THE CLOSET reviewed; currently playing at two Californa venues

capelight pictures

presents

The Closet

Written and directed by KIM Kwang-bin
Starring HA Jung-woo, KIM Nam-gil and HEO Yul

South Korea, 2020, 97 minutes

The South Korean supernatural thriller The Closet, director KIM Kwang-bin's feature film debut, opened yesterday, February 14th, at CGV Los Angeles and CGV Buena Park. My review is based on watching an online screener.

YEON Sang-won (HA Jung-woo) is an architect and a widower with an eleven-year-old daughter, Ina (HEO Yul). His wife died in a tragic accident and since then YEON has been prone to panic attacks. While working on a museum, he and Ina move into a new house at some distance from the work site. The situation is complicated by their strained relationship and Sang-won's inability to secure a nanny for his daughter. Not to mention the strange noises that begin to trickle out of a closet and Ina beginning to exhibit increasingly weird behaviors.

Worst of all is Ina's sudden disappearance without a trace. Fortunately for YEON, a self proclaimed "exorcist hero" named HEO Kyung-hoon (KIM Nam-gil) appears on the scene.Turns out that thirty-two children have similarly disappeared over the previous twenty-or-so years. The parents of one of them, a girl named Hyun-soo, had set up a ritual performed to determine if the child was dead. HEO's mother performed the ritual and died during it, and he has been trying to solve the mysteries of the disappearances for the last ten years.

Initially skeptical, YEON decides to enlist HEO's assistance in trying to locate his missing daughter, before it's too late.

The film is well paced and has some nice "scare moments." I'm not a big fan of this particular genre, but I definitely enjoyed watching The Closet.

I must mention that there is a cute tongue-in-cheek reference made to the Along with the Gods films (Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds and Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days); HA Jung-woo starred in both films.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; a good, solid supernatural thriller.

The Closet is produced by CJ Entertainment (Parasite) and distributed by capelight pictures.

Watch the official movie trailer here.

South Korean horror mystery THE CLOSET opening at two venues in California on February 14th

capelight pictures

presents

The Closet

Written and directed by KIM Kwang-bin
Starring HA Jung-woo, KIM Nam-gil and HEO Yul

South Korea, 2020, 97 minutes

Mystery and the supernatural lie at the center of The Closet - a hotly-anticipated new thriller from South Korea. The film, which marks the feature film debut of KIM Kwang-bin, will open at CGV Los Angeles and CGV Buena Park on February 14th. His feature film debut.

When a tragic accident leaves Sang-won (HA Jung-woo) and his daughter Ina (HEO Yul) without their wife and mother, he moves to a new home to restore his relationship with his daughter. Despite all his efforts, nothing he does seems to work but she makes a new friend who makes her laugh. This moment of peace doesn’t last long, as strange noises trickle out of their closet and Ina begins displaying strange behaviors.

A few days after Sang-won starts having eerie nightmares, Ina disappears without a trace. While searching for her, Sang-won comes across enigmatic Kyung-hoon (KIM Nam-gil), who seems to know where Ina has disappeared to: the closet. Kyung-hoon tells Sang-won that he’s been looking for whereabouts of missing children for the past 10 years and believes that the key to finding Sang-won’s daughter is inside the closet. Desperate to find his daughter, Sang-won reaches out to open the forbidden closet…

The Closet is produced by CJ Entertainment (Parasite) and distributed by capelight pictures.

Watch the official movie trailer here.

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES THE SUPERNATURAL SHOJO MANGA SERIES QUEEN’S QUALITY

QUEEN'S QUALITY © 2016 Kyousuke MOTOMI/SHOGAKUKAN

Sequel To The Paranormal Romance Series QQ SWEEPER

Debuts From The Creator Of DENGEKI DAISY!

VIZ Media delivers the sequel to shojo manga creator Kyousuke Motomi’s acclaimed series, QQ SWEEPER, with the launch of QUEEN’S QUALITY on September 5th.

QUEEN’S QUALITY is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will be published under the Shojo Beat imprint. Volume 1 will carry a print MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. The series also launches digitally via VIZ.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and Google Play stores. Subsequent volumes of the series, which is ongoing in Japan, will be published in English four times a year.

In QUEEN’S QUALITY, Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of “Sweepers,” people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as a Queen?

“Fans will not want to miss the return of Kyutaro and Fumi in this action and romance packed sequel,” says Amy Yu, Editor. “Find out their fates as the pair face off against menacing new paranormal threats while their feelings for each other continue to grow.”

Manga creator Kyousuke Motomi debuted in Japanese shojo manga magazine Deluxe Betsucomi with Hetakuso Kyupiddo (No Good Cupid) in 2002. She is the creator of DENGEKI DAISY, BEAST MASTER and QQ SWEEPER, all available in North America from VIZ Media.

For additional information on QUEEN’S QUALITY and other manga titles distributed and published by VIZ Media, visit VIZ.com.

PHANTOM OF THE THEATRE coming to Blu-ray & DVD on Oct. 11th

Well Go USA

Presents

Phantom of the Theatre

Directed by Raymond Yip

China, 2016, 104 minutes

Director Raymond Yip brings a new, harrowing chronicle of horror to life (and perhaps death) with Phantom of the Theatre, debuting on digital and DVD October 11 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

In circa-1930 Shanghai, vengeful spirits of a performance troupe killed in a fire 13 years earlier, seek new victims as the playhouse reopens. 

Phantom of the Theatre  stars Ruby Lin (The Wonderful Wedding), Yo Yang (The Crossing franchise), Simon Yam (Ip Man, Cross), Huang Huan (The Law of Attraction), Jing Gang Shan (Slim Till Dead), and Zhang Zi Feng (Aftershock).

Synopsis:
A haunted theatre, filled with the vengeful spirits of a tragically-trapped performance troupe murdered in a fire 13 years ago, waits for the once-grand palatial playhouse to re-open with a new show ... and bring in new victims.