Bunhongsin   2005   South Korea The Red Shoes
The Red Shoes Image Cover
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Director:Yong-gyun Kim
Studio:Tartan Video
Writer:Hans Christian Andersen, Yong-gyun Kim
IMDb Rating:5.8 (1,141 votes)
Genre:Drama, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Duration:103 min
Languages:Korean
IMDb:0468683
Amazon:B000H5U5YO
Search:NetflixYouTube
Yong-gyun Kim  ...  (Director)
Hans Christian Andersen, Yong-gyun Kim  ...  (Writer)
 
Hye-su Kim  ...  Sun-jae
Seong-su Kim  ...  In-cheol
Yeon-ah Park  ...  Tae-su
Su-hee Go  ...  
Dae-hyeon Lee  ...  
Eol Lee  ...  
Hyeon-jin Sa  ...  
Byung-woo Lee  ...  Composer
Comments: The Red Shoes uses every Asian Horror motif we've seen many times before. Most notably the young, attractive, professional female lead who's got a cheating husband and a daughter that goes freaky. Its plot is constructed around some 'thing' that connects the natural and supernatural worlds via the kid. There's a hip, interested, and understanding 'other man' hanging around, helping when he can. The infamous J-Horror Goth Chick even makes appearances. If all this is a deal breaker with regards to your viewing pleasure, skip this one. If it's not, then add it your queue immediately.

The red shoes, usually referred to in the singular in the film, are really more of a fuchsia pink set of pumps. The "Red" is surely meant to symbolize blood, as in "blood on your hands", but I digress.

It's the production values of The Red Shoes that make it worthwhile. This is a good looking film whose creators clearly cared about doing it well. The cinematography is creepy and creative, accentuating the sense of dread with distortions, colors and inspired scene locations. The soundtrack is understated and almost peaceful—it's not used to create tension where none exists. And the script, typical of Asian Horror, is loose enough for the viewer to choose from a number of interpretive styles: is it a dream, a figment of some dreadful imagination, or is everybody a different aspect of a multiple personalty?

The Red Shoes doesn't break any new ground but if you are a fan of the genre this is a professionally put together package.

Summary: After catching her husband cheating with another woman, Sun Jae takes her young daughter and moves into a dilapidated old apartment building to start a new life. Heading home from work one day, Sun Jae finds a strange pair of high-heeled red shoes located inside her subway car, and decides to take them with her. Unfortunately, these shoes are cursed and cause unspeakable repercussions for those foolish enough to try them on.


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