Bloody Reunion Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A reunion between former students and their teacher turns deadly as old wounds are opened.

Review: This film may be known by numerous alternate titles, but I'm going with the most logical of the bunch. Also, don't let the poster mislead you, there are no precious schoolgirls to be found here (noooo!). In actuality, this is a straightforward revenge flick with a twist that will either make or break the film for you. For me, it broke it. It's not simply that the twist is predictable, but it's the annoyance that all the events of the film are cancelled out in the process. Thus, the movie wastes your time. I get that some people may find the twist surprising or creative, but I've watched more than enough Korean horror that these reality-altering twists have become a cliche. This doesn't mean the film is inherently bad as it still has decent production value, unique ideas, and redeeming qualities; for example, the killer's motive is, admittedly, sympathetic.

What exactly is going on here? Well...the film starts off with the main girl, Mi-Ja, explaining to the police the events that led to her hospitalization along with the teacher that this reunion was centered around. Supposedly Mi-Ja was staying with this teacher when she decided to invite a group of former classmates to meet up since the teacher's health was waning; think of it as a last hoorah of sorts. Of the people who do decide to show up, they're all screw ups who were somehow traumatized by the teacher. You'd think these people would have moved on, considering the teacher was from elementary school and they're in their 20s, but I guess these grudges go deep? You will probably suspect something is not right since this teacher is a combination of so many negative traits that they start to contradict with one another. Nevertheless, people start to die at the hands of a masked killer on the loose mixed with the ex-students trying to kill the teacher as well. In this respect, the movie is fun and keeps you somewhat guessing despite never properly keeping the killer's identity discreet; you know there will be more to it than that.

The deaths are quite brutal and gory so I'll give the film a little credit for that. Unfortunately things fall to pieces with contrivances and goofball subplots like with the deformed kid trapped in the basement (yeah, okay). When everything is said and done, Mi-Ja and the teacher are the last two alive after the killer is revealed to be some guy anyone would easily suspect. However, when the cops investigate the killer, they realize Mi-Ja's story is full of holes. Excellent police work by the way.  And what is with that mom seemingly dying to "The Ring?!" You've got a zombie-looking corpse, a TV with static, and a pool of water? Hmm, sounds like the calling card of our dear Sadako/Samara! Anyway, in case you didn't see it coming a mile away, Mi-Ja is the real killer, and everything she has said is a lie. Rather than being this hated teacher with students that want her dead, the teacher was beloved and had yearly reunions with her favorite students. Mi-Ja was the exception however. All the horrible things that happened to others throughout the film were actually events focused solely on Mi-Ja. Over time, Mi-Ja's life was ruined and her mom horribly crippled--things that she blames the teacher for. I did really like the explanation of how Mi-Ja's life unfolded especially with how her mom became entangled in the process; it's certainly compelling, and you can see why Mi-Ja might lose her shit. Somehow escaping the hospital with the teacher, Mi-Ja goes to a pier where she commits suicide. Her final act of revenge was to reveal her motivation and then force the teacher to live with the guilt. Eh, that's pushing it for me.

The ending should feel satisfying, but it feels shallow somehow. Why would Mi-Ja even allow herself to be hospitalized in the first place? Why not finish this scheme all before the cops show up? The twist simply feels forced as an attempt to blow audiences away. There are ways they could have kept this twist yet made it meaningful. Many of the plot tangents become too nonsensical when we realize nothing Mi-Ja was saying was true. Like, why bother with the deformed kid plot at all? I just can't forgive that they chose to negate their own film rather than trying to incorporate the reveal into the shown events. If you can get over this cliched twist and its predictable nature, I think you may enjoy this film more than I. The acting is decent, the mystery keeps you interested, and the deaths are weird enough to be original. For the most part, this is a good film for the first hour or so, but the ending hurts the final experience and definitely leaves a bad aftertaste.

Notable Moment: When that one guy is forced to swallow blade shards. That's a painful way to go...though, I suppose he never did die that way after all.

Final Rating: 5.5/10