The Call (2020) - Korean Horror Review
Welcome to Sensei Sensibility! You are the hungry mind yearning to devour Asian horror cinema; I am the (questionably) knowledgeable Sensei, more than happy to satiate your cinematic appetite.
I recently stumbled across Lee Chung-hyun's 2020 South Korean thriller The Call. With such a generic title, I had vague expectations of a knock-off of Ahn Byeong-ki's 2002 top-notch horror Phone.
Whilst I do always like to be right, when it comes to Asian Cinema, I love it when a movie proves me wrong. Little did I know that The Call was one of the most hotly anticipated movies of 2020.
How to define its genre? Thriller, crime drama, horror and, surprisingly, science fiction time travel roller-coaster – The Call is an absolute powerhouse knock out cinematic experience.
The main action of the movie is set in 2019, where mopey millennial Kim Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) is dealing with more baggage than a concierge for a Kardashian. Dead Daddy Issues, Dying Mother She Hates Issues, a low paid convenience store job and now she's lost her damn cell phone - all while on the way back to her rural childhood home.
Good thing there's a retro cordless telephone in the old childhood house... right?
Turns out that the retro cordless telephone acts as a spooky time travel portal all the way back to the ancient era of 1999. (Realistically, the fact that 1999 is considered “the distant past” is the most frightening part of this movie.)
Who is the distressed, mentally ill young woman who keeps hysterically ringing Seo-yeon's cordless phone? Is her shaman step-mother really holding her captive and trying to kill her because her ill-fortuned birth has been prophesized as heralding many deaths? Can Seo-yeon save the frightened young woman of the past from a horrific death? More importantly, should she?
The Call is a vicious, and violent, time-travel thriller that will leave you gripping the edge of your laptop and holding your breath. I'm a smug know-it-all who loves nothing more than smugly guessing the ending of a film – I hadn't a notion of what direction this movie was going to go in next.
Fantastic cinematography, stunning panoramic shots of Korean countryside, black as tar humour, and heart-breaking moments that leave you screaming at the screen. Oh, and let's not forget the stellar acting on the part of Jeon Jong-so as 1999's troubled Oh Young-sook.
Release of The Call was delayed due to The Pandemic That Shall Not Be Named, and is based on the appalling 2011 film The Caller – starring Bill from True Blood and the original Victoria from the first Twilight Saga film. (Saga, indeed!)
The Call also highlights the importance of appreciating your family, putting past grievances in to perspective, makes the viewer aware of the fragility of human existence; serving as a stark warning not to mess with the delicate fabric of time.
So, the next time opportunity knocks? Answer.
The next time the past rings? Don't answer!
If you liked The Call, you'll love Incantation (2022)
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