Prior to the late '90s boom, South Korea wasn't exactly a hot spot for
international cinema exports. The odd picture might leak out, almost by
accident, but there was no kind of recognizable steady stream of cinema
coming out of the war torn country like we saw from its neighbors in Japan
and China. As a result, many people's knowledge of Korean cinema –
including my own – is limited to the post-boom era of filmmakers like Park
Chan-wook, Kim Ji-woon, and Kim Ki-duk. However, leave it to cult
taste-makers Mondo Macabro to pry open the mystery box of pre-'90s Korean
cinema and fish out a gem like 1981's Suddenly in the Dark
.
A college professor and his wife and child live an quiet life on their own
when one day the professor brings home a stranger to live in as a nanny for
his daughter. The girl, Mi-ok, is a country bumpkin with no family who has
no real possessions apart from a wooden shaman doll that always seems to
pop up at the most inopportune times. While the professor is away gathering
butterflies or lecturing his classes, Mi-ok and the professor's wife,
Seon-hee begin a mysteriously adversarial relationship that ultimately
leads to the wife suspecting her husband of having an affair with his
nubile young employee. What follows is a psychedelic nightmare of sexual
depravity and jealousy as Seon-hee and Mi-ok have it out, all while
supernatural forces torment Seon-hee and her family.
Mondo Macabro is one of my go to labels when it comes to curation and
uncovering forgotten gems. They have an almost perfect record of releasing
films that I've never heard that then quickly become personal favorites and Suddenly in the Dark might be one of their finest
discoveries yet. The film is completely insane, over the top in a way that
might be best described as east asian giallo, but borrows just as much from
a film like Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin as it does
from Argento's Inferno. It takes the madness and mental
anguish from Lizard and pumps it through the supernatural
filter of Inferno and delivers an exceptional experience
that is very difficult to forget.
These days we've grown accustomed to Korean films and filmmakers pushing
the envelope in terms of the amounts of sex and violence we can see on the
big screen, but Suddenly in the Dark shows that they were
pushing boundaries back in 1981. While in the US we were busy wading
through a glut of mediocre to poor slasher films, all with very similar
cookie cutter plots, Suddenly in the Dark shows that Korea had other things
on its mind, even if the film was largely accepted to be a mere potboiler
horror film at the time. The political climate and easing of social mores
in the early '80s made Suddenly in the Dark a hit, even as
it dug deep into the Korean psyche to expose its uglier, more fearful and
violent side.
One of the most fascinating elements in the film is the exploration of the
divide between rural and urban Korea and the kind of attitude toward
country folks, like Mi-ok, of the wealthier upper classes, represented here
by the professor and his wife. Mi-ok comes from rural Korea where her
mother participated in witchcraft and shamanistic rituals, the kind of
thing that a modern Korean would find superstitious and silly. As the story
unfolds, we discover that it is those rituals that ultimately led to
Mi-ok's placement in the house, and even though Seon-hee dismisses it as
hokum, it comes back to bite her in a big way.
Suddenly in the Dark
is an exceptional horror film. Smart, sexy, violent, and prescient, the
movie is never boring, and through all of the madness and terror still
manages to enlighten the viewer about a society that spent a very long time
in the dark.
The Disc:
As we've come to expect from Mondo Macabro, Suddenly in the Dark is a beautiful disc. The HD transfer
from the original negative shines on the disc, with fine detail, contrast,
and especially the explosive color palette all impressing greatly. The mono
audio track is also quite good, with the film's dialogue sharing the single
track with FX and other ambient sound very nicely. Altogether a very solid
disc.
While the film itself is more than enough to impress, Mondo Macabro did not
skimp on the bonus materials for this release and they have included a pair
of fascinating interviews on the disc that are not to be missed. First up
is a discussion of Suddenly in the Dark and its director
Go Yeong-nam by Korean critic and scholar Kim Bong-seok. Kim talks about
the film's place not only in Korean cinema as one of the biggest hits of
its time, but also its place in the long career of the director, who made
over one hundred other films. It's a very interesting look at a part of
Korean film history that still hasn't been talked about much outside of the
region. The other interview is with producer David Suh who describes the
production, the director, and the climate in which the film was released,
eventually giving up the tidbit that he has a remake of the film in the
works, an idea that I don't entirely hate. Last up on the disc is a gallery
of '80s Korean horror VHS tape artwork that is as brutal and frequently
tacky as anything out of Japan or the US. Not much context to add to it,
but solid fun to watch.
Lastly, I was able to take a look at the now out of print limited edition
version of the Blu-ray which had an identical disc, but added a red case –
for those who like that kind of thing – and a booklet with essays from
Christopher William Koenig and our friend Grady Hendrix. Normally I
wouldn't spend a lot of time on content that is no longer available, but I
would be remiss if I didn't mention these wonderful and engaging essays.
Hendrix talks about the psycho sexual anxiety of the Korean nation during
the time frame that the film was made and the ways in which the director
was able to pick at that open wound. Koenig, on the other hand, talks more
about Go as a director and the history of Korean horror leading up to the
late '90s watershed moment of Whispering Corridors. Both
are wonderful, and well worth reading.
If you missed the limited edition, you aren't alone, they sold out very
quickly. I wouldn't worry too much, the Blu-ray for Suddenly in the Dark has a ton of great content to check
out and you will not be disappointed. However, next time around, definitely
get in early, because every single limited edition I've seen has been worth
the couple of extra bucks.
Suddenly in the Dark
is now available on Blu-ray through most major retailers.
