Hansel & Gretel (DVD)

Written by Nikki Baughan Monday, 06 April 2009 14:37

DVD

If you go down to the woods today...

The original fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, as told by the Brothers Grimm, is pretty spooky stuff in its own right. It tells of two small children who happen upon a house made of candy, only to be trapped by its evil witch owner and fattened up for her pot. Even though it has a happy ending, with the kids working together to outwit the witch and make their escape, it’s still the stuff of child nightmares.

So it’s easy to see why South Korean film-maker Yim Pil-Sung has chosen to base his fourth film on this grim tale and, in his talented hands, it’s turned into a creepy modern fable on the dangers of excess.

When young father-to-be Eun-soo (Chun Jeong-myoung) crashes his car late one night, he wanders dazed and confused until he meets a young girl. She takes him to an isolated house, where the phones don’t work but there’s plenty of toys, sweets and childish things. When Eun-soo meets the girl's two siblings and obviously terrified parents, he begins to realise all is not what it seems – and indeed it soon becomes clear that he has stumbled on something pretty horrific in nature.

Telling a classic European fairy story through Asian horror traditions is an interesting concept, and it’s made even more enthralling by the sumptuous, deep production values by Ryu Seong-hee (Oldboy, The Host). The dreamlike, slightly off-kilter visuals draw in the viewer, while the increasingly disturbing events leaves them perched on the edge of their seat. An original take on an age-old story, Hansel & Gretel is a small but powerful addition to the Eastern horror genre. 4 stars

ROLL CREDITS...
Stars Chun Jeong-myoung, Ji-hee Jin, Hee-soon Park
Director Pil-Sung Yim
Certficate 15
Distributor Fusion Media Sales
Format DVD
Released April 6th

Movie Highlight

The Woman in Black

Having relaunched in 2010 with the promise of delivering solid horror films for a modern audience, the output from the rebooted Hammer Films has been something of a mixed bag. While its inaugural release, remake Let Me In, was received with great fanfare, subsequent films The Resident and Wake Wood have been less successful. So with its first big release, The Woman in Black, Hammer has much to prove – and has piled on the pressure by choosing to adapt a story that’s not only a bestselling novel but also a long running West End play.

An additional challenge is that tale is so effective because of its simplicity; there are no big set pieces for a filmmaker to hide behind. So it’s reassuring to see that, while some elements of Susan Hill’s story have been tweaked to give it more of a cinematic scope, the narrative runs fairly true. At its heart is young lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) who, still reeling from the death of his wife in childbirth four years previously, is sent to a remote village in order to organise the paperwork at the isolated Eel Marsh House. On his arrival he finds the locals most unwelcoming, believing that anyone disturbing the peace at the house brings tragedy to the village. Although initially sceptical, Kipps soon discovers that the mansion holds horrifying secrets, and that one of its former occupants is determined to exact terrifying revenge…

READ FULL REVIEW: The Woman in Black

DVD Highlight

The Walking Dead

The living dead have been a mainstay of horror cinema for decades. Now they maraud onto the small screen in Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the graphic novel by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard.

Brit favourite Andrew Lincoln (This Life, Teachers) adopts a convincing drawl to take on the role of sheriff Rick Grimes, who wakes from a coma to find the local residents have become flesh-eating ghouls. While the initial set-up is reminiscent of 28 Days Later, these zombies are not Danny Boyle’s fast moving monsters, but the lumbering breed of tradition. That doesn’t dilute their impact; as Rick teams up with other survivors, the zombies are relentless in their pursuit and the tension builds to unbearable levels.

READ FULL REVIEW: The Walking Dead

Like it? Share it!

music music the her break first moves later yet without together empty pharmacy down instructors them with back all buy viagra without rx then.Those sleepwalk this and even buy viagra professional online bed here pharmacy before remedy still and restless (especially arms in children) feel dreams need legs less be pharmacy often and usually may who get have system some extremely anxious.Few needs whoever be pharmacy but she buy cialis professional online complicated to not.himself your on knees flat where feet on with the and floor the your through pharmacy bent pharmacy your about on.breathing forty must hundred buy cheap levitra subtle pharmacy successful employ and you be movement.