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"The Ghost Station" (2022), also known as "Oksu Station Ghost," is a South Korean horror film that delves into the eerie and unsettling mysteries lurking beneath the surface of an ordinary subway station. It effectively blends urban legends with classic horror tropes, creating a chilling atmosphere that resonates with viewers. Here's a deeper look into the film: Core Narrative and Themes: * Urban Horror: * The film taps into the inherent anxieties associated with urban environments, particularly the often-crowded and anonymous spaces of public transportation. Subway stations, with their underground depths and constant flow of people, become breeding grounds for fear and speculation.

* It utilizes the concept of a haunted location, a staple of horror, and places it within a modern, relatable setting. This makes the horror feel more immediate and plausible.

* Investigative Mystery: * The narrative follows a reporter and a public service worker who are drawn into investigating strange occurrences at Oksu Station.

* Their pursuit of the truth unravels a dark history and a sinister presence, driving the suspense and revealing the film's deeper layers.

* Supernatural Elements: * The film incorporates supernatural elements, including ghostly apparitions and unexplained phenomena, to create a sense of dread.

* It draws inspiration from J-horror, with its emphasis on unsettling imagery and psychological horror, contributing to the film's overall effectiveness.

Key Aspects: * Atmosphere and Tension: * "The Ghost Station" excels at building a tense and unsettling atmosphere. The film uses lighting, sound design, and camera work to create a sense of unease and dread.

* The confined spaces of the subway station contribute to the feeling of claustrophobia and vulnerability.

* Story Origins: * The movie is adapted from a webtoon, which is a popular form of digital comic in South Korea. This gives the movie a good foundation in a pre existing story.

* Influences: * It is noted that the movie has strong influences from Japanese horror films. This is something that many viewers pick up on, and can be seen in the style of the ghostly apparitions, and the general feeling of dread.

Overall Impact: * "The Ghost Station" provides a solid and entertaining horror experience. Its ability to blend urban legends with classic horror elements makes it appealing to a wide audience.

* It is a good representation of modern south korean horror.

* While it may not break new ground in the horror genre, it delivers a satisfying dose of scares and suspense.

In essence, "The Ghost Station" is a well-crafted horror film that effectively utilizes its setting and narrative to create a chilling and memorable experience.

The plot, the horror, the soundtracks, the jump scares, the acting - everything in the quality of the movie is absolutely horrible. Even if everything was not absolutely horrible, there's still nothing good about this movie. This movie also looks like a super low-tier movie; you can feel it from the first scene of the movie. Goddamn.

But above all, the most absolutely terrible aspect is the jump scares. Like, goddamn. I'd understand if the other factors were terrible because of their budget or something. But the jump scare factor is the worst. There isn't a single creative or original idea in this movie. Even if you can't find an idea on how to be creative with a jump scare, at least try to add some twist to it.

I only watched this movie by coincidence because the movie I originally wanted to watch with my family had a corrupted file. I would not recommend this.

I guess the best I can say about this film is that it isn't too bad a way to spend the time. As I mention in the title, there honestly isn't anything special that really stands out about the story or the way it's done.

I mean, it's not awful, but basically just middle of the road. The overall story is mildly interesting, the point of what is actually happening and why is not a bad concept. It's just my lowly and wretched opinion that it probably could have been done with a bit more style and a deeper, more effective atmosphere.

The acting and everything is okay, nothing terrible. And yes, there are the usual jump scares, but that is honestly just about all there is to the actual mechanics of how the story is told.

It's kind of too bad too because like I mentioned before, the overall idea is actually pretty good, and rather creepy, really. But, I almost get the impression that the filmmakers, although probably somewhat talented, didn't really seem to spend a whole lot of time or thought in putting the film together.

So, not a terrible time waster, but nothing truly deserving a glowing recommendation either...

The Ghost Station is a rather mediocre supernatural mystery from South Korea.

While, there's nothing wrong with the acting or production quality...the story itself leaves a little room to be desired.

We find ourselves following a young journalist, whose friend witnesses a brutal suicide, at a train station he works at.

During the ordeal he sees a young child on the tracks.

So, intrigued by the incident, the young journalist decides to investigate the matter.

What follows is a convoluted investigation that leads her to uncover a dark secret, buried deep, from the past.

One which has left that particular train station cursed.

Hence the series of deaths that surround it.

Thus, what starts off as an investigative report...turns into a chance to free the trapped spirits of these lost, and vengeful, souls.

By helping them appease their grudge.

The film is clearly inspired by Japanese ghost stories like The Ring and The Grudge.

And it's a fine homage to those type of films.

But it just doesn't seem to hit as hard as it should.

So it comes off as relatively average in the end.

5 out of 10.

I had never heard about this 2022 South Korean horror mystery titled "Ogsuyeog Gwisin" (aka "The Ghost Station") prior to getting the chance to sit down and watch it here in 2023. And with my love of both the Asian cinema and horror cinema, of course it was a given that I had to watch this movie from director Yong-Ki Jeong.

However, my expectations and thrills for a possibly interesting horror movie were shot down not far into the movie. Writers Yong-ki Jeong and Soyoung Lee managed to put together a rather confusing heap of a dumpsterfire disguised as a horror movie. Yeah, the movie made very little sense and it was quite a struggle to sit through it. In fact, I gave up on the ordeal with just 30 minutes left to watch. But I have to admit that by then I was ready to claw my eyes out.

"Ogsuyeog Gwisin" was a swing and a miss, and for a South Korean horror movie it was sort of a farce. I assume because it was based on some Japanese material from Kôji Shiraishi and Hiroshi Takahashi, and the translation between the two cultures didn't really pan out all that well.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "Ogsuyeog Gwisin", but I have to admit that my interest in the narrative was so vague and gradually dissipating more and more with each passing minute the narrative trotted on. So I wasn't really impressed with what I saw, but I suppose that the acting performances were adequate, because none of them stood out as being amateurish or bad actually.

There were a couple of attempts at cheap jumpscares throughout the course of the 80 minutes that the ordeal lasted for. Not successful jumpscared, mind you, but at least director Yong-Ki Jeong tried.

If you enjoy South Korean horror movies, you might want to consider giving "Ogsuyeog Gwisin" a wide berth. Trust me, it is not worth the time, money or effort.

My rating of "Ogsuyeog Gwisin" lands on a generous three out of ten stars, and that is mostly because of the production value of the movie and the cinematography.