Suddenly in the Dark

Director - Young Nam Ko (A Viper, Deadly Kick)
Starring - Il-bong Yun (Day and Night, Silent Room), Yeong-ae Kim (Mirror of the Witch, We are Brothers), and Ki-seon Lee (Lost Youth)
Release Date - 1981
Genre - Horror
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The movies I've watched recently have been a rollercoaster ride to say the least.  I started out with some really bad horror films before picking it back up with a few great horror films and I started back down again after watching Gas-s-s-s last night.  I had high hopes that the follow up film didn't suck because I often find myself watching three bad movies back to back before I finally get to check out something decent.  I ventured over to my review stack and saw that my next film to check out was Suddenly in the Dark.  This 1981 Korean film was recently released by Mondo Macabro and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.  Thanks guys for hooking me up!

     The film follows a married couple who hire a young and attractive maid to clean up for them in their big home but the wife starts to second guess her decision.  As time moves on she finds herself suspecting that her husband is sleeping with the help and becomes jealous by how young and attractive she is.  After some time the tension comes to a boil and the maid dies.  The wife becomes distraught by her death and her involvement but that is not the end of the maid's tale and the horrors that unfold in their home. 
    Have you ever looked at a movie and just know you will love it?  That rarely happens for me but Suddenly in the Dark let me know up front that I would love it...and I did.  The acting in this one is not the best I have seen but it was far from bad.  The cast shows a lot of enthusiasm and excitement for the role but they have a hard time convincing the viewer that they are, in fact, their characters.  Their emotions needs pulled in a little bit and their conversations need to feel more genuine.  As I said earlier, the cast is not bad but there was aspects that made a few scenes awkward to watch.  The story for this one is a little sloppy and moves at a snails pace but once it picks it up it hits hard.  Most of the film is character development and setting the tone for the suspense and atmosphere.  The film does a great job at this but there is very little action or interest to hold the viewer's attention.  However, all that can be forgotten once we hid the final act of the film and the real horror appears.  The story, at this point, is very simple but the way it was executed is brilliant.  This portion is beautifully shot and delivers on the chills.  Finally, if you are looking for gore then you are not going to find any here.  However, There is some blood but that is not what makes this film so fun.  It's the beautiful cinematography and lighting that makes this film so enjoyable.  The film is eerie and can chill you to the bone but it is also beautiful to look at almost like a Korean supernatural giallo.  Check it out.