost Souls Q&A with José Lopes.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Release Details: Plano, Texas. – "The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. They soon encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building in the horror thriller Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, terrorizing on digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD September 18th from Well Go USA Entertainment. An updated take on the “found footage” genre of thrillers, Director Jung Bum-Shik...
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Release Details: Plano, Texas. – "The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. They soon encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building in the horror thriller Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, terrorizing on digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD September 18th from Well Go USA Entertainment. An updated take on the “found footage” genre of thrillers, Director Jung Bum-Shik...
- 8/3/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
“Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is the real deal. Deeply unsettling and unrelentingly scary,
it is a film that must be seen.” ~ Jonathan Barkan, Dread Central
“Forget The Blair Witch Project, director [Jung Bum-Shik]’s take on the ‘found footage’ genre elevates horror to a whole new level …” ~ James Marsh, South China Morning Post
The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. They soon encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building in the horror thriller “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum”, terrorizing on digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD September 18 from Well Go USA Entertainment. An updated take on the “found footage” genre of thrillers, Director Jung Bum-Shik assembled a cast of mostly newcomers for “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum”, including Wi Ha-Jun, Park Sung-Hun, Lee Seung-Wook, Oh Ah-Yeon, Park Ji-Hyun, Yoo Je-Yoon and Mun Ye-Won.
Synopsis:
Based on the local legends and stories...
it is a film that must be seen.” ~ Jonathan Barkan, Dread Central
“Forget The Blair Witch Project, director [Jung Bum-Shik]’s take on the ‘found footage’ genre elevates horror to a whole new level …” ~ James Marsh, South China Morning Post
The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. They soon encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building in the horror thriller “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum”, terrorizing on digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD September 18 from Well Go USA Entertainment. An updated take on the “found footage” genre of thrillers, Director Jung Bum-Shik assembled a cast of mostly newcomers for “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum”, including Wi Ha-Jun, Park Sung-Hun, Lee Seung-Wook, Oh Ah-Yeon, Park Ji-Hyun, Yoo Je-Yoon and Mun Ye-Won.
Synopsis:
Based on the local legends and stories...
- 8/3/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Although I've steered away from found-footage films for several years, my curiosity about Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum was stirred by Pierce Conran's recent review of the film. He wrote, in part: "It is the first Korean film to properly blend found footage with modern media trends. To boot, it has enormously effective scares in spades and has already caused millions to jump out of their seats in Korean multiplexes." Now we've got a trailer, albeit in the original Korean with Spanish subtitles, but still! The film is retitled slightly -- Gonjiam: Psiquiátrico Maldito -- for its forthcoming theatrical release in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru later this year. Read Pierce's full review here, watch the trailer below, and then decide if you really need English-language subtitles...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/7/2018
- Screen Anarchy
The history of Korean horror was rewritten this year by the most unlikely of contenders, as a low-budget found footage chiller became one of the top-selling K-horrors of all time. Without the benefit of any stars, Epitaph co-director Jung Bum-sik struck box office gold with Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, which fell shy of only Kim Jee-won's A Tale of Two Sisters on the all-time local horror chart. A popular vlogger recruits a group of young amateur paranormal sleuths for a special trip to the countryside. Their mission is to explore the Gonjiam Haunted Asylum, which was named by CNN as one of the seven 'freakiest places on the planet'. The asylum, which once housed the mentally ill as well as political prisoners, was said to be...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/2/2018
- Screen Anarchy
Opening on Thursday, “Rampage” debuted on top of the South Korean box office. The Warner Bros. release scored $5.58 million from 687,000 admissions over four days, and accounted for 35% of the total weekend box office.
Opening on the same day, “A Quiet Place” landed in second. Locally distributed by Lotte Entertainment, the Paramount movie earned $2.17 million from 268,000 admissions.
“Ready Player One” was again ranked third by ticket sales. The Steven Spielberg film earned $1.64 million between Friday and Sunday and extended its three-weekend total to $16.9 million.
Korean trio, “What a Man Wants,” “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” and “Stand by Me” dropped to fourth, fifth and to seventh, respectively. Next Entertainment World’s “Man” earned $1.53 million between Friday and Sunday for a two-weekend total of $7.69 million. “Gonjiam,” which had ranked top for two weeks, suffered a week-on-week drop of 66% and earned $1.35 over the weekend. The horror movie has accumulated a total of $19.1 million after three weekends.
Opening on the same day, “A Quiet Place” landed in second. Locally distributed by Lotte Entertainment, the Paramount movie earned $2.17 million from 268,000 admissions.
“Ready Player One” was again ranked third by ticket sales. The Steven Spielberg film earned $1.64 million between Friday and Sunday and extended its three-weekend total to $16.9 million.
Korean trio, “What a Man Wants,” “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” and “Stand by Me” dropped to fourth, fifth and to seventh, respectively. Next Entertainment World’s “Man” earned $1.53 million between Friday and Sunday for a two-weekend total of $7.69 million. “Gonjiam,” which had ranked top for two weeks, suffered a week-on-week drop of 66% and earned $1.35 over the weekend. The horror movie has accumulated a total of $19.1 million after three weekends.
- 4/16/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
William H. Macy returns to the big screen for the third time as director with comedic drama Krystal, in which he appears with stars Rosario Dawson, Nick Robinson, Kathy Bates and Felicity Huffman. The feature, being released via Great Point Media/Paladin Friday, first caught the attention of producer Rachel Winter in 2002. Krystal is one of two Great Point Media titles hitting theaters this weekend, the other being Brian Shoaf’s Aardvark with Zachary Quinto, Jenny Slate, Sheila Vand and Jon Hamm, which the U.K. based company is releasing with partner Paladin. Sony Pictures Classics picked up writer-director Chloé Zhao’s festival favorite The Rider out of last year’s Cannes Film Festival in a late-night deal following its first screening. The critically lauded feature heads to New York and L.A. in a planned slow roll out starting this weekend. And Samuel Goldwyn Films is opening Wim Wenders...
- 4/13/2018
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
Hong Kong film icon Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia, who is rarely seen in public these days, will be on hand to open the 20th edition of the Far East Film Festival in Udine. She will also receive the festival’s lifetime award, the Golden Mulberry.
The opening film is set to be Korean thriller “Steel Rain, an actioner backed by streaming video platform Netflix. There are currently no plans to show it on the big screen again. Also on the opening night agenda is Malaysian drama “Crossroads: One Two Jaga.”
The festival program runs 20-28 April and includes films from 11 East Asian territories, 5 world premieres and a trio of restored titles. Among the classics is Johnnie To’s “Throw Down,” brought back to life by the Italo-Hong Kong company L’Immagine Ritrovata.
New for the 20th edition is the launch of the White Mulberry competitive section. It will include 21 films by first or second time directors.
The opening film is set to be Korean thriller “Steel Rain, an actioner backed by streaming video platform Netflix. There are currently no plans to show it on the big screen again. Also on the opening night agenda is Malaysian drama “Crossroads: One Two Jaga.”
The festival program runs 20-28 April and includes films from 11 East Asian territories, 5 world premieres and a trio of restored titles. Among the classics is Johnnie To’s “Throw Down,” brought back to life by the Italo-Hong Kong company L’Immagine Ritrovata.
New for the 20th edition is the launch of the White Mulberry competitive section. It will include 21 films by first or second time directors.
- 4/12/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Ranked by earnings, “Ready Player One” emerged on top of the Korean box office with $4.08 million earned from 473,000 admissions.
Korean box office charts, however, are usually ranked by ticket sales, and arranged that way local horror “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” remained on top for the second consecutive weekend. It earned $4.02 million from 514,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday. After two weekends, “Gonjiam” has accumulated $16.7 million, the second biggest gross for a Korean horror movie, behind 2003’s “A Tale of Two Sisters.” Warner’s “Player” has $14.2 million after two weeks.
Released on Thursday, Korean comedy “What a Man Wants” earned $4.7 million over four days. The Next Entertainment World release sees the story of four people seeking adventure and love on Jeju Island. The top three films accounted for 81% of the weekend box office.
Lotte’s Korean drama “Stand by Me” earned $994,000 over its four opening days for Megabox. Fantasy romance, “Be With You...
Korean box office charts, however, are usually ranked by ticket sales, and arranged that way local horror “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” remained on top for the second consecutive weekend. It earned $4.02 million from 514,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday. After two weekends, “Gonjiam” has accumulated $16.7 million, the second biggest gross for a Korean horror movie, behind 2003’s “A Tale of Two Sisters.” Warner’s “Player” has $14.2 million after two weeks.
Released on Thursday, Korean comedy “What a Man Wants” earned $4.7 million over four days. The Next Entertainment World release sees the story of four people seeking adventure and love on Jeju Island. The top three films accounted for 81% of the weekend box office.
Lotte’s Korean drama “Stand by Me” earned $994,000 over its four opening days for Megabox. Fantasy romance, “Be With You...
- 4/9/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Local horror thriller, “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” landed on top of the South Korean box office. Since opening on Wednesday, the Showbox release earned $10.2 million from 1.37 million admissions, including $492,000 earned from previews. It accounted for 40% of the total weekend box office.
Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” could only manage second place. Also opening on Wednesday, the Warner Bros. release earned $8.09 million, accounting for 33% of the weekend box office revenue.
Fantasy romance, “Be with You” slipped to third from the previous week’s second. The Lotte Entertainment release earned $1.98 million between Friday and Sunday and extended its total to $17.6 million after three weekends.
Another Wednesday opener, “Seven Years of Night” took fourth place. Released by Cj Entertainment and directed by “Masquerade” director Choo Chang-min, the Korean thriller drama earned $2.99 million over five days. Based on Jung Yoo-jung’s novel of the same title, “Seven Years” sees the story of a man...
Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” could only manage second place. Also opening on Wednesday, the Warner Bros. release earned $8.09 million, accounting for 33% of the weekend box office revenue.
Fantasy romance, “Be with You” slipped to third from the previous week’s second. The Lotte Entertainment release earned $1.98 million between Friday and Sunday and extended its total to $17.6 million after three weekends.
Another Wednesday opener, “Seven Years of Night” took fourth place. Released by Cj Entertainment and directed by “Masquerade” director Choo Chang-min, the Korean thriller drama earned $2.99 million over five days. Based on Jung Yoo-jung’s novel of the same title, “Seven Years” sees the story of a man...
- 4/3/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
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