Cover Art

Credits

Director: Byeong-ki Ahn Starring: Ji-won Ha, Woo-jae Choi, Yu-mi Kim, Ji-yeon Choi, Seo-woo Eun Music: Sang-ho Lee Tagline: Don't answer. Country: South Korea

I had overlooked Phone since its release because I'd delved once too often into the realm of Asian horror and coming up with yet another boring ghost movie. Then I found out it was directed by Ahn Byeong-ki, who directed Nightmare, which is referred to as Scissors in the special features. I loved that film, so figured Phone might be better than your average, dark haired, ghoul girl flick. I suppose it is, but it's still not particularly engrossing.

The film focuses on a woman who's written some controversial articles about underage sex scandals. Because of her stories, she begins receiving menacing calls and e-mails. She tries to go low profile, and changes her phone number, but this doesn't prevent the calls; they get worse when she gets her new digits. These new, more intensified, calls aren't from her previous stalker, but from a ghost. A ghost that's taken an interest in a young girl close to the heroine.

Phone follows the formula familiar to Asian horror fans. First we figure out who's the ghost. Then we must ask why is the ghost angry? Next we need to know if they can, or in some cases, SHOULD be stopped. Finally, we can find out who killed our restless spirit, usually in the final reel. Sometimes a film will transcend this structure, as with Nightmare. But Phone lacks that film's engagement factor, and since its "mystery" isn't unique, it unravels far too slowly. While there are a few effective startles, the film isn't as visually impressive as Nightmare, which I found also made it less eerie.

However, one stand out element was the performance of child start Eun Seo-woo, confirming once again that nowhere does scary children quite as well as Asia. Eun exudes charm, cuteness, joy, and menace, often all within a single scene, and her performance makes Phone worth checking out.