In recent years, South Korean cinema has received well-deserved international attention for its unique blends of genre, societal commentary, and unpredictability. While several prominent Korean films garnered significant attention abroad, namely Parasite, there is one film that deserves more recognition: Bedevilled, the 2010 directorial debut of Jang Cheol-soo. While Cheol-soo became most known for his comedy-drama movie Secretly, Greatly, his horror film Bedevilled is a must-watch for any genre junkie.
The trick to understanding South Korean horrors is they often explore multiple intense emotions outside of fear. This includes sadness, despair, regret, and helplessness. They don’t scare us in a way that evokes our fight-or-flight response. Instead the movies’ themes provoke us to question society, the human condition, and our own personal actions. Bedevilled, which means to torment or harass, introduces us to childhood friends Hae-won (Ji Seong-won), an office worker in Seoul, and Bok-nam (Seo Yeong-hie), a lifelong resident...
The trick to understanding South Korean horrors is they often explore multiple intense emotions outside of fear. This includes sadness, despair, regret, and helplessness. They don’t scare us in a way that evokes our fight-or-flight response. Instead the movies’ themes provoke us to question society, the human condition, and our own personal actions. Bedevilled, which means to torment or harass, introduces us to childhood friends Hae-won (Ji Seong-won), an office worker in Seoul, and Bok-nam (Seo Yeong-hie), a lifelong resident...
- 11/7/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Programme includes David Mackenzie’s Starred Up and Ti West’s The Sacrament.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan 22 - Feb 2) has added a programme of films focusing on “contemporary survival” to its thematic Signals section.
How to Survive… will feature 12 independent films from around the world range from Spanish survival horror La cueva (In Darkness We Fall) by Alfredo Montero to Jang Cheol-soo’s Korean spy thriller Secretly Greatly, and from Canadian internet found footage documentary Hoax_canular by Dominic Gagnon to Iranian apocalyptic visions in From Tehran to Heaven by Abolfazl Saffary.
It will also feature David Mackenzie’s British prison drama Starred Up, Us director Ti West’s found footage horror The Sacrament, and White Bear, an episode from Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror series that aired in the UK.
In the How to Survive… Clinics, experts will teach visitors forgotten survival skills. In a workshop by Rotterdam-based Wild Vleesch, visitors can learn...
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan 22 - Feb 2) has added a programme of films focusing on “contemporary survival” to its thematic Signals section.
How to Survive… will feature 12 independent films from around the world range from Spanish survival horror La cueva (In Darkness We Fall) by Alfredo Montero to Jang Cheol-soo’s Korean spy thriller Secretly Greatly, and from Canadian internet found footage documentary Hoax_canular by Dominic Gagnon to Iranian apocalyptic visions in From Tehran to Heaven by Abolfazl Saffary.
It will also feature David Mackenzie’s British prison drama Starred Up, Us director Ti West’s found footage horror The Sacrament, and White Bear, an episode from Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror series that aired in the UK.
In the How to Survive… Clinics, experts will teach visitors forgotten survival skills. In a workshop by Rotterdam-based Wild Vleesch, visitors can learn...
- 1/15/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Box office smash Hide and Seek to open festival; Kim Jee-woon to present his favourite short films.
The line-up of the 8th London Korean Film Festival (Nov 7-15) has been announced.
The programme includes contemporary Korean cinema titles, UK and European premieres of box office hits and retrospectives. It will also host several visiting directors and actors.
The festival’s Film Forum at London’s Korean Cultural Centre is also hoped to generate opportunities for filmmakers to meet and help foster links between South Korea and UK to encourage funding investment, co-productions and access to post production.
Screening will take place at major central London locations, such as the Odeon West End, but highlights of the programme will also travel to Oxford, Bradford and St. Andrews from Nov 16-22.
Opening/Closing films
The festival will open on Nov 7 with the European premiere of Hide and Seek.
First time director Huh Jung’s home invasion thriller was an...
The line-up of the 8th London Korean Film Festival (Nov 7-15) has been announced.
The programme includes contemporary Korean cinema titles, UK and European premieres of box office hits and retrospectives. It will also host several visiting directors and actors.
The festival’s Film Forum at London’s Korean Cultural Centre is also hoped to generate opportunities for filmmakers to meet and help foster links between South Korea and UK to encourage funding investment, co-productions and access to post production.
Screening will take place at major central London locations, such as the Odeon West End, but highlights of the programme will also travel to Oxford, Bradford and St. Andrews from Nov 16-22.
Opening/Closing films
The festival will open on Nov 7 with the European premiere of Hide and Seek.
First time director Huh Jung’s home invasion thriller was an...
- 10/15/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
This week on Sordid Cinema, Edgar, Ricky and Simon travel to South Korea to discuss writer/director Jung Byung Gil’s exhilarating cop/serial killer thriller, Confession of Murder, and Jang Cheol-Soo’s espionage actioneer, Secretly Greatly. Among the many topics discussed is South Korea’s knack for producing some of the best revenge films in recent memory, the cult of celebrity, Paul Verhoeven, and the 2008 stuntman documentary Action Boys.
Playlist
“Tether” – Chvrches
“The Mother We Share” – Chvrches
****
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Playlist
“Tether” – Chvrches
“The Mother We Share” – Chvrches
****
Please give us a rating on Itunes. It would be very much appreciated!
Listen on iTunes
Like us on Facebook
Follow Ricky on Twitter
Follow Edgar on Twitter
Follow Simon on Twitter
Follow us on Tumblr
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Hear the show on Stitcher Smart Radio
You can now hear our podcast on Stitcher Smart Radio.
Stitcher allows you to listen to your favorite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone,...
- 10/15/2013
- by Sordid Cinema Podcast
- SoundOnSight
As of Thursday morning, August 8th 2013, the most recent edition of the Fantasia Film Festival will be a thing of the past. What began with some major, exciting announcements in late June, a press conference on July 9th and tons of public screenings from July 18th to August 7th is in the history books. With so many films shown (around 120), festival veterans and newcomers alike had a stunning choice of movies to discover, be amazed by, be provoked by or just have a great time with.
Naturally, some films will leave an indelible mark on those privileged to see them, whereas others might have left the bitter taste of disappointment in mouths. Having seen just over 30 movies myself, there are definitely a handful which proved to be exceptional examples of filmmaking and may very well offer serious challenge to other movies hoping to make an end of the year list come late December.
Naturally, some films will leave an indelible mark on those privileged to see them, whereas others might have left the bitter taste of disappointment in mouths. Having seen just over 30 movies myself, there are definitely a handful which proved to be exceptional examples of filmmaking and may very well offer serious challenge to other movies hoping to make an end of the year list come late December.
- 8/8/2013
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Last night, Korea's Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) wrapped its 17th edition, handing out awards and screening the world premiere of Korean thriller The Terror Live, starring Ha Jung-woo, who was in attendance.The big winners of the night were Ben Wheatley's Sightseers, which won Best Film and Best Actress (Alice Lowe) and Erik Matti's On the Job, which took home Best Actor (Joel Torre) and the Jury's Choice Award. Among the other main competition awards, Indian crime film Ugly picked up Best Director for Anurag Kashyap and Jang Cheol-soo's webcomic hit Secretly Greatly walked away with the Nh Nongyup Citizen's Choice Award.Outside of the Puchon Choice section, the Japanese high school mystery The Kirishima Thing won the Netpac award, Indian thriller Talaash was given...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/27/2013
- Screen Anarchy
The 17th Puchon International Film Festival (PiFan) wrapped with Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers bagging the top Best of Puchon Award as well as the Best Actress Award for Alice Lowe.
The UK buzz film scooped up the cash prize of $13,500 (KW15m) which comes with the Best of Puchon Award.
Wheatley in a video message to PiFan said, “I want to thank you for supporting my films over the years and it’s really an honour to get an award from such a prestigious film festival. Thank you.”
Held in the city of Bucheon, about an hour’s drive from Seoul, PiFan holds onto the former official Romanized spelling of the city’s name, Puchon.
Singaporean director Eric Khoo, who headed the Puchon Choice: Feature category jury, said, “We’ve watched many interesting films and have been very inspired.”
His jury awarded Anurag Kashyap the Best Director Award (KW10m) for Indian film Ugly.
Joel Torre took the...
The UK buzz film scooped up the cash prize of $13,500 (KW15m) which comes with the Best of Puchon Award.
Wheatley in a video message to PiFan said, “I want to thank you for supporting my films over the years and it’s really an honour to get an award from such a prestigious film festival. Thank you.”
Held in the city of Bucheon, about an hour’s drive from Seoul, PiFan holds onto the former official Romanized spelling of the city’s name, Puchon.
Singaporean director Eric Khoo, who headed the Puchon Choice: Feature category jury, said, “We’ve watched many interesting films and have been very inspired.”
His jury awarded Anurag Kashyap the Best Director Award (KW10m) for Indian film Ugly.
Joel Torre took the...
- 7/26/2013
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Secretly Greatly
Written by Kim Bang-hyun, Yoo Hong-gee
Directed by Jang Cheol-soo
South Korea, 2013
As with many historically resonant political-military confrontations, the now 63 year old rivalry between South and North Korea has served as inspiration for a bevy of cinematic projects. Among some of the more recent endeavors were Joint Security Area from Park Chan-wook from 2000 and Poonsang from 2011, Jhun Jai-hong. Both were rather serious in tone and tried to engage audiences with gritty, unrelenting drama and action derived from the long standing Cold War tensions. Secretly Greatly, from Jang Cheol-soo, puts a different spin on North-South relations, utilization the spy genre to produce a movie that offers action, character-focused drama and even humour.
Won Ryu-han (Kim Soo-hyun) is a spy for the north, trained at a very young age to become a vicious , ruthlessly effective killer in service of his glorious homeland. Secretly Greatly opens with Ryu-han living in a modest southern town,...
Written by Kim Bang-hyun, Yoo Hong-gee
Directed by Jang Cheol-soo
South Korea, 2013
As with many historically resonant political-military confrontations, the now 63 year old rivalry between South and North Korea has served as inspiration for a bevy of cinematic projects. Among some of the more recent endeavors were Joint Security Area from Park Chan-wook from 2000 and Poonsang from 2011, Jhun Jai-hong. Both were rather serious in tone and tried to engage audiences with gritty, unrelenting drama and action derived from the long standing Cold War tensions. Secretly Greatly, from Jang Cheol-soo, puts a different spin on North-South relations, utilization the spy genre to produce a movie that offers action, character-focused drama and even humour.
Won Ryu-han (Kim Soo-hyun) is a spy for the north, trained at a very young age to become a vicious , ruthlessly effective killer in service of his glorious homeland. Secretly Greatly opens with Ryu-han living in a modest southern town,...
- 7/26/2013
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Diva Velez recently sat down with Jang Cheol-soo, the man behind the 2010 horror Bedeviled, to chat about his latest film, Secretly, Greatly, a spy vs. spy, North vs. South film that equally plots itself as a comedy, actioner and drama. A massive hit at home in South Korea, the film had its international premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival before opening in New York and La this past Friday. For readers that have yet to see the film, be warned, major story points are discussed throughout the following interview [ed. Ben Umstead] Twitch: What inspired you to take on this project? Jang Cheol-soo: This film is based on a webcomic [Covertness by Hun] that is very popular in South Korea. After I read...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/21/2013
- Screen Anarchy
When a filmmaker makes a great debut, expectations are bound to be quite high for the follow-up. Such was the case for Jang Cheol-soo, who took the world by storm with his terrific island revenge saga Bedevilled in 2010. When word first surfaced of his next feature, which would see him adapt the popular webcomic Secretly Greatly, the initial buzz was one of excitement. However, as it progressed through casting and then production, it became more and more clear that this would be a completely different kind of film, and certainly not one aimed at the audience that was so enthralled by his debut. Starring a trio of fresh-faced and supremely popular TV stars, Secretly Greatly is a resolutely commercial film that seeks to placate...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/10/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Fantasia 2013 has announced the second wave of titles screening this year. If the first wave, along with the announcements of special guests wasn’t enough to get you excited, this surely will.
009 Re: Cyborg
Japan Dir: Kenji Kamiyama
Mechanized mayhem, mysticism and moral ambiguity meet when the influential ’60s manga/anime property 009 Cyborg gets a dark, postmodern makeover care of the mighty Production I.G, in the spirit of the iconic Ghost In The Shell films. Anime fans won’t want to miss this one. North American Premiere.
Animals
Spain Dir: Marçal Forés
Evocative of both Donnie Darko and Leolo with a touch of Charles Burns, Animals taps into a volatile whirlpool of adolescent anxieties and identity issues, addressing complex themes through a wealth of unconventional approaches. A heavy trip, but an entertaining and fantastical one. Winner: Best First Feature, Sant Jordi de Cinematografia 2013, Official Selection: Sitges 2012, Miami International Film Festival 2013. Quebec Premiere.
009 Re: Cyborg
Japan Dir: Kenji Kamiyama
Mechanized mayhem, mysticism and moral ambiguity meet when the influential ’60s manga/anime property 009 Cyborg gets a dark, postmodern makeover care of the mighty Production I.G, in the spirit of the iconic Ghost In The Shell films. Anime fans won’t want to miss this one. North American Premiere.
Animals
Spain Dir: Marçal Forés
Evocative of both Donnie Darko and Leolo with a touch of Charles Burns, Animals taps into a volatile whirlpool of adolescent anxieties and identity issues, addressing complex themes through a wealth of unconventional approaches. A heavy trip, but an entertaining and fantastical one. Winner: Best First Feature, Sant Jordi de Cinematografia 2013, Official Selection: Sitges 2012, Miami International Film Festival 2013. Quebec Premiere.
- 7/3/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The full Fantasia 2013 lineup will be announced next Tuesday, July 9th, but in the meantime we have the second wave of titles to share, and per usual, it's a doozy!
From the Press Release:
Following last week’s first wave of programming announcements, the Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to unveil several additional highlights to warm you up for our July 9th Press Conference, where we’ll be unveiling of our full 120+ film lineup. The festival runs from July 18 to August 6.
Official Opening Night Film – Takashi Miike’s Shield Of Straw (North American Premiere)
Hot off its screening in official completion at the Cannes Film Festival, Takashi Miike’s riveting crime thriller Shield Of Straw will be kicking off Fantasia’s 2013 edition with its first screening on the North American continent. Shield Of Straw stars Takao Osawa, Nanako Matsushima, and Tatsuya Fujiwara. Fantasia’s 1997 screening of Fudoh marked the...
From the Press Release:
Following last week’s first wave of programming announcements, the Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to unveil several additional highlights to warm you up for our July 9th Press Conference, where we’ll be unveiling of our full 120+ film lineup. The festival runs from July 18 to August 6.
Official Opening Night Film – Takashi Miike’s Shield Of Straw (North American Premiere)
Hot off its screening in official completion at the Cannes Film Festival, Takashi Miike’s riveting crime thriller Shield Of Straw will be kicking off Fantasia’s 2013 edition with its first screening on the North American continent. Shield Of Straw stars Takao Osawa, Nanako Matsushima, and Tatsuya Fujiwara. Fantasia’s 1997 screening of Fudoh marked the...
- 7/3/2013
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
Last week we shared the first group of films and events slated for this year's Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, the largest genre-themed film festival on the planet. In addition to dozens of film entries, many of which are making their world premieres at Fantasia, there will also be some major one-of-a-kind events at the fest, the first of which you can read about in our previous update. But now, here's the latest crop of films and events added to Fantasia's schedule: Official Opening Night Film: Takashi Miike’s Shield of Straw (North American Premiere) This is the second time Miike has chosen Fantasia to debut a film in North America at this fest; the last was Fudoh in 1997. Rated X: A Night with Bryan Singer The acclaimed genre director will engage the audience in an hour-long discussion on his films, career and the genre in general, moderated by Fangoria veteran Tony Timpone.
- 7/3/2013
- by Gregory Burkart
- FEARnet
Marks the second consecutive year a Takashi Miike film has opened Montreal’s genre film festival.
Takashi Miike’s Shield of Straw, which screened in competition at Cannes, is to open the 17th edition of Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival (July 18 - August 6).
Miike’s crime thriller receives its North American premiere at Fantasia and continues the long relationship between the director and festival.
Last year, Fantasia opened with Miike’s For Love’s Sake and the festival’s 1997 screening of Fudoh marked the first time a film by the director had ever been shown in North America.
The festival will also host the world premiere of 24 Exposures, from mumblecore director Joe Swanberg. The film stars Adam Wingard as a fetish photographer whose models begin to turn up dead while Simon Barrett plays a cop tasked with investigating him.
Wingard and Barrett are the director-screenwriter duo behind You’re Next and A Horrible Way To Die. Fantasia...
Takashi Miike’s Shield of Straw, which screened in competition at Cannes, is to open the 17th edition of Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival (July 18 - August 6).
Miike’s crime thriller receives its North American premiere at Fantasia and continues the long relationship between the director and festival.
Last year, Fantasia opened with Miike’s For Love’s Sake and the festival’s 1997 screening of Fudoh marked the first time a film by the director had ever been shown in North America.
The festival will also host the world premiere of 24 Exposures, from mumblecore director Joe Swanberg. The film stars Adam Wingard as a fetish photographer whose models begin to turn up dead while Simon Barrett plays a cop tasked with investigating him.
Wingard and Barrett are the director-screenwriter duo behind You’re Next and A Horrible Way To Die. Fantasia...
- 7/3/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
South Korea’s Showbox/Mediaplex has sold box office hit Secretly Greatly to Dreamwest Pictures for North America.
Directed by Jang Cheol-soo (Bedevilled), the action comedy drama about North Korean spies infiltrating a small South Korean village is set to make its international premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 11.
Seoul-based Dreamwest Pictures will then release the film on July 19, starting with Los Angeles and New York City, followed by 10 to 15 cities across the Us. The company will also release the film in Canada on July 26 after screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival.
Featuring up-and-coming stars Kim Soo-hyun, Park Ki-woong and Lee Hyun-woo, the film is based on a hit online cartoon with more than 40 million views. The three North Korean spies take on the guises of an idiot, a rock musician and a high school student.
Secretly Greatly broke the local Korean film record for opening day with 498,000 admissions on its...
Directed by Jang Cheol-soo (Bedevilled), the action comedy drama about North Korean spies infiltrating a small South Korean village is set to make its international premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 11.
Seoul-based Dreamwest Pictures will then release the film on July 19, starting with Los Angeles and New York City, followed by 10 to 15 cities across the Us. The company will also release the film in Canada on July 26 after screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival.
Featuring up-and-coming stars Kim Soo-hyun, Park Ki-woong and Lee Hyun-woo, the film is based on a hit online cartoon with more than 40 million views. The three North Korean spies take on the guises of an idiot, a rock musician and a high school student.
Secretly Greatly broke the local Korean film record for opening day with 498,000 admissions on its...
- 6/26/2013
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
South Korea’s Showbox/Mediaplex has sold box office hit Secretly Greatly to Dreamwest Pictures for North America.
Directed by Jang Cheol-soo (Bedevilled), the action comedy drama about North Korean spies infiltrating a small South Korean village is set to make its international premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 11.
Seoul-based Dreamwest Pictures will then release the film on July 19, starting with Los Angeles and New York City, followed by 10 to 15 cities across the Us. The company will also release the film in Canada on July 26 after screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival.
Featuring up-and-coming stars Kim Soo-hyun, Park Ki-woong and Lee Hyun-woo, the film is based on a hit online cartoon with more than 40 million views. The three North Korean spies take on the guises of an idiot, a rock musician and a high school student.
Secretly Greatly broke the local Korean film record for opening day with 498,000 admissions on its...
Directed by Jang Cheol-soo (Bedevilled), the action comedy drama about North Korean spies infiltrating a small South Korean village is set to make its international premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 11.
Seoul-based Dreamwest Pictures will then release the film on July 19, starting with Los Angeles and New York City, followed by 10 to 15 cities across the Us. The company will also release the film in Canada on July 26 after screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival.
Featuring up-and-coming stars Kim Soo-hyun, Park Ki-woong and Lee Hyun-woo, the film is based on a hit online cartoon with more than 40 million views. The three North Korean spies take on the guises of an idiot, a rock musician and a high school student.
Secretly Greatly broke the local Korean film record for opening day with 498,000 admissions on its...
- 6/26/2013
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
The 17th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) has announced its line-up, opening with the Asian premiere of Ari Folman’s The Congress.
The fest will screen a total of 230 films from 44 countries. The selection includes 53 world premieres, 19 international premieres and 47 Asian premieres.
The fest will close with the world premiere of The Terror Live, starring Ha Jung-woo. Directed by Kim Byeong U, the film in its script stage was an award-winner at PiFan’s Network of Fantastic Films (Naff) It Project market in 2009.
The Puchon Choice feature competition includes current local box office hit Secretly Greatly, directed by Jang Cheol-soo, Lee Daniel’s recent Cannes competitor The Paperboy and Erik Matti’s Filipino film On The Job from Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Click here for the full list
PiFan’s Ani Fanta section will screen animated films such as A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story Of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman and Shinkai Makoto’s The Garden...
The fest will screen a total of 230 films from 44 countries. The selection includes 53 world premieres, 19 international premieres and 47 Asian premieres.
The fest will close with the world premiere of The Terror Live, starring Ha Jung-woo. Directed by Kim Byeong U, the film in its script stage was an award-winner at PiFan’s Network of Fantastic Films (Naff) It Project market in 2009.
The Puchon Choice feature competition includes current local box office hit Secretly Greatly, directed by Jang Cheol-soo, Lee Daniel’s recent Cannes competitor The Paperboy and Erik Matti’s Filipino film On The Job from Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Click here for the full list
PiFan’s Ani Fanta section will screen animated films such as A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story Of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman and Shinkai Makoto’s The Garden...
- 6/18/2013
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Article by Charlie Dunlap
Cheers, my dark and demented kiddies… Looks like we’ve survived another apocalyptic year in no small thanks to a fresh batch of impressively morbid goodies, many of which would have collectively stained your silver screens black and red if theaters could even find the testicular fortitude to show them!
Although most film critics don’t have the balls required to plumb these newfound depths of depravity, those with enough courage will emerge on the other side (albeit after many hot and soapy baths), triumphantly hearkening 2012 as a banner year for the horror genre. While other media publications swamp you with pretentious, so-called “best of 2012″ lists destined to put you into a permanent slumber, your loyal media daemon and macabre sin eater has collected the delectably worst offenders spawned by the film industry’s – very alive and kicking – bastard children.
Rip apart your deceitful newspapers, spit...
Cheers, my dark and demented kiddies… Looks like we’ve survived another apocalyptic year in no small thanks to a fresh batch of impressively morbid goodies, many of which would have collectively stained your silver screens black and red if theaters could even find the testicular fortitude to show them!
Although most film critics don’t have the balls required to plumb these newfound depths of depravity, those with enough courage will emerge on the other side (albeit after many hot and soapy baths), triumphantly hearkening 2012 as a banner year for the horror genre. While other media publications swamp you with pretentious, so-called “best of 2012″ lists destined to put you into a permanent slumber, your loyal media daemon and macabre sin eater has collected the delectably worst offenders spawned by the film industry’s – very alive and kicking – bastard children.
Rip apart your deceitful newspapers, spit...
- 12/29/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
At first glance it may be difficult to make the connection between Yim Pil-sung's dark fantasy, Hansel & Gretel and Jang Cheol-soo's visceral revenge thriller Bedevilled, but a little digging beyond the surface shows that they both stem from the same rotten place, the family. These two films, and many if not most Korean thrillers and horror films exploit the facade of family as a wholesome thing. They tear down those most comforting walls, the ones which keep you safe inside your home with your family, and instead use those same walls to trap their protagonists in increasingly hostile circumstances. This theme is by now means limited to these two films, however, in watching them one after the other, the similarities began to jump out...
- 10/30/2012
- Screen Anarchy
There's no shortage of horror films, psychological thrillers, and deep, dark character studies that delve into the darkest parts of the "spurned woman" story, and while many are simplistic rape/revenge stories of some kind, several are quite fascinating and morbidly insightful. (Films like Grace, May, Teeth, and Inside, for example.) The ferocious new import from Korea entitled Bedevilled most assuredly falls into the latter category. While it does deal with horrific abuse of women -- and while virtually all of the male characters are invariably scum -- Bedevilled is less interested in the formative abuse than it is in the resulting fury. In other words, a woman can only be pushed so far, and if you push the wrong buttons, you'll bring down the wrath of unholy hell.
The story begins in familiar territory: a brusque and unpleasant professional woman who works in a Seoul bank decides to visit...
The story begins in familiar territory: a brusque and unpleasant professional woman who works in a Seoul bank decides to visit...
- 10/8/2012
- by Scott Weinberg
- FEARnet
Here's the thing... people need to stop traveling to remote islands. Things just never work out there. Locals are never friendly, and if you're lucky, by the time you leave you may just have most of your pieces intact.
From the Press Release
Yeong-hie Seo (The Chaser) and Seong-won Ji (Harmony) star in director Chul-soo Jang's chilling first feature Bedevilled (review here), debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital October 9th from Well Go USA Entertainment. When her pleas for help are ignored and cause her daughter's death, a woman seeks revenge on the person she blames. Bedevilled won the Audience Award for “Best Film” and Yeong-hie Seo was named “Best Actress” at Austin’s 2010 Fantastic Fest. In addition, the film was awarded the Grand Prize as Best Film at the 2011 Gérardmer Film Festival and Yeong-hie Seo won “Best Actress” at the 2011 Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Award. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette.
From the Press Release
Yeong-hie Seo (The Chaser) and Seong-won Ji (Harmony) star in director Chul-soo Jang's chilling first feature Bedevilled (review here), debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital October 9th from Well Go USA Entertainment. When her pleas for help are ignored and cause her daughter's death, a woman seeks revenge on the person she blames. Bedevilled won the Audience Award for “Best Film” and Yeong-hie Seo was named “Best Actress” at Austin’s 2010 Fantastic Fest. In addition, the film was awarded the Grand Prize as Best Film at the 2011 Gérardmer Film Festival and Yeong-hie Seo won “Best Actress” at the 2011 Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Award. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette.
- 8/27/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Bedevilled – The Award-Winning, International Hit Revenge Horror Film Debuts on Blu-ray®, DVD and Digital October 9th
Bonus Features Include a Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
Yeong-hie Seo (The Chaser) and Seong-won Ji (Harmony) star in Director Chul-soo Jang chilling first feature Bedevilled, debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital October 9th from Well Go USA Entertainment. When her pleas for help are ignored and cause her daughter’s death, a woman seeks revenge on the person she blames.… More...
Bonus Features Include a Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
Yeong-hie Seo (The Chaser) and Seong-won Ji (Harmony) star in Director Chul-soo Jang chilling first feature Bedevilled, debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital October 9th from Well Go USA Entertainment. When her pleas for help are ignored and cause her daughter’s death, a woman seeks revenge on the person she blames.… More...
- 8/27/2012
- by HorrorNews.net
- Horror News
Heads up, horror fans. Like us, you've probably been waiting quite a while now to see Jang Cheol-soo's nasty horror thriller Bedevilled hit the States and the fine folks at Well Go USA have finally announced that it's going to happen! The flick is coming to Blu-ray and DVD on October 9th and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.
- 8/20/2012
- 24framespersecond.net
Year: 2010
Director: Chul-soo Jang
Writer: Kwang-young Choi
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Marina Antunes
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Revenge can be an ugly thing and in movies, particularly those trickling in from the east, they're a particularly popular trope. Some of the best are hugely entertaining, action packed extravaganzas but in the case of Chul-soo Jang's debut Bedevilled, revenge is a dish best served after settling.
It opens in Seoul with Hae-won, a beautiful woman with attitude who is asked to take a vacation. She meanders around the city for a few days before setting off to a small island where, as a child, she had spent some time with her grandparents. Nothing much has changed since Hae-won's youth and she quickly, though reluctantly at first, re-ignites her friendship with Bok-nam, a young woman who lives on the island with her daughter, her husband and her husband's family who...
Director: Chul-soo Jang
Writer: Kwang-young Choi
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Marina Antunes
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Revenge can be an ugly thing and in movies, particularly those trickling in from the east, they're a particularly popular trope. Some of the best are hugely entertaining, action packed extravaganzas but in the case of Chul-soo Jang's debut Bedevilled, revenge is a dish best served after settling.
It opens in Seoul with Hae-won, a beautiful woman with attitude who is asked to take a vacation. She meanders around the city for a few days before setting off to a small island where, as a child, she had spent some time with her grandparents. Nothing much has changed since Hae-won's youth and she quickly, though reluctantly at first, re-ignites her friendship with Bok-nam, a young woman who lives on the island with her daughter, her husband and her husband's family who...
- 7/13/2011
- QuietEarth.us
Although still an exploitation flick, this movie does it better than most. Horror, creepiness and a lesson in the land that time forgot. First time direct Jang Cheol-so.s .Bedevilled. screened at this year.s New York Asian Film festival and turned out to be a corker of a film. It borrows from the female revenge flick .I Spit on Your Grave. as the oppressed and imprisoned female gets her dues. More interesting is the connection with the moody and very disturbing Lars van Trier / Nicole Kidman drama .Dogville. In that film the woman appeals to strangers for help and is initially sheltered. When the shelter turns to imprisonment and abuse the woman finds her only way out is to revisit...
- 7/6/2011
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
The New York Asian Film Festival has announced that its tenth anniversary edition will open on July 1 with the North American premiere of Yoshimasa Ishibashi's Milocrorze: A Love Story ("one solid slab of psychedelia," promises the festival; image above) and close on July 14 with the New York premiere of Na Hong-Jin's The Yellow Sea (aka The Murderer), which has just screened at Cannes in Un Certain Regard (see the roundup).
There'll be two Centerpiece Presentations, Benny Chan's Shaolin, with Andy Lau, Nic Tse and Jackie Chan, and Takashi Miike's Ninja Kids!!! — which, you may remember Danny Kasman caught in Cannes, and got quite a nice kick out of it, too. The festival will also be screening Miike's "director's cut" of 13 Assassins.
There'll be three special focuses. First off...
Wu Xia: Hong Kong's Flying Swordsmen
Tsui Hark's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame...
There'll be two Centerpiece Presentations, Benny Chan's Shaolin, with Andy Lau, Nic Tse and Jackie Chan, and Takashi Miike's Ninja Kids!!! — which, you may remember Danny Kasman caught in Cannes, and got quite a nice kick out of it, too. The festival will also be screening Miike's "director's cut" of 13 Assassins.
There'll be three special focuses. First off...
Wu Xia: Hong Kong's Flying Swordsmen
Tsui Hark's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame...
- 5/31/2011
- MUBI
An irate office worker goes on a forced vacation to her home town on a remote Korean island to reunite begrudgingly with her childhood friend. When she gets there she finds the village is extremely backwards and her friend is ill-treated. Eventually her weakness, fear and selfishness cause a devastating chain of events that leave the island in chaos and her own life in danger.Bedevilled is Chul-soo Yang's directorial debut but he served as assistant director on Ki-Duk Kim's Samaritan Girl, and the influence is there but ultimately he makes the film his own and it is a stellar first feature. The dictionary definition of the word bedevilled is "to torment mercilessly; plague." This explanation immediately has relevance as the opening shot is the streets...
- 3/12/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Chul-soo Yang’s Bedevilled (2010) is a slow burning South Korean psychological thriller that hits hard at the end, which is the reason why it wouldn’t be categorised as a film for the faint hearted. In fact, it is somewhat difficult to categorise it in a genre altogether. It would probably be wrong to call it a horror, a drama or a revenge film although it has elements of all three. It is, in the end, a film concerning human nature driven to extremities.
Hae-won (Seong-won Ji) is a young middle class woman with sociopathic tendencies. Cold and distant, she seems to avoid any type of personal involvement, which affects her life in all its aspects. She refuses to identify the authors of a rape, denies any help to a desperate elderly customer at work and slaps one of her colleagues - as a result of which she is forcefully...
Hae-won (Seong-won Ji) is a young middle class woman with sociopathic tendencies. Cold and distant, she seems to avoid any type of personal involvement, which affects her life in all its aspects. She refuses to identify the authors of a rape, denies any help to a desperate elderly customer at work and slaps one of her colleagues - as a result of which she is forcefully...
- 3/1/2011
- by Daniel Green
- CineVue
The revenge thriller Bedevilled that marks the directorial debut of Korean helmer Jang Cheoi-Sowas was released on DVD, Blu-ray & Est yesterday and we have teamed up with Optimum Releasing to give away five Blu-ray copies to our readers.
Read on to find out how…
A film with excruciating suspense leading to a gore leaden whirlwind of violence starts with Hae-won (Ji Sung-won), a middle management woman who with the increasing pressures of work and home situation decides to take a break from it all and return to the pleasant, remote island that she spent happy summers with her grandparents. Arriving she finds her childhood friend Bok-nam (Yeong-Hie So). Ecstatic to see her friend, Bok-nam begs her to help her and her child escape from the island. Perplexed Hae-won ignores her pleas but is shocked to witness the horrific torment that Bok-nam endures every day. Each woman is stretched to their...
Read on to find out how…
A film with excruciating suspense leading to a gore leaden whirlwind of violence starts with Hae-won (Ji Sung-won), a middle management woman who with the increasing pressures of work and home situation decides to take a break from it all and return to the pleasant, remote island that she spent happy summers with her grandparents. Arriving she finds her childhood friend Bok-nam (Yeong-Hie So). Ecstatic to see her friend, Bok-nam begs her to help her and her child escape from the island. Perplexed Hae-won ignores her pleas but is shocked to witness the horrific torment that Bok-nam endures every day. Each woman is stretched to their...
- 3/1/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Another week, another list of DVDs and Blu-rays out to buy from today – including an instant teen classic, a hilarious road trip and some terrifying tales…
Paranormal Activity 2 (DVD/Blu-ray)
Just as Daniel and Kristi welcome a newborn baby into their home, a demonic presence begins terrorizing them, tearing apart their perfect world and turning it into an inescapable nightmare. Security cameras capture the torment, making every minute horrifyingly real. Review.
Due Date (DVD/Blu-ray)
Expectant first-time father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) looks forward to his new child’s due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife’s side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars,...
Paranormal Activity 2 (DVD/Blu-ray)
Just as Daniel and Kristi welcome a newborn baby into their home, a demonic presence begins terrorizing them, tearing apart their perfect world and turning it into an inescapable nightmare. Security cameras capture the torment, making every minute horrifyingly real. Review.
Due Date (DVD/Blu-ray)
Expectant first-time father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) looks forward to his new child’s due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife’s side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars,...
- 2/28/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Chul-soo Yang’s debut feature as director is 50 percent revenge story and 50 percent morality tale. It’s quite a harsh film, unflinching in its brutality, but all the more effective for it. Bedevilled can come across as a bit manipulative towards the audience but none more so than the average crap that Hollywood seems to churn out every week. It’s a film that craves your attention.
The depravity and downright nastiness that one of the main characters is exposed to in the film is shot with just the right amount of tension so the narrative never feels overworked or overdone. And while it works towards a very obvious finale it features a great mix of direction, photography and acting which elevates it way above average. Unlike the recent I Spit On Your Grave remake the violence and sexual abuse never feels staged and unrealistic, therefore, giving the film a more authentic feel.
The depravity and downright nastiness that one of the main characters is exposed to in the film is shot with just the right amount of tension so the narrative never feels overworked or overdone. And while it works towards a very obvious finale it features a great mix of direction, photography and acting which elevates it way above average. Unlike the recent I Spit On Your Grave remake the violence and sexual abuse never feels staged and unrealistic, therefore, giving the film a more authentic feel.
- 2/25/2011
- by Alex Wagner
- FilmShaft.com
Seoul loan officer Hae-won (Ji Sung-Won) is an attractive but stressed out single woman, and when she loses it and slaps a colleague she is ordered by her superior to take a vacation. She leaves Seoul for a relaxing break on the remote island where she spent many happy childhood summers with her grandparents, and reconnects with her childhood friend Bok-nam (Yeong-Hie So) who has written to Hae-Won resolutely for years despite receiving no response.It quickly becomes apparent that the once idyllic island is now anything but.
Hae-Won discovers that her friend’s life is a nightmare of never ending psychological and physical abuse at the hands of her brutish husband and his addled brother, aided and abetted by a gaggle of elderly women who encourage the sadistic treatment and use the unfortunate woman as a labourer. Bok-nam begs to be taken back to the mainland along with her daughter,...
Hae-Won discovers that her friend’s life is a nightmare of never ending psychological and physical abuse at the hands of her brutish husband and his addled brother, aided and abetted by a gaggle of elderly women who encourage the sadistic treatment and use the unfortunate woman as a labourer. Bok-nam begs to be taken back to the mainland along with her daughter,...
- 2/25/2011
- by Ian Gilchrist
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Optimum Releasing are unleashing the horror that is Bedvilled on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 28th February - if you haven’t read our review of the film check it out here.
A film with excruciating suspense leading to a gore leaden whirlwind of violence starts with Hae-won (Ji Sung-won), a middle management woman who with the increasing pressures of work and home situation decides to take a break from it all and return to the pleasant, remote island that she spent happy summers with her grandparents. Arriving she finds her childhood friend Bok-nam (Yeong-Hie So). Ecstatic to see her friend, Bok-nam begs her to help her and her child escape from the island. Perplexed Hae-won ignores her pleas but is shocked to witness the horrific torment that Bok-nam endures every day. Each woman is stretched to their limits and it is only a matter of time before one finally,...
A film with excruciating suspense leading to a gore leaden whirlwind of violence starts with Hae-won (Ji Sung-won), a middle management woman who with the increasing pressures of work and home situation decides to take a break from it all and return to the pleasant, remote island that she spent happy summers with her grandparents. Arriving she finds her childhood friend Bok-nam (Yeong-Hie So). Ecstatic to see her friend, Bok-nam begs her to help her and her child escape from the island. Perplexed Hae-won ignores her pleas but is shocked to witness the horrific torment that Bok-nam endures every day. Each woman is stretched to their limits and it is only a matter of time before one finally,...
- 2/23/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
South Korea is becoming the pre-eminent place in world horror at the moment. The talent and invention directors, actors and writers are displaying is extraordinary. Bedevilled takes a horror principle and grounds in it a tale of domestic violence and a beautiful – but horrific – morality play. There’s nothing quite like it.
It arrives on Blu-ray and DVD from 28th February and it’s a must-see for any self-respecting horror and world cinema fan. To celebrate the release we’ve teamed up with the ace Optimum Releasing to give away three copies on Blu-ray. Trust us, you’ll want this in your collection!
Simply answer the question below:
Who directed Bedevilled? Boon Jong-Ho Chul-soo Yang Ki-duk Kim
Email:
2+2 =
To be kept informed on all of our fantastic features and competitions, tick this box
Competition closes 1st March, 2011 and open to UK entrants only (sorry) and you’ve got to be over 18 years old.
It arrives on Blu-ray and DVD from 28th February and it’s a must-see for any self-respecting horror and world cinema fan. To celebrate the release we’ve teamed up with the ace Optimum Releasing to give away three copies on Blu-ray. Trust us, you’ll want this in your collection!
Simply answer the question below:
Who directed Bedevilled? Boon Jong-Ho Chul-soo Yang Ki-duk Kim
Email:
2+2 =
To be kept informed on all of our fantastic features and competitions, tick this box
Competition closes 1st March, 2011 and open to UK entrants only (sorry) and you’ve got to be over 18 years old.
- 2/22/2011
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
Bedevilled is a surprising first feature from Korean director Jang Cheol-so and writer Choi Gwan-Young. Those familiar with Korean films that have achieved widespread success will know to expect brutal bloody scenes but may still find themselves bowled over by Bedevilled's sudden turn of events.
The first half of Bedevilled focuses on Hae-won, a harsh city bank worker in Seoul who coldly refuses to lend an old woman money in order to save her house. Hae-won witnesses a girl being brutally beaten and ignored by passers by but still refuses to identify the girl's attackers in a line up. Arrogant and bitchy to work colleagues, she's told after over-stepping the mark to have a break from work. Visiting the house on isolated Mood-do island she inherited from her grandfather, Hae-won's break ends up being more life-changing than restful.
What at first appeared to be Hae-won's story soon becomes Bok-nam's – Hae-won's...
The first half of Bedevilled focuses on Hae-won, a harsh city bank worker in Seoul who coldly refuses to lend an old woman money in order to save her house. Hae-won witnesses a girl being brutally beaten and ignored by passers by but still refuses to identify the girl's attackers in a line up. Arrogant and bitchy to work colleagues, she's told after over-stepping the mark to have a break from work. Visiting the house on isolated Mood-do island she inherited from her grandfather, Hae-won's break ends up being more life-changing than restful.
What at first appeared to be Hae-won's story soon becomes Bok-nam's – Hae-won's...
- 2/21/2011
- Shadowlocked
Jang Cheol-soo's Korean slasher flick 'Bedevilled' is set to hit UK stores at the end of this month when it arrives on the British Isles on DVD and Blu-ray. The nasty tale of a revenge filled, sickle wielding mother whom goes on a rampage against her daughter's tormentors, with a very Korean 'I Spit On Your Grave' feel to it. It stars Min-ho Hwang, Min Je, Lee Ji-eun-i, Seong-won Ji, Jeong-hak Park, Yeong-hee Seo and will arrive on 28 February 2011....
- 2/9/2011
- Horror Asylum
Something of a surprise, that very nearly snuck right past us. Jang Cheol-soo’s debut feature, the Korean slash horror…Bedevilled - about a wronged, sickle wielding mother, hell bent on revenge - will spatter its way onto UK DVD and Blu-ray this month. On the down side, the extras on the disc are nothing to right home about but as this cost about half the price of the Korean release we wont grumble. Bedevilled goes on sale Feb 28. Extras: Behind the scenes feature *Trailer *TV spot. Synopsis: Hae-won is a beautiful single woman in her thirties who works at a bank in the Seoul city. She leads a busy life until she becomes a witness to an attempted murder case, and at the same time, things get complicated at work. When things get out of hand she is forced to take a vacation so she heads for ‘Moodo’, a small undeveloped island,...
- 2/8/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
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