Red Shoes DVD: Review By IrishBlood

Outstanding ghost film from South Korea based loosely on the Hans Christian Andersen tale of the same name. After catching her distant husband cheating on her, a woman takes her young daughter and moves into a shabby run down apartment to start life anew. One evening, while sitting on the subway home from work, she finds a pair of striking pink shoes that she takes home with her. Soon, she and everyone who comes into contact with the shoes begin to see eerie visions of (you guessed it) long haired female ghosts with heads bowed. But they also begin to lose a grip on their personalities becoming consumed by greed and jealously and acting violently towards one another.

Hye-su Kim, who plays the lead role, is astonishingly good as the manic and confused mother trying to both protect and abuse her child. The film boasts a strong script with some good dialogue (even through the translation) and takes its time unwinding the story. The pace is deliberate, but never dull and never too slow.

As with much Asian horror, the visuals are stunning and the cinematography is excellent. At times, there is such a strong Dario Argento influence in some of the death scenes that one might be tempted to call it an "homage". Some of these scenes are so remarkably complex and elaborate that the comparison is almost funny.

But there is also a older 1960's vibe, especially when the main character on screen are the shoes themselves. The angles get jaunty and twisted, the music altering between church organ and staccato electronic sounds. Very cool.

And despite the fact that you've seen these ghosts over and over and over, it totally works here. The final scene is truly amazing and terrifying as Hye-su Kim convincingly moves into a trance of absolute fear upon meeting one of the most gruesome ghosts I've ever seen on film (despite the fact that it kind of looks like the dude from Satyricon).

Great film.

Chlling and smart ghost story with excellent style and a truly scary ending.