UHM - Review

Cello is yet another supernatural piece to come out of South Korea, who has been trying to catch up with the Japanese for the longest time. The film tries to be different from its predecessors by attempting to be more of a story-driven flick rather than relying simply on the same old Ringu and Grudge scare-tactics, yet it still fails into separating itself from the genre and instead creates a mess of the story; eventually leading to an all-too-predictable twist towards the end. Although, the story is interesting, especially when more details are revealed, it seems to play out more as a Soap Drama with small supernatural elements thrown in.

The premise follows a mother who discovers that her mute and slow-witted elder daughter takes a liking to a cello at a store window. Naturally since the mother once played the cello becomes keen to the idea of her daughter showing interest in it; at least until the lives around her begin to fall apart -- her sister seemingly goes crazy after her BF dumps her; the eldest daughter becomes obsessed with the cello and more violent towards her younger sister; and even the mother herself starts to go crazy when details of her sordid past are slowly revealing themselves, questioning her sanity, especially when people start dying. All thanks to that pesky cello.

The movie proves to be an interesting watch, but it does drag on in parts since it's mostly story-driven. In fact, we really don't see a whole lot of ghost-action until more than half-way through. Even then it's not the least bit scary, especially if you've seen a number of Asian ghost-flicks in the past. Then when more details behind the truth of the cello and the mother are revealed, it starts to really pick up; eventually leading to the twists and turns to "shock" the viewers. Although, if you've watched films the past 10 years you probably would’ve already guessed the ending. Regardless, I give credit to it trying to be different than the usual mold by adding more plot than scares.

OVERALL

You’ve seen one South Korean horror flick, you've seen'em all. This really is no different, even if it does try to add more story than its predecessors. Despite it all, once more details are revealed towards the end, it does pick up, but by then does it even matter? Worth a check if you're a fan of SK horror.

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Erika :

Posted 209 days ago

I'm a big fan of asian horror, so I liked this movie a lot. Granted, it's not as good as others I've seen, but I enjoyed the story. I love classical music so that element impressed me. I wanted more explanation behind the weird daughter, and the fact that it was the cello that brought home the ghost. The movie was good, just a bit plot-holey.

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