31 Days of Asian Horror: Gonjiam Haunted Asylum (2018)

Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital was one of the most haunted places in South Korea, so it’s no wonder that a movie would be made based on the hospital. Starring a cast including Wi Ha Joon who has currently gotten notoriety playing the role of Jun Ho in Squid Game, the 2018 found footage film is directed by Jung Bum Shik. The film became a commercial success after its release, becoming the third most watched horror film in South Korea after A Tale of Two Sisters and Phone, and was released in the US a month after it's local release. (source) The movie follows a group of paranormal researchers filming for a livestream series, Horror Times, as they tour the hospital and end up discovering that there was some reality to all the local lore surrounding it.

The biggest thing that the movie does well is the setup of the tone and ramps up to some pretty scary and unsettling parts at the end of the film, forcing a journey of not necessarily wondering if something is going to happen, but when. We get a good variety of characters, and it adds to the enjoyment of the film. I find that a lot of found footage films can have some problems with keeping me invested in the group, normally because they try to put the most insufferable humans together, leaving me not caring about anyone and didn’t find that problem with this. Ha Joon’s character is an added bonus, as he stays behind in the camp watching everything unfold through the cameras with additional cameras that are set up around the tent to allow the viewer to see his reactions. There’s not much to read from his character from the very beginning, and it sets up a slight mystery on his role in the greater story. I also enjoyed the way they set up the camera work, the crew inside the hospital were strapped into cameras a la MTV’s Fear, and it was fun seeing the reactions from the various cameras that have various qualities, adding to not only the atmosphere but the erraticness of not being able to see everything that is going on.

While the ending kind of feels rushed, I wasn’t bothered by it. The general excitement of the build up to it was interesting and made for a fun watch. The movie does a fairly good job at setting up a pretty standard and predictable plotline from the very beginning, allowing the movie to be viewed much more for the fun of it rather than constantly focusing on every little thing and solving the puzzle. And sometimes, you just need a fun movie that you don’t have to think about.

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is currently streaming on Shudder and Tubi.