Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Horror film 'Guimoon' to bring chills to summer with immersive format
From left, actors Lee Jung-hyung and Kim So-hye, director Sim Deok-geun, and actors Hong Jin-ki and Kim Kang-woo pose during a media conference for the film “Guimoon: The Lightless Door,” held in Yongsan District, central Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of CJ CGV
By Lee Gyu-lee
By Lee gyu-lee
The upcoming horror film “Guimoon: The Lightless Door” is set to offer a tense chill to moviegoers around the world this summer with an immersive theater experience.
A poster for the film / Courtesy of CJ CGV
Director Director Sim Deok-geun's commercial debut comes amid great anticipation as it will be the first Korean film to be produced in three formats: 2D, ScreenX and 4DX.
ScreenX provides a 270-degree viewing experience with multi-projection on three walls, whereas 4DX adds a multi-sensory experience to ScreenX with moving seats and water and wind effects.
“2D gets viewers to focus on the film with a single screen. On the other hand, ScreenX and 4DX might diverge that focus a little, but instead, it offers a deep, momentary immersion,” the director said during a media conference for the film, held in Yongsan District, central Seoul, Tuesday. “So I tried to create a theme-park-like experience for the viewers as if they are actually in the film's scenes.”
The horror film takes place at an abandoned training center in a remote town, where the building manager murdered the guests and committed suicide in 1990. When suicides and unexplained deaths occur there every year following the killing spree, a shaman performs an exorcism but ends up being mysteriously killed.
The shaman's son Do-jin (Kim Kang?woo), the director of the Psychic Research Institute, decides to take matters into his own hands, and enters the building to find out about the door between worlds, called “Guimoon,” where he meets three college students ― played by Kim So-hye, Lee Jung-hyung and Hong Jin-ki.
The extensive panoramic view of the screen surrounds the viewers with the horrifying tone of the film. And the physical effects of the wind and moving nodes on the back of the seat adds in features for a real-life like experience of the abandoned building.
The film is scheduled to open in over 2,000 movie theaters around the world, including in the United States and Canada, and in European and Southeast Asian countries, on Aug. 18, along with the local theaters.
A scene from the film / Courtesy of CJ CGV
Chief producer Oh Yoon-dong, who handled technical production of the ScreenX and 4DX versions, said the film will resonate with global audiences, offering an experience that no previous horror films have done so before.
“The elements of this film are not specific to Koreans but also can be universal to a worldwide audience,” Oh said.
“Even though ScreenX was invented in Korea by CGV, there are more cinemas abroad than in the country, largely enjoyed by global moviegoers. They have always had a thirst for content specialized for ScreenX. And I believe this film is a perfect fit for that experience.”
This movie is the first horror genre work for actor Kim. He noted that it was more challenging to shoot the film, but felt it was worth it.
“It was a fun experience. It took a while to find my feet in the horror genre, but I think it has paid off,” he said. “Because it was such a new challenge, I had a hard time when I filmed the movie, but once I saw the final product, I was thrilled and thought I made the best choices in the film.”
Adding that the film is filled with dynamics and spine-tingling scenes, he said: “The story is intense so I hope the viewers will become immersed in that experience.”