Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Lee Jung-hyun returns with laughter-inducing thriller 'Night of the Undead'
From left, actors Kim Sung-oh, Seo Young-hee, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Mi-do and Yang Dong-geun pose after a press conference for the film “Night of the Undead” held in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of The Contents On
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Director Shin Jung-won, a pioneer in mixing genres such as horror and comedy in box-office hits “To Catch a Virgin Ghost,” “Chaw” and “Ghost Sweepers,” has returned to directing in eight years with the comedy thriller “Night of the Undead.”
Lee Jung-hyun stars as So-hee who thought she was in a great relationship with her husband Man-gil (Kim Sung-oh) until she discovers that he had been married three times, cheated on her countless times and is “unbreakable,” and is from outer space.
Taking on the appearances of humans, the so-called “unbreakables” have arrived on Earth to collect human DNA samples and then manufacture a tailor-made virus that will exterminate the human race.
When Man-gil realizes that his identity has been exposed, he tries to kill his wife. So-hee teams up with her high school friends Sera (Seo Young-hee) and Yang-sun (Lee Mi-do) and detective Jang (Yang Dong-geun) to kill her husband. However, Man-gil doesn't fall for any of her traps and keeps coming back to life because he's “unbreakable.”
Filmmaker Zhang Hang-jun, who produced “Forgotten” and “Break Out,” originally penned the script for “Night of the Undead.” It later found its way to Shin, who then added his typical comedic flair to it.
“The storyline strongly appealed to me. Because the original screenplay was written more than a decade ago, I added some imaginative elements and gender-related issues that reflect modern times,” Shin said during a press conference for the film in Seoul, Tuesday.
The cast said they joined the project because they had respect for Shin, whose films are filled with wit and imagination.
“My first reaction upon reading the script was 'what is this?' The storyline was bizarre, but it was so fresh and funny. My desire to play various roles and my respect for Shin made me want to star in this film,” Kim said.
“I've been a long-time fan of Shin since his debut feature film To Catch a Virgin Ghost. I think his films have genuinely funny scenes that make us laugh out loud,” Lee said.
Shin's films cannot be defined by only one or two genres. “Night of the Undead” features nearly all genres, ranging from sci-fi, horror, drama, thriller, supernatural mystery and romance in one story.
Certain characters and plot twists are never explained and feel more like they were inserted to simply move the film along to the next scene. However, the laughter-inducing lines and great acting fill the void.
Yang, who adds to the hilarity with his funny faces, said he was dead serious on set.
“I'm a very serious person in real life and on set, but my co-stars and director found my appearance funny, which led to a lot of laughter,” he said. “I enjoyed every element of playing detective Jang, and I hope this film will be much loved by audiences during the Chuseok holiday.”
“Night of the Undead” will hit local theaters, Sept. 29.