Directed by
Yong-gyun Kim
Cast:
Hye-su Kim …. Sun-jae
Seong-su Kim …. In-cheol
Yeon-ah Park …. Tae-soo
In a period where saturation of Asian Horror has come to a breaking point, it’s nice to find that good ones are still out there. After sitting through several imitations of Ringu and Juon: The Grudge, one could almost give up hope in seeing a truly frightening example of the genre, and that’s why finding a gem such as The Red Shoes is a real treat. With energetic cinematography, and a smart, stylish script The Red Shoes is a big winner in a pack of copycat deadbeats.
Reminding me of Dark Water the story revolves around Sun-jae (Hye-su Kim), a divorced, single mother trying to raise her Tae-soo (Yeon-ah Park) in a shabby apartment complex. The two are trying to make the best of the situation, until Sun-jae finds a pair of red shoes on the subway. Suddenly, the shoes become the obsession of all around her, with her daughter and friends constantly trying to steal them, sometimes even violently. When one of her friends ends up dead with her feet cut off after “borrowing” the shoes, the mother and daughter try to get to the bottom of the situation.
Now the premise for the film may seem goofy, but Director Yong-gyun Kim builds up the film’s tension to where it’s easy to get caught up in the madness. Also, what starts out as tame experience, turns into a literal bloodbath with one geyser even reaching a Sam Raimi level. Kim fills the screen with creepy images, from snow flakes of blood to a ballet that becomes a visceral sequence of murder and retribution. Once the movie hits overdrive, the scares come fast and furious and don’t stop till the credits roll.
As the film’s central protagonist, Hye-su Kim does a terrific job of bringing a complexity to a character that could have just been a shallow archetype. She even brings a certain amount of unexpected darkness, which brings a jolt of energy to the picture when other stories like this have stalled due to mundane performances. She’s surrounded by other great turns, among them Yeon-ah Park, who’s Tae-soo is equal parts brat but still sympathetic enough to be a credible victim.
The Red Shoes is the best example of Horror released from South Korea I’ve seen since A Tale of Two Sisters or the work of Chan-Wook Park. With inspired performances and gory set pieces, the movie has terrific energy that goes at a slow burn at first and then explodes. More than just a rip off of the great Asian Horror that has come before it, The Red Shoes is a great addition to the collection of any fan of the genre.
The Video
Tartan’s print on this disc does leave a little to be desired. The film has some moments where there is some debris on the print, as well as others where the picture quality isn’t as sharp as it could be. Also there are some obvious places where the subtitles on the disc have typographical errors, which really shouldn’t happen these days. The film is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1.
The Audio:
The film’s audio is much better, as the film’s use of sounds effects and mood are amplified by the fine Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Featurettes, Commentary, Trailers.
Audio Commentary by Director Yong-gyun Kim and Star Hye-su Kim — This commentary is in Korean, so you have to read the subtitles provided, but it does have some very interesting discussions throughout. The track seems to be free of large gaps of silence as the three are embroiled in conversation for much of the duration. I really like the portion of the commentary where the director talks about how often women will agonize over relationship problems, where men are more impulsive, and how few times you’ll find instances with men agonizing over infidelity.
The Making of The Red Shoes – This Featurette goes about 16 minutes, and is pretty standard stuff. Actors speak a lot about their motivations, but its nothing terribly insightful.
A Look at Visual Effects – Going about 13 minutes, this one looks solely at the film’s special effect shots which were more numerous than I had thought.
Trailers – You get trailers for this film and other Tartan releases, most notably Lady Vengeance.
THE INSIDE PULSE:
The Red Shoes is a surprisingly effective Horror film with a goofy premise, but works well due to effective direction, terrific cinematography, and convincing performances. The DVD’s features aren’t the best and the disc has some subtitle problems, but The Red Shoes is a definite upturn after watching a plethora of bad Asain Horror films in the last few months.
