Korean Horror: A Tale of Two Sisters (35mm)
October 8, 2023
Korean Horror Film Talk & Screening Series
A young girl returns home with her sister after being released from a psychiatric hospital, but disturbing events surrounding their stepmother hint at something haunting their family. Presented on 35mm.
Related Event
Korean Horror: Week 1 - Ghosts & Specters
In week one, we’ll start thinking about Korean horror through genre by diving into the traditional trope of the female ghost in A Tale of Two Sisters (2004) and Memento Mori (1999).
After undergoing treatment for shock and psychosis at a psychiatric hospital, teen girl Su-mi is relieved to return home to her younger sister, Su-yeon. But their happy reunion is short-lived, as soon after, Su-mi begins having bizarre visions that seem to revolve around their suspiciously cold stepmother. Who—or what—is haunting their home? Though adapted from a Korean folktale, A Tale of Two Sisters found global popularity as the one of the first Korean films to receive a wide US/UK theatrical and DVD release. A true classic, its gothic, psychological, tragic, and ambiguous frights would define Korean horror for a generation of filmmakers and audiences.
Content Advisory: Depiction of suicide, psychological terror, ghosts, blood, jump scares.
- Director: Kim Jee-woon
- Principal Cast: Lim Soo-jung, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Kap-su, Moon Geun-young, Mi-hyeon Park
- Country: South Korea
- Year: 2003
- Running Time: 114 min.
- Producer: Jeong-wan Oh, Ki-min Oh
- Screenplay: Kim Jee-woon
- Cinematographers: Mo-gae Lee
- Editors: Im-Pyo Ko, Hyeon-mi Lee
- Language: Korean
- Format: 35mm