Phone (2002)

- Pon
Nice supernatural murder mystery, 28 December 2005

Shortly after popping Phone in the DVD player, my thoughts were, "Oh no. Not another Asian long-haired ghost story". I thought it was going to be the same old thing. Since watching, I've read reviews on the internet that complain about the movie being "derivative" or "unoriginal" (if you want to see derivative and unoriginal, check out Ju-rei). And while I agree to a certain extent, Phone has enough twists and turns in the plot to keep it from being just another "ghost with long hair" story. I see it as a murder mystery with supernatural elements. I'll admit that the mystery had me guessing up to the big reveal and the supernatural stuff had me jumping on more than one occasion. While it's certainly not the best Asian horror movie I've ever seen, I was reasonably entertained after a slow start.

If the current crop of Asian horror has one thing in common, most all of the ones I've seen are technically brilliant. Phone is no exception. The house where most of the story takes place is visually stunning with a load of atmosphere – a real feat in a modern setting. Sound, lighting, locations, special effects, etc. are all what I've come to expect when watching one of these movies.

One area where Phone does not measure up to its Asian brethren is in the acting department. It's not that the performances are bad, but with one exception, no one really stands out. The performances are "workmanlike" at best. The exception is See-woo Eun who plays the little girl, Yeong-ju. And while most of her acting consists of a series of strange faces and growls at the camera, considering her apparent age, it's a solid and memorable performance. Given the subject matter and some of the things she was asked to do, I was impressed.

7/10