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The success of The Ring inspired Japan’s nearest neighbors to tell their own ghost stories, and South Korea certainly didn’t waste the opportunity in the mid-2000s. During this heyday of “K-Horror,” there was a burst of spectral yarns centered around cursed objects, haunted technology, and most of all, revenge. Homemade folklore often played a role as well, and filmmaker Ahn Sang-hoon looked to a classic Korean story for inspiration when putting together his debut.

A new and disturbing case awaits Detective Min So-young (Song Yoon-ah). In the 2006 crime-chiller Arang, a man’s charred corpse is discovered in the remains of a house fire, but his autopsy reveals he died before the fire broke out. And the reason for his death was a heart attack caused by prussic acid. What makes an already strange death even stranger is the addition of a second victim; another man later died from the same cause.

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Synopsis via AsianMediaWiki:

Sung-ryeol (Seung-won Cha) is a detective in charge of violent crimes. He is having an affair with his colleague’s wife, and it is the reason he loses his own son in a car accident. Wracked with guilt but unable to explain to his wife, Ji-yeon (Yun-ah Song), what happened on that day and why so she decides to go abroad. Ji-yeon comes home unexpectedly and insecurely one day, peaking Sung-ryeol’s curiosity. The next day, Sung-ryeol finds trace evidence that hints at his wife while investigating a murder scene. He presumes that his wife is connected to the case, and does all he can to keep her from being identified as a suspect. When an unidentified man shows up claiming to know Ji-yeon is involved and asking for money, the situation is made worse by Ji-yeon refusing to tell him any kind of truth.

Secret opens...