A Tale Of Two Sisters – Directed By Kim Jee-woon
Back in the day when we had shops like HMV on the high streets of the UK, I would spend many an hour perusing the Asian Cinema section, searching for new films to feed my horror addiction. Half the time, I’d buy a movie solely based on its cover. If it looked creepy, I’d buy it. Simple as that.
A Tale of Two Sisters was definitely one of those purchases.
I mean, how could anybody resist?
That cover is one of the best horror promotional images of all the time, in my humble opinion.
So, we’ve got a cool title and awesome imagery. But is the film any good?
Yes. It’s bloody brilliant. In fact, I’d have to say it’s one of the best K-Horrors and is essential viewing for all fans of South Korean creepiness.
As always, I’m not going to spoil this film for anyone reading who has yet to see this beauty. I’m also going to stay away from the subject of the Hollywood remake.
Yeah, them Hollywood types tried and failed, again!
Anyhoo, here’s a brief plot summary of this wonderful slice of sinister spookiness…
A Tale of Two Sisters is a 2003 South Korean psychological horror film, written and directed by Kim Jee-woon, and is inspired by a Joseon Dynasty era folktale.
A teenage girl, Su-mi, is released from a mental institution, where she was being treated for shock and psychosis. She returns to her family’s isolated home in the countryside, with her father and younger sister, Su-yeon. The house is also home to their stepmother, Eun-joo, who constantly requires medication, and is a little odd, to say the least.
What follows is a twisting, turning tale of ghostly goings-on, dark secrets, and some very disturbing events. The infamous ‘dinner scene’ is utterly brilliant and scary as hell. Definitely, one of the film’s many highlights, and is totally owned by Yum Jung-ah, the actress who plays the stepmother. So beautiful, and so very disturbing!
A Tale of Two Sisters is a film I heartily recommend to anyone who likes psychological horror. Its twists and reveals are excellently done and make this a film that deserves to be viewed multiple times. It’s been a while since I last watched it, and I was happy to find I was still blown away, after all these years.
Yeah, that scene at the dinner table. Bloody awesome stuff.
I shall be purchasing the Blu-Ray version shortly!
So, a nice, short article from me this month. If you do have a view of this masterpiece, do let me know what you think. If you’re already a fan, I’d also love to hear from you!
Join me next month, as we keep it Korean and visit The Quiet Family.
Simon Paul Wilson
Simon Paul Wilson is a U.K. based writer of horror and science fiction.
He is currently writing a cyberpunk horror trilogy, the first of which is GhostCityGirl and was published by Not A Pipe publishing in 2020.
Click this link for more info: Ghost City Girl
There now follows a list of writers who have influenced his reading tastes and writing style:
James Herbert. Stephen King, Shaun Hutson, Clive Barker, China Mieville, Haruki Murakami, Carlton Mellick III, Brian Keene, and Adam Nevill.
Simon lives somewhere in the middle of England with his wonderful family. He likes to listen to post-rock and progressive rock at loud volumes. He also plays a mean air bass.
Follow him on Twitter: @spwzen
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