Ghastly – original title: 기생령) aka “Gisaeng Spirit” – is a 2011 South Korean horror film directed by Ko Seok-jin from a screenplay by Kim Yoo-ra. Its stars Eun-jeong Han, Hyomin and Min-woo No.
Plot teaser:
After his parents are murdered, Bin is taken into the care of relatives. He begins to act strangely, the new occupants of his house experience horrific nightmares, and a mystery unfolds as a terrible secret is revealed…
Reviews:
“Ghastly is a very decent and commendably economic entry in the Korean horror genre. Despite its lack of originality, the film effectively brings together its various elements and definitely benefits from an upped gore quotient, making it very much worth the short running time for fans.” James Mudge, Beyond Hollywood
“The ending also leaves something to be desired. While some films do leave open-ended conclusions, those movies also have strong, coherent storylines from start to finish. But since this film has plot holes as large as craters, it doesn’t really explain the most important part in any horror movie: who survives in the end.” Jason Yu, Green Tea Graffiti
“Ghastly did not live up to its captivating opening scene. Technical issues niggled at the film, especially the latter half, as poor filmmaking decisions jarred the experience beyond repair. Questionable casting and basic story line threads were mishandled and it’s a shame when the film had such an interesting base holding it together. Ghastly is one of those films that lingered with me after the credits had rolled as I began to internalise the meaning of events rather than enjoying how they were actually executed in the film.” C.J. Wheeler, Hancinema
“No amount of gore and shock and jump cuts ending in someone gasping and sitting up in bed is worth seeing four freaking times unless you’re eventually going to get to a bloody scene that doesn’t end that way!” My Horrible Idea
