Death Bell, 2008

The Belko Experiment, this film reminded me of The Belko Experiment and the Saw Franchise, set up in a classroom and the corridor of a school in Korea, with kids in uniform and then in arms when things start to go South.

Confusing, inspired by the West, dangerously derivative, moving in sweeping meanders around the easily negligible and a rather forced ghost story, Death Bell is (after a very long time) a Korean outing that is easily forgotten. It has pedestrian written all over Mr. Chang-wook‘s (Lee Beom-soo) face.

It also reminded me of Eiichiro Hasumi‘s live action take on the Japanese Anime, Assassination Classroom, which is brilliant. However this one is too preoccupied by its own brittle assumptions and the fact that director Chang (never trust a film whose director does not have a second name) barely knows how to put an entire film together in post-production, creating a state of disarray, which meddles with the feature so much that you want it to end as soon as it would.

Gotta… Update… FB… Status….

This is one barren feature; unenthusiastic, devoid of tension, bereft of suspense or a fulfilling ending. If you would like to watch it for the gore, leave it be; the film makes you think it’s bloody and all fucking John (I want to play a game) Kramer with industrial tools. It is nothing like that.

So, um, run

Not even close. Sad.

Much disappointed.