Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Zany antics ensue as a group of people broadcast their investigation into an allegedly haunted asylum.

Review: Considering the kind of horror Korea is known for, it was surprising that this movie was such a huge hit--opting for cookie-cutter scares instead of the psychological. Maybe it was the allure of the actual location, the Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, that aided in this movie's success. Forget a sequel though since the hospital has since been demolished; perhaps this was due to the film itself? Despite the questionable backstory on the real location, I can say with certainty that the movie is a huge letdown. Nothing happens for more than half the running time, and, when things finally pick up, it's lackluster and by-the-numbers for found-footage. The story presents a variety of angles for the filmmakers to approach the scares yet little is accomplished. I've read others liken this to a Korean "Grave Encounters," but I think that's an insult to "Grave Encounters" which had a payoff worth your time.

You might easily guess what happens. Surprise, the group doesn't think the asylum is really haunted, but then they find out it's all real and die. For the most part this could be acceptable if done properly, however, the film drags its feet with presenting any tension or sense of fear. It also doesn't help when the tone is lighthearted leading up to the group going to the asylum. There are story decisions that lead to nothing like the drone camera; why not have a rooftop ghost for example? The one chick, Charlotte, she's cute, speaks multiple languages, and has been to other haunted locations...they could have worked with that differently. Or the guy hanging out at the camp...lights flicker and stuff but so what? And even the ghost image on the their website...it comes to life at the end...why exactly? Perhaps the most egregious offense to me was the complete squandering of the ghost outline in the shower or whatever it was. Oh man, come the fuck on, the lighting would have been so easy to manipulate between shots to give the illusion of the shadow coming to life. You use the lighting to blend a character's shadow up against the wall's image, cut away, insert ghostly woman in black behind character, and then show the ghost grab the character from behind. This shit writes itself, people! Step up your game.

"Gonjiam" isn't a complete waste, as there are some scattered moments of entertainment, but there really isn't anything done here to stand out among a long list of found-footage tripe. Had the filmmakers fully utilized the material they were dealing with I think this could be better and wouldn't have needed so much padding at the beginning. In fact, I would have rated this a tad higher had the story simply picked up earlier on. Overall, this is just a mediocre time-waster with hints of good ideas that go nowhere.

Notable Moment: When that possessed chick does her noodle-slurping noise. I guess this was supposed to be scary, but I just laughed.

Final Rating: 5/10