The spiral of paranoia and blurring of the boundaries between reality and illusion is brilliantly emphasized by the visuals, reminiscent of giallo, the Italian version of crime fiction. For almost every seemingly ordinary scene, cinematographer Jeong Pil-shi strives to give a unique elegance
Author: Mariusz Czernic
South Korea’s political situation in the late 1970s and early 1980s was extremely tense and turbulent. It was a time of an authoritarian regime, intense economic transition, and brutal repression of pro-democracy movements. These events had a huge impact on culture, especially cinema, which was subjected to the control of the censors but nevertheless gave space for the creativity of filmmakers. One manifestation of this creativity was the horror genre, which developed tentatively, allowing filmmakers to explore the dark aspects of the human psyche. A prime example is “Suddenly in the Dark” (dir. Go Young-nam), which is not only a classic horror flick but also a reflection of social anxieties related to family and marriage problems. The anxieties and conflicts stifling individuals can easily be transferred to the broader context of society as a whole.
The plot focuses on three characters—one man and two women—but this is enough to create dense tension on screen. Kang Yu-jin (Yoon Il-bong) is a university lecturer and entomologist whose specialty is butterflies. Unexpectedly, among the slides depicting his findings is a photo of a wooden doll presumably used for shamanic rituals. The mysterious prop arouses anxiety, especially in the scientist’s wife, Seon-hee (Kim Young-ae), for whom it’s a harbinger of evil. The motif recurs with the arrival at the estate of 19-year-old Mi-ok (Lee Ki-seon), whom Yu-jin has brought back from another research trip—apparently, he was catching more than just butterflies. The presence of the young girl introduces a new dynamic in the relationships between the characters.
Mi-ok’s mother was a shaman who died in a temple fire. Before she died, she handed her daughter “for protection” a wooden figurine that acted as a spirit tablet during rituals. According to Far Eastern beliefs, the soul of the deceased resides in such a tablet. Here, there is even a reference to a goddess of the seas, and thus someone endowed with immense power. More than once in the film, there is also a statue of two snakes shaped in the form of an incomplete heart, as if symbolizing the combination of love and destruction. Hired as a housemaid, Mi-ok becomes the reason for the jealousy and anxiety of 30-year-old Seon-hee and, at the same time, a mirror in which the desires, emotions, and darkness of the characters’ minds are reflected.
Slowly but effectively, screenwriter Yoon Sam-yuk creates an atmosphere of growing unease, gradually revealing the complexity of the relationships between the characters, also building a pretty solid foundation for an effective climax set during a stormy night. The placement of psychological nuances in the plot makes each scene deep and emotionally engaging. Many scenes are structured in such a way that it’s unclear whether the paranoia Seon-hee undergoes is the result of real threats or mental illness. Mi-ok embodies youth, beauty, and eroticism: what Seon-hee has lost in her married life. This is a source of frustration, jealousy, and fear of losing her family (in addition to her husband, she also has a daughter, Gyeong-ah).
The interplay of everyday routines and supernatural forces creates a striking contrast. The spiral of paranoia and blurring of the boundaries between reality and illusion is brilliantly emphasized by the visuals, reminiscent of giallo, the Italian version of crime fiction. In nearly every seemingly ordinary scene, cinematographer Jeong Pil-shi strives to create a unique elegance by employing a rich color palette and varied perspectives and camera angles. In the space separating the lens and the actors, it isn’t uncommon for set pieces to be placed to enhance the scenes, adding depth and enhancing the sense of claustrophobia and isolation. The zone of darkness between reality and illusion is perfectly conveyed by kaleidoscopic shots full of hypnotic color patterns, symbolizing the emotional disarray, characters’ confusion, and inability to grasp the whole truth.
The entire psychological layer of the film is based on the capital acting performances, especially the female ones. Kim Young-ae, playing the role of Seon-hee, credibly portrayed the psychological destabilization of her character, moving smoothly from subtle gestures expressing anxiety to expressive moments of paranoia and hysteria. Lee Ki-seon, on the other hand, playing Mi-ok, skillfully balances innocence and darkness, able to suggest mystery and a demonic aura with a single glance. The actress, acting here as an ideal of beauty and a symbol of fleeting youth, also took part in erotic scenes full of explicit nudity.
“Suddenly in the Dark” draws inspiration from the classic Korean work titled “The Housemaid” (1960, dir. Kim Ki-young), adding a handful of Far Eastern beliefs and shamanic practices, offering sensations like in the wildest and most psychedelic European horror movies, for example, from the giallo trend. In the finale, the filmmakers serve up a scene of smashing down a door with a sharp tool, reminiscent of a memorable scene from Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980), and then we get a sequence reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” (1963), but with butterflies as the aggressors.
This Korean picture impresses with its visual flair, intrigues, and grips thanks to a coherent vision that combines the real world (with its mental or marital crises) with the spiritual realm (where belief in objects of great power reigns supreme). A fascinating psychological horror enriched with metaphysical reflection and distinguished from Korean cinema of the time due to its erotic aura.
*In 2017, the film was released through Mondo Macabro in Blu-ray format. It’s also available for viewing on English-language Prime Video.
„Suddenly in the Dark” (1981, South Korea)
Director: Young Nam Ko
Writer: Sam-yuk Yoon
Cast: Il-bong Yun, Kim Young Ae, Lee Ki-seon.
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