There's blood under the floorboards and disfigured children hiding beneath the kitchen sink in this moody Korean horror flick directed by Kim Ji-Woon. Conceptually located somewhere between "The Others", "The Ring" and "The Sixth Sense," the plot concerns two disturbed sisters, their father and cruel stepmother, who occupy a haunted house.
Beautifully art-directed with lush colors and elaborately patterned wallpaper, the film's deliberate rhythms are repeatedly punctuated by graphic images and many screaming instances of all-out hysteria. The fragmented storytelling makes a point of withholding crucial information until the very last minute, and until then, it's impossible to keep up with who's alive, who's dead, who's crazy, and who might be a ghost. When all is finally revealed, it becomes clear that the stylish spookiness was its own slim reward.
