Cinema Service - 09/23/2005
여고괴담 4 : 목소리 (Voice)
2005 - 2 Disc
Director: 최익환 (Choi Ik-Hwan)
Starring: 김옥빈 (Kim Ok-Bin), 서지혜 (Seo Ji-Hye), 차예련 (Cha Ye-Ryun), 김서형 (Kim Seo-Hyung)

FILM: 7
The 여고괴담 (Girls' High School Horror) series always had a few things in common, other than the obvious genre similarities: that of presenting new faces both in front and behind the camera. From Park Ki-Hyung in 1998, when the series debuted, to Kim Tae-Yong and Min Gyu-Dong a year later. But the series has also distanced itself from the tropes often found in Korean -- and generally Asian -- horror films, exploring different sentiments populating the microcosmos of female high schools in Korea. Of the four films, 'Voice' seems to be the first to aim higher than simply showing dynamics at play in the high school environment, saying something deeper about death, loneliness, and the slow erosion of friendship. There's some really interesting concepts played out, like using voice as a sort of metaphor for the relationship between friends. And, quite unique for a horror film, it also follows the perspective of the 'ghost', rather than those who are threatened by it. The usual outstanding art direction, sets and lighting make their welcome presence, and the muted and delicate soundtrack is a nice change of pace from the screechy, intentionally 'atmospheric' scores of most films in this genre. New faces Kim Ok-Bin and Seo Ji-Hye show potential, and they've already featured on a few TV Dramas and upcoming films. Seo is doing pretty well in 신돈 (Shin Don), the Historical Drama with Son Chang-Min, while Kim has shown she can handle dramatic roles in 하노이 신부 (The Bride From Hanoi) -- despite having a hard time with the language. Good script, almost faultless production values, but I feel something's missing. Might be the inexperience of a first time director, but while the film is never really dull, it's not as affecting as 여고괴담 두번째 이야기 (Memento Mori). Still, the second best of the series so far. 

VIDEO: 7
Generally a good transfer, but too many marks and spots, for such a new film. Also, there seems to be some compression artifacts, especially evident during the day scenes.
AUDIO: 7.5
Following the tone of the film, the audio tracks are more sophisticated and muted than in other horror films, but when things get a little hectic, the surround channels will respond really well. The soundtrack and the parts where the characters sing are particularly clear.
SUBTITLES: 8
Save for a few grammar and spelling mistakes, a very good job. Translation is satisfactory, timing is excellent, and the font is easy to read. It does subtitle some signs and SMS messages, but not all of them.
EXTRA FEATURES: 9
Two commentaries are housed on Disc 1. First is mostly technical, with the director, DP and other crew members. Reveals a lot about the film in terms of production, but tends to be a little dry. The second is much better, with one of the producers and all the girls (including Kim Seo-Hyung). Not incredibly informative, but it's quite fun and, despite featuring many people, never gets confusing. Disc 2 is a treat for fans of the film: we start with an excellent 42 Minutes Making Of documentary, covering different parts of the shoot (behind the scenes, set preparation, CG, interviews with cast and crew, etc.), then there's an illuminating 15 Minutes interview with the director, and a 18 Minutes interview with all the women in the film, including really cute clips from the audition; closing this first part are a theatrical trailer and tv spot. Second half of the Disc features a 45 Minutes featurette about sound design, soundtrack, sound effects... everything regarding sound, essentially, and it's fantastic stuff. There's a 16 Minutes interview with CG supervisor Kim Ryang-Jin, showing a lot of before/after moving scenes, and more. There's also a 19 Minutes featurette about digital correction and all the other processes. Closing the second part are a 12 Minutes interview with Music Director Lee Byung-Hoon, and the Music Video (sung by Kim Ok-Bin!).
VALUE FOR MONEY: 8.5
I'm not the best judge of horror films, since my favorite Korean horrors are those that distance themselves from horror tropes. But I can say this is the best horror of the Summer -- the DVD Cut of 분홍신 (The Red Shoes) is a little better, but technically it would be out of the race, since it's never been released in theaters. Like all the other films of the series, 'Voice' uses the horror foundation to develop something a little deeper, and does it with admirable technical proficiency. Shame it's not as involving as one would like it to be, but nonetheless a good film. The DVD is your usual Cinema Service mid-sized release: a little lacking in video quality, but making it up with fantastic extra features (some of the best of the year, around 7 hours including commentaries).
OVERALL: 7.71