Studio:    Shudder
Director: Kim Jin-won
Writer:    Kim Jin-won
Producer: Won Jung-sim
Stars:    Seo Ye-ji, Jin Sun-kyu, Ji Yoon-ho, Cha Yub, Kim Bo-ra

Review Score:

Summary:

Desperate for inspiration, a struggling filmmaker becomes caught up in the urban legend of a cursed film supposedly shot by a ghost.

Synopsis:

Feeling the pressure of an approaching deadline, fledgling filmmaker Park Mi-jung struggles to find inspiration for her horror film script. Mi-jung’s friend Joon-seo tells her an urban legend about a supposedly cursed student film whose director claimed it was shot by a ghost. When the film screened for the director’s class, several people ran out of the theater in terror while one person died of a heart attack.

With Joon-seo unable to recall the film’s title or director, Mi-jung travels to Daejeon University to learn more about the movie. Three film students fill in further details regarding the legend. Titled “Warning,” the film was shot in an abandoned theater where an actress named Soon-mi tragically burned to death when a hanging stunt went awry during a performance. Soon-mi’s ghost supposedly killed the film’s crew. “Warning” was accepted to the Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival, but its planned screening was cancelled.

Mi-jung seeks help from a friend working in the film festival’s office. Mi-jung steals a one-minute clip of the movie, which is the only footage available, and posts it to an urban legend forum online in hopes of discovering additional information.

Kim Jae-hyun, the reclusive director of “Warning,” calls Mi-jung to demand she take down her post. Mi-jung agrees to take it down only if she can meet Jae-hyun in person.

Disheveled and behaving erratically, Jae-hyun meets Mi-jung in a diner. Refusing to answer Mi-jung’s questions, Jae-hyun utters cryptic threats before leaving abruptly.

Mi-jung trails Jae-hyun back to his ramshackle residence. Mi-jung sneaks inside and steals a hard drive containing “Warning” files. Jae-hyun catches Mi-jung and starts smashing the drive, but Mi-jung manages to get it back and escape.

Joon-seo helps Mi-jung recover data off the drive. A behind-the-scenes clip shows Jae-hyun discussing how he was a suicidal teen who became interested in making horror movies after “The Exorcist” helped him forget his pain. Haunted by memories of her own suicide attempts, Mi-jung relates to Jae-hyun’s story.

Soon-mi’s ghost begins haunting Mi-jung. Mi-jung watches more footage that shows Jae-hyun encountering the ghost while scouting the abandoned theater with his crew: Ji-su, Gwang-bae, and Young-min.

Mi-jung drives to the abandoned theater to investigate it firsthand. Mi-jung somehow travels back in time to witness the three crewmembers getting supernaturally killed. Back at Mi-jung’s apartment, Joon-seo watches the behind-the-scenes footage depicting the same deaths and realizes that was the actual film.

Mi-jung runs into Jae-hyun. Believing her to be Soon-mi’s ghost, Jae-hyun captures Mi-jung. Jae-hyun confesses that “Warning” wasn’t entirely Soon-mi’s doing. Jae-hyun admits he edited the film together from the footage of his crew’s deaths and screened it for his horrified classmates. Jae-hyun douses himself and Mi-jung in gasoline, but before he can light the fire, Soon-mi’s spirit attacks him. Mi-jung breaks free from her restraints and uses her phone to record Jae-hyun being supernaturally strangled with a makeshift noose.

Soon-mi attacks Mi-jung in the main auditorium. Mi-jung ultimately manages to dispatch the ghost, who begins burning as fire spreads throughout the theater.

Mi-jung staggers outside. Joon-seo calls to say he went to the theater to look for Mi-jung and is now trapped inside. Mi-jung hears Joon-seo’s screams as the building burns.

Mi-jung turns the entire experience into a successful film also titled “Warning,” but tells no one the truth about some of the footage or her inspiration. Mi-jung starts showing signs of descending into madness similar to Jae-hyun.

Review:

Any creative type who has ever felt the pressure of a deadline or living up to lofty expectations can sympathize with Mi-jung. Producers pinned big investments onto Mi-jung’s big dreams when she became a hot up-and-comer following a successful short in a film festival. Now the fledgling director has to fulfill that promise with her overdue horror movie script, and she doesn’t know where to find inspiration.

Mi-jung gets a good lead from her friend Joon-seo. Joon-seo vaguely remembers an urban legend about a cursed student film whose creator claimed it was actually shot by a ghost. Joon-seo can’t recall the name of the movie or the director, but he does remember a rumor about an audience fleeing in panic when they screened the project.

Her curiosity sufficiently piqued, Mi-jung starts sleuthing through film festival archives, online forums, and university student stories. At the end of the domino line, Mi-jung finally meets the man who made the fabled film. Physically and emotionally scarred, Jae-hyun is just a shadow of the upstart cinema student he was ten years ago. He responds to Mi-jung’s questions concerning his mystery movie “Warning” only with cryptic gibberish and violent threats.

Undaunted by his deterrence, Mi-jung’s fascination with Jae-hyun’s film evolves into obsession. That obsession compels Mi-jung to steal a hard drive containing footage from the movie. With help from Joon-seo, Mi-jung starts scouring clips for clues about what really happened in the abandoned theater where Jae-hyun shot “Warning.” Mi-jung may have finally found the scariest horror story imaginable, but it may come with the cost of becoming a murderous ghost’s next terrified target.

“Warning: Do Not Play” is simultaneously difficult yet somewhat simple to review. It’s both of those things for the same reason. Essentially, “Warning: Do Not Play” is such a straightforwardly streamlined little haunter, it doesn’t leave a lot to really dig into with detailed discussion.

Completely competent in technical terms like cinematography, lighting, editing, etc., no one thing in “Warning: Do Not Play” stands out as particularly remarkable, although I don’t mean that in a belittling manner. It’s just a challenge to come up with anything eloquent or entertaining to say since “it’s fine” suffices as a summary for almost every element of the movie.

The story basically boils down to a standard yet serviceable Asian ghost yarn. In addition to the bit about being based on an urban legend, you’ll see beats that typically go with this territory including a wronged woman who turns into a stringy-haired phantom and some squishy scares involving an eyeball popping up for sudden staredowns. The “cursed film” component covers trampled ground too, though it makes for macabre milieus including a spooky scavenger hunt to uncover the truth, a crackpot hideout for the demented director, and light “found footage” pieces to fill in the blanks.

I’m down to two remaining sentences in my scant screening notes, which is uncharacteristic considering how furiously I usually type or write while watching a film. One of those notes is only an observational aside about the movie’s odd penchant for having the director physically assault Mi-jung whenever he gets angry, with no less than three separate scenes featuring his hands around her throat. Honestly, I think my inability to come up with anything clever or constructive to add speaks more to the wispy impression “Warning: Do Not Play” leaves than my inability to contribute meaningful insight.

I’m not sure I can say more about the movie without sounding like a high school student effectively shrinking the margins to make it seem like I hit the minimum word count. The basic concept tells fans familiar with Korean horror what they’re in for, which is a medium temperature thriller favoring atmospheric suspense built from breadcrumb trail plot progression over frightful sights and visceral shocks. Set expectations no higher or lower than “average” and the film will meet you right there in the middle.

Underpants will stay dry. Socks won’t leave your feet. Your mouth might widen in a yawn well before your eyes ever do the same out of shock. “Warning: Do Not Play’s” casual creepiness can cash checks for a momentary goose pimple or two. Your mind and your memory will merely have moved on to more resonant matters by the time you wake the next day.

NOTE: The film’s Korean title is “Amjeon.”

Review Score: 55