Perfect cast and a good story

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

I just finished watching this movie, couple years late from the release, but the movie does not feel outdated, not even a bit. Early into the journey, it feels like you are watching Pan's Labyrinth.The Good Some of the casts are good, especially the girl, Eun Kyung (got her name from IMDb, I am not really familiar with Korean actors). The plot is good, even for a movie junkie like me, it is hard to tell the ending which will keep you going to the end.The Bad I said some of the casts are good, unfortunately some are not, especially the main cast whose expression at many scenes are blank. Some of the thrill parts are not thrilling enough and it can get a bit slow, but overall still watchable. Also, this movie can be much better and dramatic, if the siblings are only the sisters.Conclusion I have to say, this movie is really the Asian version of Pan's Labyrinth. Of course, like almost all Asian movies, the visual effect cannot match those of Hollywood. If you like Pan's Labyrinth, the you should watch this. Hope this info is not spoiler to you. Also, like Pan's Labyrinth, I think this is a fantasy movie, not a horror movie.

An irresponsible husband, Eun-Soo, goes off on a wild goose chase instead of being with this pregnant wife. He totals a hugely expensive vehicle to avoid an already dead squirrel on the road. He was fooling about with his telephone right before this happened. Brilliant.When he wakes up again, it is night, and Young Hee has found him. She has a lantern, seems kindly disposed toward him, and leads him to a place to stay, the 'House of Happy Children.' It is lovely inside, and looks like everyday is Christmas. They patch up his more major wounds from the accident.Eun-Soo meets Young Hee's mother, father, younger sister, and older brother, Man-bok. He wakes up in a room full of toys and Christmas gadgets. The family treats him to a breakfast of sweets, claiming that they had already eaten. A bit suspicious, perhaps?Eun-Soo looks for a way out on the first day. He does not find it, and the day seems woefully short. The family of five and Eun-Soo have some strange discussions.On the second day, Eun-Soo awakes to find the parents gone. They left him a note asking him to take care of the children. He does for a bit, but then tries to make it to town. He fails again. He thought he saw someone in the woods; the children deny this as a possibility. The phone is still out; how would they call to ask for it to be fixed? Eun-Soo continues hearing unexplained bumps and the like. Then, there seems to be something in the attic. When examined with a torch, though, the attic only contains more children's toys. After expressing his dismay, Man-bok gives him a map.On the third day, he goes exploring using the map. He meets another couple from the road; they insist on going to the house, despite his advice against. He eventually returns rather than die in the snow and cold. The new couple turn out to be Christians, which adds a different layer.The snow continues on the fourth day, and Eun-Soo's desperation rises. He finds a television that still runs with the power cord not plugged in. This does not help.Eun-Soo finds a fairy tale book, and the boy gets cross with him for touching it. Three of the book's characters had their faces cut out and replaced with cut out photo pieces of the three children. He discovers the 'mother' from the initial meeting in the attic. She shows him that the attic can be a limitless maze, rather like the surrounding forest.He has a long metaphorical talk with the three children. He tells an engaging fairly tale, then weaves himself into it, as the prince who must return to his pregnant princess. Man-bok, however, concludes the tale by telling Eun-Soo they will cut off his arms and legs so that he is unable to leave. Great stuff.The 'Christian' woman turns out to be a thief, and the man someone who wants to rule the roost with an iron, bible-thumping fist. Eun-Soo warns him against this, but he physically attacks in return. Yet another monster; great.Eun-Soo gears up to try to escape again, this time leaving a trail of breadcrumbs. Then he discovers that the meat in the refrigerator is from the first 'father' that he met. So the kids are carnivorous fairies or demons or whatever.The layering keeps getting deeper for Eun-Soo, as he makes his way through more documents in the attic. He finds orphanage birth records for the three children, from 1959, 1960, 1965. Apparently they were frozen in time somehow, except perhaps for Young Hee, who looks 47 in one of the rooms. He makes another attempt to escape and fails again, stopping just short of a cliff edge overlooking and ocean.The Christian man has a confrontation with the children. He has a certain box, and has gagged the younger girl. He and Man-bok share the act of patricide. Man-bok knocks the man out using magic. The youngest whines about all parents being the same, that is, rotten.So that's it. Man-bok killed his father, and decided that all bad adults need to be punished like the punishment in Hansel and Gretel. He shows Eun-Soo the small book of line drawings of Hansel and Gretel. The children recount more of the past, regarding the depths of the 'bad adults' problem. It is a nasty story, but the ultimate culprit in the piece is an amusing choice.Can Eun-Soo help break the obsession, the lock on this delusion? The children want him to stay forever, but he feels obligated to be with his own child, yet to be born, and Hae Young, his child's mother.-----Scores------Cinematography: 5/10 For the introduction and credits: jerky camera movement, keyhole sized vignette filters, with poor focus, on multiple badly done overlaid images. Even after this terrible beginning, the jerky camera movements continue, accompanied by soft focus and 'who cares?' framing. The over saturated colors are pleasantly chosen, at least.Sound: 10/10 As good as the visuals are bad.Acting: 10/10 Rather good. I liked the child actors better than I thought I would.Screenplay: 9/10 A bit long, but a good story told through the movie.

as far as American horror films go, this film is equally as good and possibly much better than the standard fare that is commonly offered American audiences. it is certainly more beautifully crafted than the typical American/Canadian horror stock film usually released every so often. in fact it's only problem is that it is often so beautiful to look at that you are a little distracted from the other elements in the film. but only somewhat.the story here is pretty eerie and gets emotionally intense. it also weaves in the traditional 'Hansel and Gretel' fairy tale into the storyline without being clichéd or using a obviously trite twist. the only thing that was obvious to me or that i could use for comparison was Rod Serling and 'The Twilight Zone' movie.although in subtitles (which i prefer), the acting is very emotional and on a strong feeling level and comes across the language barrier. especially the young actor who plays the lead role of the young man lost in the woods. the child who plays the complex and often sinister Man-Bok is also excellent and maybe even at times more impressive given the nuances of his character.as well as having some hauntingly beautiful photography and set design, this film also displays a outrageous sense of humorous design as in all the little robots and toys and animals in the house, drapes and wallpaper.the message here is surprisingly moving, but that doesn't make a lot of the movie any less chilling. this movie delivers thrills and chills but also manages to be substantial, worthwhile entertainment. that can't always be said for a lot of movies produced here in this country.

Another experience in korean recent films. I think South Korea is producing some of the best films we get these days. It feels like there's some kind of a film school there, which still allows their filmmakers to work freely on the ideas side. The technical and imagery side of this cinema is great, some of the best photography i've seen recently comes from korean films.This one could actually have been something powerful, it was ambitious, but it fails, to me.Basically it tries to be a mix of three elements: suspense/horror, mapped into children's drama, mapped into Grimm's brothers tale..it is horror because we have a designated viewer, someone who represents us is the story. His fears are passed onto us, because what happens to him, we feel it ourselves, or are supposed to. We have a house, not specially interesting on the spatial side, except for the attic. That house is explored by the main character, and we explore it with him, and we fear all the way. Yet none of the common things of true horror films occur, and we feel heavy all the way, suspenseful, without being 'scared'. So it's half the way between horror and suspense. This proximity to a genre is a vessel in which the other elements are inserted. It's interesting the safety that the 'genre' gives filmmakers. They know they can rely on certain elements that will give audiences several references, that won't make them feel lost. It may be a trick for lesser filmmakers to secure they make an understandable film, or it may be a safety net that allows them to do something bigger, on the eye, or narrative. This one, i think, was supposed to be on the second case..there is a past to those children. Later in the film we come to understand that's what the thing is all about. They're family past, the whole thing about them not growing up because of the mistreatments adults gave them is the stuff that feels and gives sense to the narrative. So, we are intended to be given a twist as we fall for the children's motivations and start facing them as victims instead of devils..Hansel & Gretel, the tale, structures loosely the narrative. The horror elements give the mood, establish a genre, the Grimm's story supports the visual elements, and some plot elements. More important, it is a story, the key to the film. Notice that the main character, our designated protagonist gets free when he burns the story.So this is all about narrative over layering and mixing narrative threads. We have three lines explore, and three children puppeteers. Get it? The thing is i didn't connect to the thing, the film is intellectually ambitious, but failed to reach me. I suppose it had a lot to do with pacing and narrative balance. The bits are disconnected, i thing some serious revision and editing and general rhythm would have made miracles here.The photography is intense and highly competent, though not much in the mood of what we see. Still, it's a high mark for korean cinema. Lucky those directors, for having such artistic values at their services.My opinion: 2/5 http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com (FantasPorto 2009)