Phone (2002)


REVIEWER RATING: 
6/10


I heard a lot of mixed reviews on this film before seeing it, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The movie was directed by the same guy that did Nightmare, which I thought was a total I Know What You Did Last Summer rip-off, but at least he tries to put a little more originality in this film. The movie is basically about a reporter-chick that did a case on men who sleep with underage girls. She gets many threatening phone calls, so she decides to change her phone number. Immediately after she receives her new number she begins to get strange phone calls. She investigates the source of the calls and learns more than she bargained for.

This was a pretty decent film, but I thought the sub-plot of the stalker was rather pointless and confusing. It's like the director tried to mix two different films together - one being supernatural and another being a slasher. The supernatural elements all have to do with the calls and the things the girl sees after she receives them. Then there's this sub-plot of a guy stalking and wanting to kill the girl, which I thought just made the story confusing. It's like the director can't get away from the clichéd slasher genre.

There weren't any good scares, it was a bit predictable, and there were some scenes that were obviously ripped off from Ringu, but it kept my interest and I've seen a lot worse, so I figured a 6-rating was best fitting. The ending had an interesting twist, but it was predictable like the rest of the film. I also liked the two-disc DVD that came with the movie. It actually contained deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes stuff, which is actually kind of rare when it comes to Asian DVD releases. At least from the ones I've seen. Hopefully the next film the director puts together just sticks with one genre.

A decent Korean horror film. Kept my interest and had its moments, but don't expect to get any good scares out of this. Worth a check if you're into Asian horror.
OVERALL: 
A decent Korean horror film. Kept my interest and had its moments, but don't expect to get any good scares out of this. Worth a check if you're into Asian horror.


UHM is an independently owned site that relies solely on ad revenue. We ask that if you like this site and what we do to help support by temporarily disabling ad block (if you're using one). If you'd rather help in other ways you can also send a tip by clicking here (or the button below). Any amount helps and will go towards the costs to maintain the site. Anyone who donates will also be listed in our thanks page.