Bunshinsaba

Plot synopsis:
Lee Yoo-jin is a transfer student from Seoul, and along with two of her friends, she is constantly being bullied by a group of classmates. One night, Yoo-jin and her friends decide to place a curse on their enemies by creating a Ouija board on which they write the names of the female bullies. Using the Bunshinsaba curse, her friend warns the others not to open their eyes until the spell is finished. The calling takes effect, and Yoo-jin, somewhat curious, opens her eyes. To her shock and horror, she sees an image of a pale-like dead girl with long hair beside her.
The next morning when Yoo-jin enters the classroom, she discovers the corpse of one of the bullies on top of the desk, with a burned face. Meanwhile, the school hires a volunteer teacher, Lee Eun-ju, as the new art instructor. She starts to call the roll in her class and stumbles on seat number 29 as she mentions the name of a deceased girl, Kim In-sook. The students are terrified when they hear the name, and rush out of the classroom when they see her talking to thin air. The only one left is Yoo-jin, who tells Eun-ju that Kim In-sook doesn't exist. Eun-ju takes another look at the seat and realizes that there's no name at seat number 29. Suddenly, Yoo-jin sees a figure on Eun-ju's back. Investigations soon rise as the other three bullies die in the same manner. Finally, Yoo-jin realizes that the spirit of Kim In-sook is possessing her. She was the one who killed all of those bullies, even though she doesn't remember doing it.
Eun-ju also senses a terrible force and unearthly presence surrounding Yoo-jin. Mr. Han, Yoo-jin's class adviser, decides to help out by consulting his friend on what is causing her to act strangely. Through hypnotism, they are able to see a vision of the past showing how Kim In-sook and her mother Chun-hee were brutally killed by the villagers, and before dying, they placed a curse that for generations to come, whoever left the village would die. As Chun-hee finally takes possession of Eun-ju's body, she exacts punishment on the people who wronged them, slaying the school's principal but sparing Mr. Han's life.
Not long after, Eun-ju gives birth to a girl and within that girl's body is the spirit of Kim In-sook.

Tags: revenge, suspenseful, cruelty, murder, flashback

Review:
Another "ghost seeking revenge" story set in a small Korean town.This movie has low ratings but the fact is, I managed to watch the entire thing through without getting bored.I don't really think this movie is all that scary.
I've been conditioned/used to Asian horror like Ringu and Ju-on so it might be scarier for those who aren't so used to this kind of horror.However, this movie was entertaining.
Its fast paced compared to most of the Asian horror out there and the story is somewhat interesting.
Dark horror revenge story, well directed, acted and entertaining, but nothing special.
Comes in the wake of other far eastern horror movies, and generally follows similar traits to them.
Story surrounds the horrific "suicides" of girls at a school in a Korean village, whilst bringing back memories of dark chapters in the communities past.As is the norm for Korean movies, probably the best in the world at the moment, the film is set in beautiful scenery whilst the direction and acting is surprisingly great also taking in the age of a number of the actors.
The story meanders and doesn't seem coherent, whilst the film also takes too much from others in the genre, e.g. the teenage girl with long hair who is the outsider (e.g. Ringu, Phone), broken families, ghosts, revenge etc...
At points it appeared to go for frights above all else, trying to outdo it peers, but really its the storyline that is usually the most important point of the Far Eastern horror films.
When people from a small isolated village see their children die inexplicably one would expect great turmoil and a lot of interesting things happening.
Therefore everything in the movie seems shrunk, detached, to fit the budget.So, it's a nice film to watch for cultists and horror fans, but not a great movie, almost not a good one..
So if you like Asian horror, and you don't demand that every movie be Citizen Kane or whatever, then you should like this.
Being a big fan of Korean horror (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil, Hansel & Gretel etc.) I decided to look at a few lists of people's 'top 10 Korean horror movies' and found that a little obscure film, that I'd never heard of, called, "Bunshinsaba" was number 1 a lot of the time (or at least near the top).
However, I was disheartened to find that it had a low average score on IMDb, so I found it on Youtube (didn't want to risk buying it), hoping that IMDb was going to be proved wrong, but unfortunately it wasn't.Bunshinsaba was extremely disappointing.
I liked the creepy opening which immediately set the atmosphere and had me feeling for the main character, but after that it seemed to be incredibly rushed through so I found it hard to get into.
It relies on the long-haired white-face ghost were creepy in The Grudge and The Ring, but have become over-used in Japanese horror films, and now it seems the Korean's have started copying them.
There are also a range of recycled and over-used ideas in ghost films, you could count the clichés on your fingers: We've got the vengeful spirit, possession, exorcism, a secluded town etc.
There is also some exciting moments dotted around the film, I just wished it had been more original and had taken a slower and more meaningful approach.It also got a little too confusing at the end and I found myself, just leaning back and watching what unfolds without really knowing what's going on, because the film doesn't allow any time for the viewer to work it out.
As any other Asian movie you'll find the same girl with long hair coming over and over on the screen to frighten you with some acoustic bass and creepy sounds.
They should have modified the story and presented with some surprises as the basic idea of horror i.e. the woman with long hair fails here.
The theme is also the old lame revenge of ghost type which makes it just an average movie who might be able to frighten amateurs..
Pretty creepy South Korean horror film..
Yoo Jin was transferred back to a high school in her parents' hometown.Having a tough time dealing with her new surroundings,she puts a curse on four girls that tormented her.As each of them mysteriously burns to death,the school is thrown into a chaos.The mayor of the village throws fear into the entire town when he announced that Yoo Jin has called upon the spirits of a mother and daughter who were brutally killed in the village some thirty years back.He suggests that they drive Yoo Jin and her family out of the town.However mysterious deaths still occur...Admittedly the story of "Bunshinsaba" is highly unoriginal as it borrows heavily from "Ringu","Whispering Corridors" and "Into the Mirror",but there is enough creepiness to keep fans of Asian horror on the edge of their seats.The girls in high school uniforms are cute and the acting is decent.Se-eun Lee is stunningly beautiful with her big expressive eyes and soulful looks.The sequence which takes place on a barren highway at night is truly eerie."Bunshinsaba" is definitely quite derivative and uninspired,but if you like Asian spooky flicks give it a look.7 out of 10..
Who knows what's the trademark of almost all of the Asian horror movies?
Yes, you're right: a ghost or a spirit shaped as a girl(or a woman) with her long, dark hair over the face.
In small doses, at the right moment, usually associated with creepy sounds or eerie score, moving suddenly or with broken movements, those out-of-this-world presences have the power to scare to death the poor characters unfortunate enough to be in their path.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, in "Bunshinsaba" you have the longest presence on-screen of the aforementioned long-haired female ghosts in the entire Asian horror history.
"Bunshinsaba" is a horror movie, no doubt about it.
Unfortunately, if you want to be really scared, this is not the right movie..
Much like Ringu, Ju-on, Ryong, A Tale of two Sisters and about a thousand other Asian horror films, we have a female ghost with with thick-black hair pulled over her face exacting some kind of hellish retribution on hapless victims.What keeps this from simply disappearing underneath the mounds of similar films is a greater focus on story (specifically the who and why) and a couple creative death scenes.All around the filming is solid and most of the scare set-ups work pretty well.
Some of the characters are a little over-written/acted and the film looses focus moving toward the end, as if the movie is trying to cover too much ground to fast.A mostly enjoyable, if wholly forgettable, supernatural yarn.6/10.
This film basically transplants every single cliché of the genre and throws it into one big melting pot, slap on a big budget and glossy look, and expect people to fall for it.
If you're a clueless schmuck you'll be scared.If you've seen even ONE little Asian horror in the last 10 years, you'll liable to roll your eyes and think to yourself, "Geez, can't they even try to be a little more original?
Oh, look, the ghost has her long hair drooping over her head again.
And oh look, she's doing the 'slow look up to reveal her ghostly eyes' gag again."In fact, the whole movie consists of the ghost appearing with her hair over her face then slowly looking up to reveal her eyes while the director throws some "scary" music at you.
This was the 1st film I saw at Frightfest as part of the Glasgow film festival last week and it shows how un-original and uninspiring Asian horror films have become.The story is basically about 3 girls at school who are getting bullied and one of them has the bright idea to invoke the spirit of bunshinsaba from a ouija board, now there are no prizes for guessing what this bunshinsaba thing does to terrify people, you guessed it, yep - it's the old long dark hair, scary eyes routine again.It worked in Ju-on and also Ringu but I think we're all getting a bit tired of it now.I'd love to see an Asian horror film about killer dolls or something cause to be quite frank little girls with long dark hair don't scare me anymore.Avoid..
Arriving at a new boarding school, a schoolgirl becomes fed up with the bullying inflicted upon her by a group of classmates and plays with a spirit board hoping for revenge only to unleash the ravenous spirit of a long-dead student upon them and must save them before it's too late.This was an exceptionally enjoyable effort that really has a lot going for it.
From the opening boardgame where they play with the board in the brightly-lit red light where the ghost is released to the numerous scenes of the ghost appearing around the school to the tormentors resulting in not only the fantastic scene of the ghost encouraging the one victim to commit suicide in front of the rest of the school but also getting to see the various flashbacks to the past that show how the original girl was tormented and killed the bullies seeking revenge.
That is the rather fun part of this one as the various scenes showing the girl carrying out not only her revenge on the classmates as well as the several flashbacks that feature how the actions of the village affected the outcome of the future and set the curse into motion.
The idea of the boardgame causing the curse itself isn't all too original but the fact that there's plenty of stellar sequences here showing the atmosphere around the classroom which is handled rather nicely.
Not only does the events in the film's current time shown to interact with the events of the school-bound ghost legend from the past but the reaction of the students which furthers that connection quite nicely.
Among the few problems to be had here is the fact that the film really makes it quite hard to invest itself in this story based on the languid and unnecessarily slow pacing.
It's not until late in the film that the full extent of the ghosts' actions are revealed which is due to the second minor issue here with the film relying more on flashbacks to fulfill the story more than anything.
Bunshinsaba is your typical long-haired ghost-girl trope horror movie, that runs out of steam really fast.
I especially liked the opening, which wasted no time to get right to the premise of the movie.
Halfway through the film, it started to drag, and I just wanted the movie to end.
One of the movie's main problems, is that there are no stakes in the third act.
We're basically just watching the ghost kill a lot of characters that we don't like any way, with no means for the main characters of stopping her.
It's a shame, because the movie is well directed, well shot, and has great use of scene lighting.
Entry #3,946 in the "vengeful ghost girl with long black hair" genre.
A high school girl and one of her teachers become possessed by the angry spirits of a mother and daughter killed by villagers 30 years before.
The movie is handsomely produced and stylishly directed, but because this genre is getting so played out, there are few real scares and only a handful of effective scenes.
(I suppose, though, after being quite used to movies like Ringu, Ju-on, Phone, and the like, things like that really aren't scary.
So maybe some people would find it frightening.) I've seen both Phone and Nightmare, directed by Ahn as well, and I liked those better than Bunshinsaba- I wouldn't say Nightmare was very notable either, but Phone was very very good.
This Korean ghost revenge movie started off quickly and ended up with a solid, mysterious and intriguing first act.It was all down hill after that.The problem was the subject matter: ghost revenge.
Virtually nine out of ten Asian horror films have this same element as its foundation.
And why does every ghost have to have long hair that hides their face?
I know, the original foreign film is supposed to be better, but not this time - not by a long shot..
I really recommend it to people who like that feeling that something wrong is going on, and hate those "so called" horror movies with psychopaths running after teenagers.For those who like this film I also recommend Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness.
I don't understand how some people can compare this to Ju-On and Ringu, because, Ju-On makes no sense to me, and the little kid with a cats voice just makes me want to kill all Asian kids, it's simply annoying, and Ringu, although good, was only enjoyable by the fact that i was curious to know what was the tape all about...
This movie is so great,it too me a while to find it,but I did and it was so worth watching.This is the first Korean/Asian horror movie I seen and I'm starting to like it.Bunshinsaba is so amazing and slightly terrifying,because it seems realistic.The tag line is so true too.Bunshinsaba reminds me of when I was in 1st grade,but it goes really,terriblely wrong.The deaths are so creepy and just...whoa!You don't really know whats going on,but its such a build up to the end of the movie,then it ties it up,but it doesn't hit you until after its over...unless you pay attention of course.I totally recommend this movie!.
Yoo-jin(Se-eun Lee)is so enraged with female classmates, who have singled her out because of being an *outsider*, that she invokes a "Bunshinsaba" spell on a witch board, placing a curse on the four tormentors, drawing the vengeful spirits of a mother and daughter, Chun-hee & Kim in-sook, who were burned alive by a village mob after their role in the forced suicide of a bully.
When the girls all commit suicide by drowning a bag with gasoline before lighting it while on their heads, burning themselves alive due to the powerful hypnotic abilities of witch-ghost Chun-hee, the citizenry grows terrified and alarmed, believing that the 30-year old murder which bloodies the history of their town(..which occurred to Chun-hee and her blind daughter who were "psychically linked" at the hands of a mob of angry villagers who wanted them out of their area by any means necessary)has returned for payback.
In another alternating story-line, a new teacher, Miss Lee(Gyu-ri Kim)has taken a position in the turbulent school, with the powerful spirit of Chun-hee using her as a host for carrying out acts against potential threats like hypnotist/psychic Ho-kyeoung(Jeong-yun Choi)who has discovered past occurrences through the troubled Yoo-jin, after she was "put under".
Meanwhile, Chun-hee has special plans for Miss Lee once she rids herself of her enemies, those she hold responsible for the horrifying crimes against her and daughter Kim in-sook long ago.Standard story of vengeful spirit seeking supernatural revenge on those who wronged her in the past is technically well made, if rather average and predictable.
The ghost of Chun-hee, rearing her ugly face when her host is under hypnosis(..those "red-light hypnosis sessions" are particularly eerie, especially when Yoo-jin is under and her eyes blacken), is especially creepy.
He, as of now, has made films which are closely related thematically to oft-made Asian horror hits that are(..and have been)flooding the market for years now.
I do wish this film was titled something better because Bunshinsaba(..I watched it under the label "Witch Board:Bunshinsaba")really is only used to invoke the spirit, and isn't the focus of the story.
During the curse the girls are all told that whatever they do, keep their eyes closed at all times or the spirit will enter them.
It turns out that the spirit in Yu-jin is the spirit of a girl who had been killed by the villagers years ago in the same way.OK so this is another Asian ghost story so what makes this one different from the rest?
I really think that its time now that the whole girl with her hair over her face ghost was done away with now.
It has some reasonably effective scares here and there but it is just nothing new.The film does boast some lovely camera work.
Lots of great movement and nice angles make this a stunning film to watch and the acting is all pretty good.
The story line is all OK until about the hour mark where things start to get stale and a bit dull.This is a film that I would find hard to recommend.
To your casual horror fan I would say check it out, especially if you haven't seen to many Asian films.
But to anyone with a keen interest in the Asian horror film genre I would say only watch if you have to see every film that comes out of the continent as you wont find anything new here.5/10.
an extremely well done film though it gets complicating at times.
This movie is just awesome and entertaining from the start to the end credits.
This movie probably is as scary as shows such as the shutter but did not scare me as much as ringu.
However, this movie is really complicating somewhere around the middle and I have a hard time trying to figure out what was happening.
This is one of my Top 10 horror movies.
I love Asian horror movies.
Although it never gets original (so far (I'm talking about ghosts (long black hair covering the face and strange noises))).
Wonderful performances creepy soundtrack nice tense and scary girls - that's all what Asian horror has and thats all what you need to get frightened.
I thing it would have been better if they finished story tale with a "bad guy" (or should I say "bad girl") as a ghost not as a human killer.
"Bunshinsaba" is a great movie.
If you like Asian horror as much as I do then I give you 100% that you'll enjoy it.