`Black House': Bloodbath Dilutes Suspense Factor

"The Black House"
(검은집; Geomeunjip)
Directed by Shin Tae-ra (신태라)
Starring Hwang Jung-min (황정민), Yu Sun (유선), Kang Shin-il (강신일)

Rusty, run down and remote except for the sporadic purr of a passing train, ``The Black House’’ is no haunted mansion but a sinister place where lies the darkest secret of a psychopath __ a monster devoid of any human feeling or conscience.

Featuring a dungeon with nooses hanging down from the ceiling and tainted tubs oozing with blood and dismantled limbs, and a psychopath nearing its next prey with a butcher’s knife while humming an eerie song, ``Black’’ offers chills and frill-free gore.

For portraying the ``truth’’ about psychopaths, the film touches upon some childhood trauma-related matters but gives a one-dimensional generalization. While ``Black’’ tries to strike your nerve by suggesting that there could be a psychopath living next door, it’s not so arresting.

As the thriller fathoms the depths of man’s ``fascination of the abomination,’’ the bloodbath dilutes some of the suspense factor. The film’s suspense factor is slightly drained as it relies more on gore to keep viewers aghast. Like ``master of suspense’’ Alfred Hitchcock famously said, ``there is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it.’’

But the film is deeply disturbing as it unravels from the eyes of a protagonist who is almost as disquieting as the psychopath. Hwang Jung-min (``You Are My Sunshine,’’ 2005) gives an impressive performance that shines through the heavy blood shower.

On his first day of work at a life insurance company, consultant Jun-oh (Hwang) answers a phone call from a woman asking about compensation for suicide. Only after hanging up does he see the employee handbook warning against revealing personal information and expressing sympathy to such inquirers.

A few days later, Jun-oh is lead to a decrepit house sitting in the outskirt of a sleepy neighborhood, where he finds a seven-year-old dead, hanging by the neck. But even more disconcerting is the darting glance of the boy’s stepfather, Park (Kang Shin-il).

Though all evidence point to suicide, Jun-oh is convinced otherwise and postpones the insurance payment. Park stops at nothing to recover his money. Discovering that Park’s wife, Shin (Yu Sun), is covered by a 300 million won plan, Jun-oh tries to warn her before another murder ensues.

As Jun-oh ventures on a harrowing journey to unlock the truth underlying ``the black house,’’ he must protect not only his life but that of his lover.

Based on the best-selling novel of the same title by Yusuke Kishi, ``Black’’ received much attention from international buyers at Cannes in May for its strong script and acting. A Japanese version of the film was made in 1999, and Dimension Film of the United States also plans to film the story.

Popular horror novelist Yusuke Kishi wrote the creepy tale based on his own experience at an insurance company. The writer is said to have expressed great surprise at Hwang Jung-min’s portrayal of Jun-oh, for the actor brought to life the precise image the author had in mind.

Hwang’s role as the unlikely life insurance consultant is probably the most amiable one after Mr. Incredible from Walt Disney’s ``The Incredibles’’ (2004). But his abnormal degree of sympathy is troubling.

Haunted by the skeletons in his own closet, Jun-oh goes out of his way to help others, endangering not only himself but his loved ones. As he battles the stoic psychopath, he desperately tries to locate a trace of humanity in the monstrous being.

This is the third Korea-Japan joint venture following the Cannes award-winning ``Old Boy’’ (2003) by Park Chan-wook and Asian box-office hit ``200 Pounds Beauty’’ (2006) starring Kim A-jung, both inspired by Japanese comic books and brought to screen by the best Korean filmmakers and actors.