This is an Asian film trying to capitalize in on the Asian horror film market. Ever since I saw Ringu (the original The Ring) I've become obsessed with the Asian horror film market. Gone are the over-the-top special effects, music to hook you in the cheek and string you along, and cliched characters (nerd, prep, princess, stoner, and jock). Instead we are left with minimal lighting, eerie music and sound effects, and genuinely creepy imagery.
When I heard that A Tale of Two Sisters was an excellent horror film I immediately had to rent it and see what everyone was talking about.
From Netflix : "Terrified sisters try to exorcise their home of two dark forces -- their evil stepmother and a vengeful entity -- in this ghostly tale. Hospitalized after their mother's death, young Su-mi (Im Su-jeong) and Su-yeon (Mun Geun-yeong) return home to find a nasty new stepmother (Yeom Jeong-ah). The girls suffer terrifying events, but their father doesn't care, even though evil lurks around every corner. Can the girls free their home from its demons?"
At first I became a little concerned because lately even the Asian horror has become cliche. Usually there is a creepy boy smarter than he should be and a creepy girl with long black hair that covers her face and walks funny. A Tale of Two Sisters begins in a mental hospital with the introduction of Su-mi who, like a lot of movies before it, have her shuffling about in a lop-sided way with her hair covering her face. But, as the story progresses and Su-mi begins to tell her story, she sits up and her face comes out of hiding. That's when I knew this was going to be something different because right off the bat the filmmakers showed us they knew the cliches and were going to try and break them.
Throughout the movie a lot of strange things happen. While this is a horror film in its truest sense, A Tale of Two Sisters strives to be more. The stepmother and the girls don't like each other and all seem to be sick and require medicine, the father is depressed because he feels he has failed his daughters, his daughters barely speak to him, and the infrequent guests all seem to be off in their own worlds trying to conquer their own problems.
Nothing in this movie makes much sense yet is still extremely compelling to watch. That is up until about an hour and a half in. When everything seems to be wrapping up nicely and everything is starting to make sense, the filmmakers decide to throw a few more wrenches in the gears and twist everything around. While at a hour and a half the reveal would have been up to par with a movie like The Sixth Sense (by that I mean everything is explained and makes sense) apparently that wasn't good enough. For the next twenty minutes so much more happens that leaves you scratching your head trying to figure out exactly what is happening. I've watched this film twice now and, while I have a theory, have no way of proving it nor would I share it hear for fear of spoiling the film.
While I recommend the film because there is more story here than the typical horror affair I can't say it is one of the best Asian horror films out there but it certainly is one of the better ones. If you like moody atmosphere and genuine creepy moments, A Tale of Two Sisters is worth a look.
When I heard that A Tale of Two Sisters was an excellent horror film I immediately had to rent it and see what everyone was talking about.
From Netflix : "Terrified sisters try to exorcise their home of two dark forces -- their evil stepmother and a vengeful entity -- in this ghostly tale. Hospitalized after their mother's death, young Su-mi (Im Su-jeong) and Su-yeon (Mun Geun-yeong) return home to find a nasty new stepmother (Yeom Jeong-ah). The girls suffer terrifying events, but their father doesn't care, even though evil lurks around every corner. Can the girls free their home from its demons?"
At first I became a little concerned because lately even the Asian horror has become cliche. Usually there is a creepy boy smarter than he should be and a creepy girl with long black hair that covers her face and walks funny. A Tale of Two Sisters begins in a mental hospital with the introduction of Su-mi who, like a lot of movies before it, have her shuffling about in a lop-sided way with her hair covering her face. But, as the story progresses and Su-mi begins to tell her story, she sits up and her face comes out of hiding. That's when I knew this was going to be something different because right off the bat the filmmakers showed us they knew the cliches and were going to try and break them.
Throughout the movie a lot of strange things happen. While this is a horror film in its truest sense, A Tale of Two Sisters strives to be more. The stepmother and the girls don't like each other and all seem to be sick and require medicine, the father is depressed because he feels he has failed his daughters, his daughters barely speak to him, and the infrequent guests all seem to be off in their own worlds trying to conquer their own problems.
Nothing in this movie makes much sense yet is still extremely compelling to watch. That is up until about an hour and a half in. When everything seems to be wrapping up nicely and everything is starting to make sense, the filmmakers decide to throw a few more wrenches in the gears and twist everything around. While at a hour and a half the reveal would have been up to par with a movie like The Sixth Sense (by that I mean everything is explained and makes sense) apparently that wasn't good enough. For the next twenty minutes so much more happens that leaves you scratching your head trying to figure out exactly what is happening. I've watched this film twice now and, while I have a theory, have no way of proving it nor would I share it hear for fear of spoiling the film.
While I recommend the film because there is more story here than the typical horror affair I can't say it is one of the best Asian horror films out there but it certainly is one of the better ones. If you like moody atmosphere and genuine creepy moments, A Tale of Two Sisters is worth a look.
Good description. I am hesitant to recommend it because it so slow and it has to be the quietest movie(outside of silents) that I've seen. Ultimately, I say the movie has a limited appeal and those that gravitate towards this kind of thing will probably like it.
Scott
Jesus died for your sins, get your money's worth. Chad Daniels
remylass Wrote:I am building quite a collection of Asian horror movies. Do you have any suggestions on others?
It depends on what appeals to you. Most of my DVD's have been boxed up for my move but the original The Ring (Ringu) and The Grudge (Ju-On) are fine films as well as Audition. If you're looking for more violent action films then Battle Royal and Versus are pretty good. Finally, I would recommend checking out Avalon if you're into sci-fi/fantasy-type stuff.
A person here that knows a lot more about the Asian film market than me is Aphew. He could probably give you a slew of recommendations.
Hope that helps!
This post was last modified: 07-12-2005, 04:16 PM by Marc.
remylass Wrote:I am building quite a collection of Asian horror movies. Do you have any suggestions on others?
Uzumaki is a strange, but effective horror movie.
The Eye is great; it's The Sixth Sense on steroids.
MPD Detective is actually a mini-series that has a creepy, surreal feel. Directed by the Takeshi Miike-the man responsible for the excellent Audition, which Marc already mentioned.
Double Vision has one of the more ingenious killers I've seen.
The Returner is not horror, but a great sci-fi action flick. Think Terminator meets The Matrix and you'll get an idea.
Scott
Jesus died for your sins, get your money's worth. Chad Daniels
Scott Miller Wrote:Uzumaki is a strange, but effective horror movie.
The Eye is great; it's The Sixth Sense on steroids.
I didn't care for either of these films personally. Uzumaki (Vortex) is sort of a mess and didn't have a cohesive story and The Eye just bored me. If you haven't seen them then I guess they're worth a watch since both sort of have that "love it/hate it" mentality.
Quote:The Returner is not horror, but a great sci-fi action flick. Think Terminator meets The Matrix and you'll get an idea.
The Returner! That's the one I was trying to remember. Good recommendation Scott! Now this is definitely a fun sci-fi action flick worth finding.
remylass Wrote:I am building quite a collection of Asian horror movies. Do you have any suggestions on others?
The title is "J-Horror Theater". They are two movies, "Kansen", and "Yogen". "Kansen" was very creepy, but it will maybe confuse you. It was very twisted. "Yogen" was very thrilling. I prefer "Yogen". If you like "The Butterfly Effect", you'll like "Yogen".
Cneck this.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418778/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419280/
This post was last modified: 07-13-2005, 09:20 AM by Kenji.
Kenji Wrote:The title is "J-Horror Theater". They are two movies, "Kansen", and "Yogen". "Kansen" was very creepy, but it will maybe confuse you. It was very twisted. "Yogen" was very thrilling. I prefer "Yogen". If you like "The Butterfly Effect", you'll like "Yogen".
I haven't been able to track these down through my regular retailers (Poker Industries or HKFlicks) nor is it available through Netflix. Know where we can track these down, Kenji?
Marc B. Wrote:I haven't been able to track these down through my regular retailers (Poker Industries or HKFlicks) nor is it available through Netflix. Know where we can track these down, Kenji?
Hmm.....can't you find out it in rental stores? I don't know about Netflix. We haven't Netflix. I'm sorry.
Marc B. Wrote:I haven't been able to track these down through my regular retailers (Poker Industries or HKFlicks) nor is it available through Netflix. Know where we can track these down, Kenji?
Marc, I found them! English title is "Premonition" and "Infection". I checked them in Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...ance&s=dvd