The Grotesque Mansion

Been trying to find this movie to watch for awhile. Searching on Streaming (Tubi etc), it will not show up if you search Ghost Mansion. The cover and title reads The Night Shift. Enjoy. 🤘

'Ghost Mansion' is an anthology horror film in five parts tied together by all taking place in a haunted apartment complex, framed by an artist seeking inspiration for his horror comics. It's a solid entry into the anthology horror genre, although don't go in expecting something exceptional or even that memorable.

I guess 'mansion' must mean something different in Korea, because that is definitely an apartment complex. At least 'Ghost Mansion' is a much better title than the inexplicable 'The Night Shift' this movie gets flagged with in some English releases. If you avoided watching this because you thought it would be about a janitor working late nights in some building, fear not; there's not that much janitor content.

Some of the stories are straightforward, while others don't make much sense-which is okay. They may be insubstantial, but they provide plenty of steady, atmospheric build up and legitimately creepy scenes. That's exactly what I wanted out of a random Korean horror movie and I was not disappointed. The artist (or "webtoon artist" as he insists on calling himself, despite the implication that his comics are published in traditional print media) framing device works, and is developed just enough that it sells the "don't go in there" moment that are often so cheesy.

If you just want the kind of slow burn creepiness that Asian horror does so well, but broken up in bite sized chunks, this one is well worth a watch. It's just not particularly interesting or memorable.

"Goe-gi-maen-syon" is a horror anthology set in an old apartment building, the filming locations and art direction provide an unpleasant atmosphere very well done. The cinematography is good without being excellent. The direction is on point for much of the film and the acting is generally good, except for a few overacting actors. The script, which is divided into 4 segments and an epilogue, has its ups and downs.

Segment 1, "The Writer": The first story set in the apartment building is quite soulless and without any tension, the protagonist overreacts in some scenes and the script does not provide an explanation beyond the incongruous facts. A failed segment.

Segment 2, "The Pharmacist": The second segment manages to improve on the first. The story shows an interesting scene in which the pharmacist's boyfriend talks to her from the shower, only to find out later that something is wrong and that her boyfriend really barely comes home. The end result is not entirely satisfactory. In the trailer, scenes from this segment were shown making it look better than it really is.

Segment 3, "The Seller": It is during this third segment that the film begins to improve. The story depicts the bizarre relationship between a real estate guy and a mannequin he treats as his wife. His kitchen sink begins to cause problems that lead the protagonist to think that there is a black hole in there. Without being entirely excellent, this segment is interesting.

Segment 4, "The Student": The last story is the most interesting and best achieved. A young man returns to South Korea after studying abroad, soon becoming a guest of a friend of his in an apartment in the haunted building. His friend seems to have poor hygiene and the apartment is full of mold. The script is quite good and interesting, also the acting of the protagonist is excellent. The best story was left for last.

Epilogue: One more story that serves to tell the reason why the building is haunted. The script has good moments and the suspense is present. Without being a marvel, it manages to entertain.

"Goe-gi-maen-syon" is not a masterpiece, but it manages to hold interest throughout its duration.

A horror story writer did some research into an obsolete apartment building to get a story idea. The apartment building holds a mystery and horror story that has become the fruit of people's lips.

Korean films never give a different and interesting touch in each genre of film. Including horror films that never fail and always give a scary and terrible horror feel. Ghost Mansion provides a unique story in it in one story that is interrelated in it. With the story of a cartoonist who is looking for horror story ideas, Ghost Mansion provides a scary horror story in it as many as five horror stories as a story plot. Each story is able to provide a good horror atmosphere. Although it doesn't bring up many ghosts, the scary impression is still felt. The scary impression refers to the jump scare scene that fits snugly into the storyline. As well as the supportive music of the horror scene. Coupled with the ending of the movie which becomes an unexpected plot twist.

The Korean/Chinese/Japanese horror films really have a certain feel to them, this one did not disappoint. There were some jump scares here and there, but most were predictable. Still a pretty decent watch but the run time could have been cut down a little.