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Yu-jin (Se-en Lee) a new transferee to an exclusive all girls high school is tormented and bullied
by some of her classmates for being different. She and her mom have just moved into this close village community and being new is reason enough to be constantly picked to be
the butt of jokes and malicious pranks. In retaliation, she turns into the occult and calls Bunshinsaba, the spirit of the Quija Board, who in turn brings back
the spirit of Kim In-suk (Yu-ri Lee) a former student who died 30 years ago under mysterious circumstances. One by one, the tormentors die a brutal death but then the
killing goes on and on until the school and the entire community are in turmoil. A secret is revealed and that secret comes back as a ghost to haunt and fulfill a curse.
Producer Kim Yong-dae and Director Ahn Byung-ki have teamed up again to make this trilogy of
horror films: Nightmare, The Phone and Bunshinsaba. Again, the tried and tested formula is used; female ghost with long black hair dressed in
white robe spattered and dripping with blood, isolated places and cold thunder storms, suddenly loud music heralding the appearance of an ugly, deformed face with scary, staring
eyes, etc. etc., ad nauseum…. This format being used too often is predictable and getting to be tiresome. But Korean cinema has improved a lot in the visuals
department. The fact that Hollywood through Columbia Pictures has bought this movie for worldwide distribution is achievement enough.
Could a curse really bring death and misfortune to those cursed? Yes, says Bunshinsaba
and the spirit of a dead girl is brought back to haunt those who did wrong. In a mixed concoction of possession, re-incarnation, karma, occult practice, vengeance and the likes, the Asian and maybe universal practice of cursing and calling the spirits of the dead to wreck vengeance is re-told in this film. But Filipino Catholic culture has already condemned this practice. It is not Christian to summon the spirit of the dead or evil spirits; neither is it Christian to curse anybody. It is gratifying to see Yu-jin struggling and fighting hard to regain control of herself after witnessing the destructive forces of darkness getting out of control. Ultimately, the horror lies not in ghosts nor in spirits of the dead but in our inability to forgive and our desire to inflict revenge due to anger for wrongs done to us. Praying for our enemies and those who hurt or harm us many not be cinematic but is constructive and a better way to foster community relationship which would redound to the benefit of everyone concerned.
(Date Reviewed: 4 March 2005)
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