|
 lthough
ostensibly inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen
fairytale, "The Red Shoes" is clearly
yet another entry in the recent wave of South
Korean horror films based around cursed objects
and long haired female ghosts. In fact, it is an
almost archetypal example of this depressingly
overpopulated subgenre, working through a
checklist of its clichés, motifs and themes, to
the point where the viewer could be forgiven for
forgetting which film they were actually watching.
Although eminently predictable, and without a single
frame of originality, "The Red Shoes" is
at least not dull, and unlike other recent
examples of the type, such as "The
Wig", it grounds itself firmly within the
horror genre, with plenty of blood and cheap
scares for genre fans. Reasonably well made and
with an effective gothic atmosphere, "The Red
Shoes" offers those willing to retread
familiar ground a slice of undemanding
entertainment which, in all fairness, succeeds in
its modest ambitions and rises above the soul
sucking indolence of the vast majority of its
contemporaries.
Set in Seoul, the film follows Sun Jae (Kim Hye
Soo, also in "Three: Memories") who,
after catching her husband with another woman,
moves into a decrepit old apartment building along
with her young daughter, Tae Soo. Struggling to
settle into this new life, Sun Jae comes across a
strange pair of red shoes whilst on the subway,
and decides to take them home. Unfortunately, the
shoes turn out to be cursed, and exerts a sinister
power over all those who come into contact with
them, leading to expected deaths and disaster.
Eventually, with Tae Soo's life hanging in the
balance, Sun Jae and new interior designer
boyfriend Cheol (Kim Sung Soo) desperately try to
unravel the mystery of the shoes before it's too
late.
The plot is instantly recognisable, even to
viewers with only a passing acquaintance with
modern Asian horror, and "The Red Shoes"
lifts elements from a variety of other films, most
obviously "Dark
Water" and fellow South Korean screamer
"Phone".
The narrative holds no surprises whatsoever,
clearly telegraphing every development and
would-be twist, from the heroine's discovery of
the shoes, through her initial disbelief and
confusion, to the inevitable climax, complete with
the regulatory wide eyed hysteria and self
defeating lack of logic.
To his credit, writer/director Kim Yong Gyun does
at least make an effort to flesh out the
characters somewhat, and manages to balance quite
skilfully the early domestic scenes with the
growing supernatural influences. The plot is well
paced, and moves along gracefully if not fast,
though as with many other films of its kind, the
investigative element is initiated too late,
relying wholly on contrivance, with ridiculous new
characters being introduced solely for the purpose
of exposition.
The film's greatest asset is the fact that the
director never loses sight that "The Red
Shoes" is indeed a horror film, and includes
a fair bit of action to keep things interesting.
Initially, this revolves around a series of
macabre dreams and ghostly visions, some of which
are genuinely startling, containing some fairly
clever symbolism as well as literally gallons of
blood. There are a handful of creative deaths
scattered throughout the film, mostly involving
the chopping off of legs, which adds an amusing,
grotesque twist and puts the viewer in a far more
forgiving mood.
There is an effort to imbue the shoes themselves
with an interesting malevolence, wisely relying
not upon their own animation, but their influence
over the characters, twisting their passions and
bringing out their darker sides. This is done
quite effectively, especially in terms of the
relationship between Sun Jae and her daughter,
which degenerates into some fairly disturbing
domestic violence.
The
film is visually quite rich, and the director
makes considerable effort to dress up the
proceedings with a shadowy gothic flair,
attempting to evoke the feeling of a modern fairy
tale. This is done quite successfully, with good
use of subdued light and a tendency to blur the
surroundings and horizon, giving a real feeling of
isolation, as if the film takes place in an unreal
world of its own. As well as the dream sequences,
there are a number of surreal touches, most
notably a scene where it snows blood, which helps
to generate an unsettling atmosphere which somehow
manages to compliment the film's basic lack of
sense.
Of course, it is questionable whether or not such
stylistics are enough to compensate for the film's
overriding lack of originality, and no matter how
hard the director tries, "The Red Shoes"
remains little more than the latest in a long line
of similar films, albeit better than most.
Although well made, entertaining and genuinely
creepy in places, it struggles to achieve any kind
of significance or to shake off the immediate
reaction that this has all been seen before.
|
