Evil Twin (2006) - 전설의 고향 (Jeon-seol-eui Go-hyang)

Black House Reclaims Box Office

2007/06/24 | Source | Permalink |

With Korea's summer horror season now in full swing, a local film reclaimed the nation's number one box office spot after 8 weeks of Hollywood dominance. "Black House", directed by SIN Te-ra, debuted on June 21st and took 377,195 admissions over the June 22-24th weekend, beating out the previous week's champion, Ocean's Thirteen, according to the official KOBIS report. The only other local release was US – Korea co-production, "Never Forever", directed by Gina Kim, which took 9th place in a limited release.

Showing on 353 screens, "Black House", is the first local hit of the summer, and the second Korean horror, following "Evil Twin", in a slew of horrors to come, providing audiences a chilling reprieve from the heat. It also departs from familiar horror conventions of ghosts from the past, this time mixing horror with mystery in the tale of a spate of unsolved murders and an insurance agent who suspects one of his clients may be a psychopath.

Director SIN debuted with "Brainw...| More

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Why Do Koreans Watch Horror Flicks in Summer?

2007/06/16 | Source | Permalink |

Summer is the season when moviegoers in Korea see spine-chilling horror films at cinemas to escape the sweltering heat.
Our Son Heekyung has the latest on this genre and its popularity during the season.
Domestic directors hope to scare the sluggish movie industry back on track by releasing eight horror films this summer.
The release of the film "Evil Twin" late last month kicked off the horror movie season in Korea.
So why is summer considered the best season to release scary cinema in the country?

"The trend of watching horror films at the hottest time of the year in Korea began around five years ago. That's when Korean directors started producing more horror movies in time for a summer release to satisfy moviegoers. An obvious reason for watching such flicks in the summer is to cool off from the heat".

One of the most awaited horror films this year is "Black House".
The story is about a string of mysterious deaths, which itself will be relatively new to Korean audiences.
...| More

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Week's New Movie Premieres

2007/05/25 | Source | Permalink |

Thanks for staying with us.
The weekend is upon us and that means time for a check of the latest films.
This week, there's a Korean movie featured at the Cannes film festival plus a horror flick and the latest in the Pirates of the Carribean sequel.
Here's Son Heekyung.
Director Lee Changdong has released his first film in five years, "Secret Sunshine".
IndieWire of the US has chosen the movie as one of ten foreign-language works that are must sees at the Cannes Film Festival.
The love story is about a widow who forms an unlikely relationship with a man after moving to a remote village with her son.

"I play a character named Shinae. She hopes to make it as a private piano tutor. On her way to Milyang, her car breaks down and a mechanic comes to help her. This is where a shy romance begins between two lonely people".

Director Lee says his fourth feature film moves away from a typical love story.

Another new Korean film out this week is "Evil Twin".
This horror movie is a...| More

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Film: "Evil Twin"

2007/05/17 | Source | Permalink |

The title of the upcoming horror film, "Evil Twin", alone, shows the audacity of the director, as the title is exactly the same as that of a representative Korean horror drama.

Although "Evil Twin" is director Kim Ji-hwan's directorial debut, he is a renowned horror film expert among Korean filmmakers. Kim has displayed his genuine affection towards the so-called "cursed genre" while writing horror film columns in "FILM 2.0" magazine, based on his experience from watching several thousand horror movies.

Historic Korean horror movies – best represented by "A Public Cemetery of Wolha" – disappeared after the 1986 movie "Woman`s Wail". Ghost movies such as "Whispering Corridors" and "A Tale of Two Sisters", set in modern times, replaced them. Kim stated his aspiration of returning to the true roots of Korean horror movies.

So-yeon (Park Sin-hye, 17), who survives alone after falling into a body of water with her twin sister, Hyo-jin, at a village in the Joseon period, regains her...| More

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'Evil Twin': Return of Korean Horror on Screen

2007/05/17 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

"Evil Twin" heads the series of scary movies due this summer, giving audiences a whiff of nostalgia as it signals the return of quintessential Korean ghost stories in cinema.

Retaliation, reconciliation and redemption are the three classic formulas of the movie, which features Korea's iconic specter of the white-robed, long black-haired vengeful virgin back from the dead.

A peaceful Joseon village is disturbed by the sudden awakening of So-yeon (Park Sin-hye), a young lady who has been in a coma after surviving a drowning accident 10 years before.

But So-yeon's identical twin sister Hyo-jin, who also fell into the lake, was not so fortunate. Unable to rest in peace, Hyo-jin returns as a phantom and a series of unnatural deaths ensues.

The suspense factor of "Evil Twin" is simple. Eerie weeping sounds presage the appearance of the "han" or grudge-ridden ghost, who takes one victim after another.

The film unrolls with several unexpected sp...| More

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