I'm not the biggest fan of yūrei-based horror in general (although, strangely, I do seem to have collected rather a lot of them for someone not enamoured with the genre), and judging by it's first hour, Korean contribution Phone didn't look set to change my opinion; in fact, for much of its running time the film could be mistaken for being nothing more than a simple rip-off of Japanese hits such as Ringu, Ju-on and Dark Water, with many of the familiar ingredients in evidence, including a slow-burn approach, lots of rain, fleeting glimpses of creepy kids, and long black hair sprouting all over the place.
As the film progresses, though, it thankfully forms its own identity (albeit one influenced by the work of Edgar Allen Poe), the story developing a decidedly more twisted approach, incorporating infidelity, betrayal, obsession and paedophilia into its basic theme of vengeance from beyond the grave.
A bevy of attractive Korean actresses also help to make this movie a tad more memorable (gorgeous Jeong-yun Choi as the victim in the film's opening scene, lovely leading lady Ji-won Ha, the aptly named Yu-mi Kim as yummy mummy Ho-jeong, and Ji-yeon Choi as troublesome jail-bait Jin-hie); the best performance of the film, however, has to be from five year old Seo-woo Eun, whose turn as possessed child Yeong-ju is disturbingly convincing.
6.5 out of 10, but not quite good enough to be rounded up to a 7.
As the film progresses, though, it thankfully forms its own identity (albeit one influenced by the work of Edgar Allen Poe), the story developing a decidedly more twisted approach, incorporating infidelity, betrayal, obsession and paedophilia into its basic theme of vengeance from beyond the grave.
A bevy of attractive Korean actresses also help to make this movie a tad more memorable (gorgeous Jeong-yun Choi as the victim in the film's opening scene, lovely leading lady Ji-won Ha, the aptly named Yu-mi Kim as yummy mummy Ho-jeong, and Ji-yeon Choi as troublesome jail-bait Jin-hie); the best performance of the film, however, has to be from five year old Seo-woo Eun, whose turn as possessed child Yeong-ju is disturbingly convincing.
6.5 out of 10, but not quite good enough to be rounded up to a 7.