Customer Reviews

Witch Board Bunshinsaba

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up this DVD, "Bunshinsaba," along with about 14 other Korean and Japanese DVDs a few years ago when one of the Asian Video stores where I lived was relocating and having a bargain sale. All were new and in packaging: And since I never saw any of these horror films, and the price was great, I decided to purchase them. I don't regret it one bit. This is a very good film. I have seen my share of Korean and Japanese horror films, and think that the director, Byeong-ki Ahn, who also directed Nightmare [aka: Gawi] and "Phone" did an excellent job with this film. First of all, it was very different from many in the horror genre in terms of suspense and creepiness.

Some of my friends do not particularly care for this film, therefore, I would suggest you rent the film first. But I do think it is well worth the purchase. And although there are similar traits in this film as with other Asian horror films, this does not detract from the film one bit: due to the fact that this film is very well acted and directed. There is not too much scare factor in this film, [although it does have its share] as much as there is suspense. The film begins with a bullied classmate at an all-girls school named Lee Yu-jin (Se-eun Lee). Being fed up with the constant harassment, she decides to put a curse on the other girls who are picking on her. Moreover, two of her friends participate in this activity. They make a special numberboard; and after chanting the name 'Bunshinsaba' a few times, the curse is in effect.

The girls who were picking on them begin to die. A sort of self-suicide, as each student sets themselves on fire on different days. As these students begin to die one by one, the film veers towards another area at the school: The administration. It appears that the principal and his entire staff, along with the people of this town have been covering up a terrible deed from long ago. Yu-jin does not realize that a student was killed over 30-years-ago [no spoilers] and her name was Kim In-suk (Yu-ri Lee). Also, (Yu-ri Lee) did a very convincing role in her part. Plus, there is something peculiar with the new teacher in class, Lee Eun-ju (Gyu-ri Kim). There is more to her than meets the eye. The ghostly haunting and revenge in the film is great, and the conclusion is very good. If you like Asian horror, then I recommend this film highly. [Stars: 4.5]

I liked this film. It kept my attention, and the plot wasn't as confusing as other Asian films. "Bunshinsaba," however, is just like most of the Asian films circling around today. The CREEPINESS (not so much the plot) is very similar to "The Ring," and the "The Grudge," amoung others. But it works! No matter how many times I see movies with a female ghost and long black hair in her face, who walks funny and suddenly appears right behind you--- it still freaks me out! I also enjoyed the film, because although it is horror, it was also very sad.

This is korean horror at it's finest. The plot is good. The acting is good and the story line moves at a fast pace with little scary suprizes. It has a classic revenge theme featuring some young (and rather attractive) korean females which I thought was just fantastic! Highly recommended!

This movie was on the Sundance channel this weekend and I usually have a hard time with subtitles. I was completely sucked into this film. The suspense and "jumpy" moments were just right. No overkill. And the plot kept you wanting to watch it to the end. It kind of reminded me of The Lottery a little.

The theme has been done before, but it was still entertaining and I liked the characters.

I really enjoyed the three previous Witchboard movies that were released in the U.S., so I figured I would give this one a try. After all, the 3rd one was released in 1995, so I figured nine years later would be a nice touch into making it an awesome film. Wrong! This one is definitely unique from the other 3, I will admit that. It dosen't have as much scare as the other three previous films, and I found this one to be a little boring at times. The other 3 held my interest the whole time. I can't say I hated this film, because there are far worse films out there. I got it to complete my Wichboard collection and only viewed it twice. If you want it to complete your set, by all means go for it. But you won't want to view it more than twice. If you decide to buy it, try getting it at a cheap price. This one is an expensive title, but just isn't worth the price. Hopefully if another sequel is made, there will be a better plot and script. Something that will keep our attention.

OK..I LOVE ASIAN CULTURE, ASIAN FOOD AND MOST ASIAN PEOPLE; I STARTED WATCHING ASIAN EXTREME ON SUNDANCE CHANNEL AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE FILMS THEY SHOWED; I SCARE EASY AND THIS WAS SCARY. I LOVE IT! I WAS LEERY BECAUSE OF IGNORANCE, THAT ONLY AMERICAN FILM MAKERS COULD SCARE U; I WAS WRONG! THE FILM IS ABOUT A GIRL WHO IS BULLIED AT HER SCHOOL, SHE FORMS A CLUB AND BEGINS PICKING OFF HER ENEMIES ONE BY ONE( MOST ARE SET ON FIRE, ONE IS RAN OVER BY TRUCK); THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO STORIES AT WORK HERE. FIRST THE BULLIED GIRL, WHO IS A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG ACTRESS FROM KOREA, WHO MADE A COUPLE OTHER FILMS. ANYWAY, THE OTHER STORY IS SOMEWHAT OF A GHOST STORY; ABOUT A BLIND GIRL WHO IS BURNED ALIVE BY THE TOWNSPEOPLE WHO FEAR HER..IT TIES TOGETHER IN THE END TRUST ME. OVERALL, THE MOVIE IS VERY WELL DONE, AND HAS AN EXTRA C.D. OF BEHIND THE SCENES, OUT TAKES, ETC...AND YOU CAN SET IT FOR ENGLISH IF YOU WANT. THIS IS A TWO KERNAL POP CORN FILM, ENJOY AND DO NOT WATCH IT IN DARK...(IF YOU SCARE EASY)...BOO!

Bunshinsaba (Byeong-ki Ahn, 2004)

Mediocre and derivative Korean horror flick that draws on years of better work without offering anything new or interesting to the mix. Yu-jin (Se-eun Lee) and her mother move back to her mother's old village. In true outsider fashion, the local kids gang up on her, and she places a curse on the four ringleaders with a ouija board. (Does this sound familiar?) They start to die off, and Yu-jin has to figure out what she's done, and how to undo it, with the help of a couple of sympathetic teachers. It's not a terrible way to kill an hour and a half, because it has the usual Asian-horror-film atmosphere in spades, but if you grab another Tartan Asia Extreme flick off the shelf at random, you've got a pretty good chance of finding something scarier/more interesting/more original/etc. **

this film really surprised me...it was very creepy, the story line was so-so...but that is one angry ghost....very well done film....

This is NOT, as the previous reviewer suggested, part of the Whispering Corridors series. The other 3 are: memento mari, Wishing Stairs, and Voice Letter.
This film also follows a similar girls in school formula, but it really has more elements in common with the One Missed Call 3 DVD series, and The Eye.
Three girls summon a spirit from chanting and a piece of paper, to go after the enemies on their list. Their enemies are nasty girls who pick on them, the lead character in particular. Everything gets out of control when one girl peeks. It then flashes to a completely different scene in the future and continues from then on with a few flashbacks. The bad girls start dying by catching on fire. Soon, her friends betray her, and the rest of the girls try to escape only to be killed one by one. That is when the story of a mistreated student from the past comes to light...could she be the spirit the girls summoned? What does she want?