note: while i had originally planned to write this less as two reviews and more in a compare-and-contrast format, the vast differences in the two films made me decide it warranted two separate reviews.
A Tale of Two Sisters aka Janghwa, Hongryeon (Ji-woon Kim, 2003)
plot synopsis: terrified sisters try to exorcise their home of two dark forces — their evil stepmother and a vengeful entity — in this ghostly tale. Hospitalized after their mother’s death, young Su-mi and Su-yeon return home to find a nasty new stepmother. The girls suffer terrifying events, but their father doesn’t care, even though evil lurks around every corner. Can the girls free their home from its demons?
this film scared me. in fact, at times, it downright TERRIFIED me. however, what you have here is less a horror film and more of a psychological drama, focusing on the power of regret. it starts as a pretty straightforward story of two girls, returning home from a mental hospital after their mother’s death, but as it unfolds, it gets so much (at times too much) more complicated. unlike most american horror films, this one takes its time scaring you. the initial reveal of the ghost haunting the house is done so slowly, so deliberately, that i found myself jumping at otherwise un-scary things occurring in the next scene; the scares linger here. though i have to ask, why does every asian horror have to include some variation of a creepy, dead, black-haired girl? the performances are uniformly good around the board, with su-jeong lim (su-mi) as the clear standout. she has to simultaneously be the rock to her (obviously still disturbed) sister, while at the same time hide just how terrified she is of everything going on. for what is billed as a horror film, the cinematography here is absolutely gorgeous, and the juxtaposition of the beautiful shots of the surrounding landscape to the pain inside of the house particularly notable.
unfortunately, in the last 30 minutes or so, the film comes close to going off the rails. as more and more information is revealed, it becomes harder and harder to understand exactly what’s going on. when i got to the end, i found myself with just one thought: “i don’t understand!” while a quick search on imdb’s forums helped me understand a good chunk, i was still left with the feeling that not everything…fit together as well as it should (and could) have. overall, however, this is a strong film that starts out as just a standard horror flick, and ends as a slightly jumbled, but also slightly heartbreaking, psychological drama, that may warrant two viewings; knowing what i know now, i feel many scenes would take on a different (and possibly tear-inducing) meaning.
The Uninvited (Charles & Thomas Guard, 2009)
plot synopsis: Anna Rydell returns home to her sister (and best friend) Alex after a stint in a mental hospital, though her recovery is jeopardized thanks to her cruel stepmother, aloof father, and the presence of a ghost in their home.
“i love you…and i have a condom.”
yes, those are indeed the words that start off the uninvited, a shockingly inferior remake of a tale of two sisters. everything that movie did right, this one did wrong. first of all, i’m not stupid. MOST (and i emphasize that most) of the people who see movies aren’t stupid. i don’t need my hand held throughout your entire film. i can figure things out for myself. are the guard brothers so nervous we won’t get the “twist” at the end if they don’t make sure you understand EVERYTHING that comes before? because that’s what it felt like.
the pacing is terrible. the directors are so anxious to scare you, they end up doing exactly the opposite. it felt like going to a really popular haunted house; if there weren’t a lot of customers it’d probably be pretty scary, but since they’re trying to get everyone in and out as quickly as possible, things happen to fast for the scares to even register.
unsurprisingly, a completely unnecessary romantic subplot is thrown in. where the original spent its two hours developing the relationship of the sisters, this spends its 90 minutes trying to both explain the close relationship between the sisters (which it doesn’t do) but also between anna and her boyfriend(?). the result is neither relationship getting the time it needs, and another failure.
then we get to the ending. in the original, yes, the ending was confusing, and at times i had trouble keeping up, but at least i was interested. here, it’s much more simple, straightforward, and easy to understand; ironically, this makes the payoff all less meaningful. and if you don’t see it coming, clearly you don’t watch enough movies.
the one bright spot in this film was the acting. elizabeth banks as the “evil stepmother” is particularly fantastic. i just kept thinking to myself that this performance belonged in a much better film. she’s able to show range that she’s never really gotten the chance to exhibit before. david strathairn and emily browning are also “genre-fine.” american pie: band camp‘s arielle kebbel, however, should really just stick to the straight-to-dvd market.
the remake is dead. it’s been dead for years. sadly, as long as they continue to be even remotely successful, hollywood will keep pumping them out. i assure you there are 10-20 (minimum) on the schedule for 2010. a film like this is our chance to send a message that we won’t stand for it. get up and do your part.
Film Fidelity 