In this blog post, I’ll examine the characteristics, quality, and shortcomings of a horror film where humans are scarier than ghosts.
This film highlights the ugly selfishness of humanity.
Unlike previous Korean horror films, which often prioritized scares at the expense of narrative substance, this film has a clear purpose. The root of all horror is humanity. The various horror stories that stemmed from the grudges of ghosts are given clear reasons in this film. Ghosts were once human, and the reasons for the grudges born from their deaths also lie with humans—the film begins with this fundamental premise.
Every death originates from human hands. In this film, the protagonist of the horror is not the ghost, but rather the human. However, this does not mean it remains merely a thriller dealing with simple human murder. The portrayal of the ghosts in the film is also quite successful. The horror and thriller genres mesh seamlessly, leaving no gaps in the film.
What sets this film apart from previous works is that the distinctions between good and evil, or victim and perpetrator—which were always clearly defined by conventional or simplistic reasons—are shattered.
The premise that every character in the film, with the exception of Seo-hyun (who serves as the epicenter of all events and the link between ghosts and humans), is a culprit is intriguing. Humans, who until now have only been victims of ghosts, break free from the old framework of rewarding good and punishing evil. Instead, the selfishness and ugliness revealed in their individual stories turn them all into murderers. In this world where serial killings unfold as naturally as the daily routines in a morning drama, the film reveals the uncomfortable truth that the human desire to kill—or the act of murder itself—may ultimately be a demonic aspect inherent in everyone.
Webtoons: That entertaining form of entertainment becomes reality.
The film establishes webtoons as the medium of horror. In horror films, a specific medium is crucial. For example, in ‘Gosa’, it’s the issue of broadcasting; in ‘Bunshin Sabba’, it’s the students’ actions; and in ‘Chaksin Ari’, it’s the ringing of a telephone. Such devices serve to signal the starting point of fear to the audience. This work uses webtoons as the origin of ghosts and death, incorporating webtoon images that intersperse throughout the film.
Comics are typically seen as an escapist form of entertainment, often featuring gruesome deaths, scenes of destruction, and sometimes over-the-top storylines. However, in this film, a fictional medium is brought to life in reality. If the stories from comics, movies, and dramas—which allowed for boundless imagination precisely because they were fictional—were to become reality, the world would be flooded with unimaginably horrific scenes. Furthermore, the moment the rationalization of those who had been reassuring themselves with “This is just imagination” crumbles, the audience is plunged into even greater terror.
Additionally, the power that the medium of webtoons exerts in films is diverse.
Humans inherently harbor a fear of predestined fate. Prophecies of events deemed unstoppable create an immersion that makes one feel “as if I’ve become a character in the story,” and if one cannot defy that narrative, they feel trapped by the terror that this is their predetermined fate.
The film’s narrative unfolds in this manner. In the webtoon—another storytelling medium—the characters naturally follow the same sequence of events as they do in the film, adhering to a predetermined structure. Because the audience knows the characters’ fates, they watch with a sense of despair, thinking, “That person has no choice but to die; they won’t be able to escape.” The power of horror shines through in this structure, and the twist—that while the webtoon was drawn by humans, it was actually the work of ghosts—amplifies the fear. Even within the thriller elements, the film doesn’t lose sight of the essence of horror, and the ghosts on screen are sufficiently terrifying, surpassing the fear depicted in the webtoon.
However, one disappointing aspect is that the ghosts appearing in the film look almost identical, like twins. The repeated use of the familiar makeup formula—blood-soaked, disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes—feels somewhat tedious. Still, it’s a relief that each ghost is given a backstory, adding a dramatic element when the audience encounters them. The fact that the film doesn’t stop at simply jumping out with intense makeup to startle the audience is a definite plus.
A minor flaw in the film’s execution.
‘The Webtoon Murder Warning’ is certainly a worthwhile film among the Korean horror movies I’ve seen. After watching a horror movie in the theater, the audience’s reaction is usually predictable. I used to wonder, “Why do they keep coming back?” when I saw people booing in disappointment as they left, but after this film ended, the audience reaction was the most composed I’ve ever seen. My own impressions aligned with the audience’s reactions, giving me confidence that this film stands out as a well-crafted work among existing horror thrillers.
While the film is generally flawless in terms of horror elements, storytelling, and visual aesthetics, it’s somewhat disappointing that the plot structure is similar to other works.
The plot, in which a female protagonist is surrounded by deaths and a male detective investigating those deaths works together to solve the case, is a cliché we’ve seen far too often. It also gives the impression that the only people the female protagonist encounters are detectives. As seen in films like ‘Blind’ and ‘Hell of Distrust’, this is a narrative commonly used in the thriller genre.
Additionally, there were scenes here and there that felt forced into the film. For example, the scene where Detective Ki-cheol, while investigating, walks around and eats meals with the suspect Ji-yoon without any hesitation diluted the realistic relationship between a detective and a suspect, blurring the characters’ roles.
Aside from those aspects, this film is quite well-crafted.
I think the summer of 2013 will become even hotter thanks to this movie.
