Chiaksan (2022)

everything and nothing all at once

like many other horror films, this one starts off light and easy. we are quickly introduced with the group of friends and taken on a roadtrip alongside them. soon enough, the ominous feeling appears and slowly becomes stronger, until what was a mountain bike rider club outing turns into a fight for survival.

now, is this a scary movie? it succeeds in making you feel uncomfortable, and this feeling is strengthened by the fact that some of the scenes are shown as vlogging footage, as well as the natural eeriness of being in a dark, empty forest. the main tactic to leave the viewers frightened by this film is jumpscares, but even though i consider myself jumpy, i didn't get very scared. in fact, even the bloody body horror-intended scenes weren't half as bloody as they could have (logically) been.

for movies like this, i still want a consistent intriguing plotline. however, at the end of it, i felt like it didn't really know which way to go -- sci-fi, crime, supernatural, or something else. like this, various elements are kind of thrown at you but there isn't much of a concise explanation. they attempt to provide some clarification after the first ending credits roll, but it simultaneously made me surprised and even more confused.

if you like horror films, this is not the worst of it, but also don't expect too much from it. if you're like me and want to see yoon gyunsang, it's an easy watch for the most part. if you're even more like me, and would love to see kim yewon, it's an ok watch but i wished she got even more screentime.

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Well-chilled suspense

A really well-chilled horror film with quite a straightforward setting but the suspense buildup is extremely well refined and the pacing is highly engaging. The gore and scares are so refreshing as they have plenty of new tactics that were never seen before on screen, most of them rely on naturally occurring objects such as stones and trees. The shooting style is also pretty complex and the panning of the scenes are so good in inducing fear for shocking visuals. The most astonishing highlight is the bloody red tone that was gushing sharply with a shattering blast, those scenes were so well blended it almost tasted like some fine aged wine. This movie will definitely let you leave the theater feeling eerie at the end of the path.

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