Phone (2002) Non-Spoiler Review

Phone was written and directed by Ahn Byeong Ki, who’s known for a number of horror works such as the Bunshinsaba series, APT, and Death Bell 2. The movie follows Ji Won (Ha Ji Won), an investigative journalist who starts to get mysterious calls on her new cellphone. Thinking it’s in reference to a case she had just broken, she thinks nothing of it until things escalate when her friend’s daughter gets ahold of the phone and hears something that frightens her, prompting Ji Won to investigate the source of the calls.

Phone has everything I personally love in horror films. The spookiness of a horror film, with the mystery of a crime drama. I think the film balances out the creepy bits with the investigation into what is behind the problems with the phone well. It keeps you not only on the edge of your seat because it uncovers some great shocks, but also because you don’t know what the entity is going to do next and why. Pair all of those elements with a delightfully creepy kid, and you get a really enjoyable movie.

The stand-out performance in the cast is Eun Seo Woo as Young Joo. Her role requires her to deal with a range of emotions and she is able to pull it off at only seven years old. I’ve watched Ha Ji Won in several roles, all in rom-com settings, so it was nice to see her in a different role. Although she seems to be the main character as the phone calls are coming to her, she really isn’t in the context of the movie and is there as the catalyst to unveil what happened. I thought she worked well in that role and didn’t take the attention away from that storyline while keeping her character grounded. Kim Yoo Mi as Young Joo’s mom is also great, her character progression throughout the movie was subtle but highly effective.

At the risk of not giving too much away, I will say that I liked the nod to The Tell-Tale Heart paired with the build of tension using ‘The Moonlight Sonata’ at the end and was a great wrap-up to the story. The movie has a good amount of twists and turns that keep you entertained. If you like Asian horror for its slower builds and vengeful ghosts, I highly suggest checking out Phone.

+++