CJ Entertainment - 09/24/2005
가발 (The Wig)
2005 - 1 Disc
Director: 원신연 (Won Shin-Yeon)
Starring: 채민서 (Chae Min-Seo), 유선 (Yoo Seon), 문수 (Moon Soo), 소이 (Soy)

FILM: 7
Killer wigs attack! Was there a sillier concept in all of 2005? Probably not, but the fact this film is not silly at all is already a big conquest. Hell, you could call this a 'sad' horror film. And short of two films which weren't really part of the horror emisphere -- 여고괴담 4: 목소리 (Voice) and the DVD Cut of 분홍신 (The Red Shoes) -- I'd safely say this is the best Korean horror of the Summer. Not much competition, you say? I'd agree with that too, but at least Director Won shows he cares a little about the genre, which doesn't seem the case with the other contenders. There's a 'classic horror' feel to this film, not so much because it sticks to the basic formulae of the genre, but because it respects the viewer in spite of its ridiculous turns of events. Sure, like almost every other Korean horror, it falls into the 'explain everything' syndrome, but this time it sounds at least a little plausible. And, again, the script is not as bad as it first might seem. Then again, perhaps this tendency of trying to rationalize every single supernatural event in Korean films boilds down to the viewers' preference for realism over everything else. Is that why fantasy and sci-fi rarely works, or even pop up at all in Korean Cinema? What really elevates the film from the other competitors is the acting: both Chae Min-Seo and especially Yoo Seon give very convincing performances. Chae is confirming herself as quite the good actress, and she shows range in this film, going from the weak patient on the verge of death to the sexy, sultry femme fatale under the influence of the killer wig. But although I saw Yoo Seon on TV before, and always thought she was a good actress, she impressed me here. Uttering just a few lines of the film's slightly hackneyed dialogue, she effectively portrays her role with the kind of humanism and fragile psyche a person in her condition should show. Well produced as usual, I was relieved the film didn't focus just on the deadly McGuffin, but also put forward a kind of message: that people who are pushed to the point of losing what's dearest to them -- their lives? -- do things they wouldn't imagine. And, in my book, that's enough to cancel out any hairy blob walking up and down a row of stairs...

VIDEO: 7.5
As it's generally the case with CJ Entertainment release, a very good job. There's nothing particularly wrong with this transfer, even though nothing is really great either. Just very solid colours, natural skin tones, no problems of edge enhancement or similar things.
AUDIO: 7
Similarly, nothing to complain about. If anything, the sound design of the film itself is not particularly responsive, so the 'horror' scenes aren't as effective as they should. But the rest, from the dialogue to the soundtrack, is well done.
SUBTITLES: 8
Good! No huge problems with translation, very little in the way of spelling/grammar mistakes, a nice and easily readable font, and timing is good.
EXTRA FEATURES: 7.5
The commentary with Director and cast is not as informative as one would like, but it's pretty good. The four discuss several aspects of the film, including some interesting infos about the shooting. You have the usual promotion material (trailer, tv spot, etc.), and then the main course: Won's short film 세탁기 (Washing Machine). After the short introduction from the director, the 16:00 short is shown. It's actually similar in tone to the film, with similar issues (and scenes). But it's more about abuse and all its repercussions than desire and greed. Nice symbolism at the end, too. The rest of the extra features focus on quality over quantity, with a really nice 9:00 Behind the Scene clip, showing all the various set pieces, a 10:00 Special FX featurette that's quite interesting (Chae actually used prosthetics for the shower scene), and finally a good 20:00 Making of documentary. There's even an easter egg (look at the portrait on top of the special features menu, should be easy to find), running around 5:00 Minutes. Nothing special (about the various stunts in the film), but nice to see an easter egg popping up once again on a Korean DVD.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 7.5
No, it's not a great film, but it's a good one. Which, given the premise, I'd say is already a satisfying result. There aren't many extra features, but what's there is quality. Presentation is good as usual with CJ DVDs, and the subtitles, for once, don't annoy. Won is quite an interesting director, we'll be following him more in the future -- especially his new film with Han Suk-Gyu, which looks quite fun.
OVERALL: 7.36