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Review by: Devon Bertsch
Date: Devon Bertsch

Director: Gi-hun Kim, Jong-seok Kim

Starring: Seong-min Kang,
Ji-woo Choi, Chae-young Han, Jung Min

Screenplay: Chang-hak Han

Music: Sang-yun Lee

Country: South Korea

Year: 2000

AKA: Zzikhimyeon Jukneunda


The Record
While reviewing Nightmare, I realised that Asia needs my help in the movie-titling field. I've discovered another area they need my assistance: Green lighting projects. That way, when someone comes up with an idea like the one behind The Record, I can say, 'The world only needs one I Know What You Did Last Summer. In fact, the world didn't even need that one.' Yep, somebody in Korea thought it'd be a good idea to knock off that Kevin Williamson-penned piece of shit. Too bad, 'cause till I saw The Record, I was under the impression Korea was the greatest country in the world for current horror movies.

Don't waste time looking for an evil bit of vinyl; I guess 'the record' is the recording of some murderous events. It should probably be called 'The Video', then. Anyway, this Korean teen vehicle is about some geek guy whose death gets videotaped during a prank gone awry. Not very awry, mind you, because he's stabbed with a knife, and everyone's surprised he dies 'cause the knife was supposed to be blunted. Those involved end up hunted by someone altering his or her voice, sporting a knife, and wearing a red suit. See, it's not a hook and poncho, so no one will ever guess where the idea came from…or the voice alteration idea. That's brand new.

The Record borrows heavily from I Know What You Did Last Summer, then turns into Scream for a little while, before going right back into I Know's territory. Territory that was well travelled before I Know…What we get, then, is a very Western Eastern movie that is way too mild to have been Category III (R and beyond). At least it teaches everyone important safety rules like 'Don't leave your window down when there's a knife wielding maniac near your car.'

Video
The film's presented at 1.33:1. The DVD's pretty sloppy, about 2nd generation VHS quality, with annoying digitising.
Audio
The film's in muffled Korean with imbedded Chinese and English subs. At least the subs are bold so they don't get lost on the print. There's also a buzzing in the audio. The audio noise is slight, so it MAY be because my equipment was up too loud, but then it wouldn't have had to be up so loud if the audio hadn't been muffled.
Extra Features
There is an 'intro' provided, but it was written in konji, so I got no idea what it says. I don't think it would really count as an extra, regardless. Unless it reveals how to access an Easter egg that is a good movie hidden on the disc.
The Verdict
Don't buy this.
The Rating

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Regional Coding All
Format NTSC
Aspect Ratio 4:3
16x9 Enhanced? No
Audio Options Korean DD 5.1
Subtitles English & Chinese (embedded)
Country Hong Kong
Distributor WideSight
Running Time 93 minutes