Phone (film)
Encyclopedia
Phone is a 2002
South Korea
n horror film directed and written by Ahn Byeong-ki
and starring Ha Ji-Won
and Kim Yu-Mi. The film is a complex and disturbing love story that involves possession and ghosts.
A young journalist, Ji-won has exposed an underage sex scandal. Her editor Ho-jeong warns her to keep a low profile until the men implicated can be tried. In this vein, the journalist purchases a cell phone with an unregistered phone number, and accepts an offer by the editor and her sister's husband Chang-hoon to move into their unused new house in order to keep a low profile for a few days. Ji-won begins to receive mysterious and disturbing phone calls. One of these calls is answered by the editor's daughter, Yeong-ju, who begins to act strangely afterwards and seems to develop an Electra complex
.
The journalist examines the call records and by chance discovers that those who previously had her number have all died under mysterious circumstances (the girl in the elevator from the opening scene was one of these previous owners). The mysterious phone calls to Ji-won continue; she can decipher that they are from a female voice who is screeching about a man with whom she is very angry, but she does not know who or why.
Ji-won learns that the first number holder was a high school girl Jin-hie who went mysteriously missing. By talking to her friends, Ji-won finds out that this girl was madly in love with a man, whom she refused to name to her friends. All the while, Yeong-ju becomes more aggressive toward her mother and makes romantic advances toward her father.
Ji-won discovers that was Jin-hie was having an affair with Chang-hoon (whose favorite piece of music is Moonlight Sonata) through Jin-hie's diary.
Ji-won went back to her place to find that her laptop showing the same number again (Jin-hie's number) and her cell phone was ringing. She answered her phone and screamed while holding her ears. She tries to pluck off the power cable of her laptop from the socket only to find that the socket is connected to a bundle of hairs. She pulls the hair and the wall starts to crumble and a body behind the wall is uncovered. Ji-won uncoveres the face of the body and is shocked to find that it is Jin-hie's.
We see a flashback on how Ho-jeong found out about her husband's scandal. After she found the cell phone that Jin-hie gave him, she lured Jin-hie to the park at night and brought her to her house while her husband went on a business trip. There, Ho-jeong asked Jin-hie to abort her pregnancy but Jin-hie refused and insulted Ho-jeong about her infertility.
Jin-hie becomes angry and attempts to strangle Ho-jeong, but Ho-jeong manages to push her away, down the stairs. Jin-hie's cell phone rings, and Ho-jeong tries to pick up the phone, but is surprised when Jin-hie suddenly stands up and walks towards her. Cornered, Ho-jeong picks up a small statue and hits Jin-hie in the head. Ho-jeong tries to take the phone away from the now dead Jin-hie, but she holds it tightly, probably due to cadaveric spasm
.
Back in the present, in the same location,during the final confrontation, Ho-jeong tells Ji-won about her jealousy toward fertile women and told her to keep her mouth shut. Ho-jeong then gave Ji-won an electric shock that caused her to become unconscious. She then ties Ji-Won up, blind folds her, then gags her with duct tape.
Chang-hoon is lying in a bathtub filled with water with a piece of broken mirror stabbed on a deep cut on his wrist. From the reflection of the broken mirror, we saw Ho-jeong who then went to get accelerant
. She went back to the room where Ji-won was and poured the accelerant on Ji-won and Jin-hie. She was preparing to torch Ji-won and Jin-hie's corpse, but the lighter kept blowing off. When she managed to keep the lighter lit up, Jin-hie's body started to move within the walls. Ho-jeong was shocked and fell on the floor while Ji-won regained her consciousness and tried to break free.
In the morning Ji-won woke up and her hand was freed. She saw Ho-jeong lying dead behind the curtain but Jin-hie's body remained planted on the wall.
Ji-won throws the troublesome mobile phone off a cliff. As the phone enters the water it begins to ring.
n remake with a 2010 releasing, Imprint talks current with Mirovision over the co-financing.
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n horror film directed and written by Ahn Byeong-ki
Ahn Byeong-ki
Ahn Byeong-ki is a South Korean film director, producer, and screenwriter specializing in horror films. His representative horror works are Phone and Bunshinsaba while his non-horror produced movies involve Speedy Scandal and Sunny.- Filmography :-External links:* from www.koreafilm.co.kr * at...
and starring Ha Ji-Won
Ha Ji-won
Ha Ji-won was born Jeon Hae-rim on 28 June 1978. She is a South Korean actress. She is also the Grand Prize winner of 2006 KBS Acting Awards for her performance in TV drama Hwang Jin-i.- Career :...
and Kim Yu-Mi. The film is a complex and disturbing love story that involves possession and ghosts.
Plot
A young, frightened woman runs into an elevator. Her cell phone rings, the elevator stops, and the lights flicker. She screams to be left alone, and claws at the walls.A young journalist, Ji-won has exposed an underage sex scandal. Her editor Ho-jeong warns her to keep a low profile until the men implicated can be tried. In this vein, the journalist purchases a cell phone with an unregistered phone number, and accepts an offer by the editor and her sister's husband Chang-hoon to move into their unused new house in order to keep a low profile for a few days. Ji-won begins to receive mysterious and disturbing phone calls. One of these calls is answered by the editor's daughter, Yeong-ju, who begins to act strangely afterwards and seems to develop an Electra complex
Electra complex
In Neo-Freudian psychology, the Electra complex, as proposed by Carl Gustav Jung, is a girl’s psychosexual competition with mother for possession of father. In the course of her psychosexual development, the complex is the girl’s phallic stage formation of a discrete sexual identity; a boy’s...
.
The journalist examines the call records and by chance discovers that those who previously had her number have all died under mysterious circumstances (the girl in the elevator from the opening scene was one of these previous owners). The mysterious phone calls to Ji-won continue; she can decipher that they are from a female voice who is screeching about a man with whom she is very angry, but she does not know who or why.
Ji-won learns that the first number holder was a high school girl Jin-hie who went mysteriously missing. By talking to her friends, Ji-won finds out that this girl was madly in love with a man, whom she refused to name to her friends. All the while, Yeong-ju becomes more aggressive toward her mother and makes romantic advances toward her father.
Ji-won discovers that was Jin-hie was having an affair with Chang-hoon (whose favorite piece of music is Moonlight Sonata) through Jin-hie's diary.
Ji-won went back to her place to find that her laptop showing the same number again (Jin-hie's number) and her cell phone was ringing. She answered her phone and screamed while holding her ears. She tries to pluck off the power cable of her laptop from the socket only to find that the socket is connected to a bundle of hairs. She pulls the hair and the wall starts to crumble and a body behind the wall is uncovered. Ji-won uncoveres the face of the body and is shocked to find that it is Jin-hie's.
We see a flashback on how Ho-jeong found out about her husband's scandal. After she found the cell phone that Jin-hie gave him, she lured Jin-hie to the park at night and brought her to her house while her husband went on a business trip. There, Ho-jeong asked Jin-hie to abort her pregnancy but Jin-hie refused and insulted Ho-jeong about her infertility.
Jin-hie becomes angry and attempts to strangle Ho-jeong, but Ho-jeong manages to push her away, down the stairs. Jin-hie's cell phone rings, and Ho-jeong tries to pick up the phone, but is surprised when Jin-hie suddenly stands up and walks towards her. Cornered, Ho-jeong picks up a small statue and hits Jin-hie in the head. Ho-jeong tries to take the phone away from the now dead Jin-hie, but she holds it tightly, probably due to cadaveric spasm
Cadaveric spasm
Cadaveric spasm, also known as instantaneous rigor, cataleptic rigidity, or instantaneous rigidity, is a rare form of muscular stiffening that occurs at the moment of death, persists into the period of rigor mortis and can be mistaken for rigor mortis...
.
Back in the present, in the same location,during the final confrontation, Ho-jeong tells Ji-won about her jealousy toward fertile women and told her to keep her mouth shut. Ho-jeong then gave Ji-won an electric shock that caused her to become unconscious. She then ties Ji-Won up, blind folds her, then gags her with duct tape.
Chang-hoon is lying in a bathtub filled with water with a piece of broken mirror stabbed on a deep cut on his wrist. From the reflection of the broken mirror, we saw Ho-jeong who then went to get accelerant
Accelerant
Accelerants play a major role in chemistry. Most chemical reactions can be hastened with an accelerant. Accelerants alter a chemical bond, speed up a chemical process, or bring organisms back to homeostasis. Accelerants are not necessarily catalysts as they may be consumed by the process...
. She went back to the room where Ji-won was and poured the accelerant on Ji-won and Jin-hie. She was preparing to torch Ji-won and Jin-hie's corpse, but the lighter kept blowing off. When she managed to keep the lighter lit up, Jin-hie's body started to move within the walls. Ho-jeong was shocked and fell on the floor while Ji-won regained her consciousness and tried to break free.
In the morning Ji-won woke up and her hand was freed. She saw Ho-jeong lying dead behind the curtain but Jin-hie's body remained planted on the wall.
Ji-won throws the troublesome mobile phone off a cliff. As the phone enters the water it begins to ring.
Cast
- Ha Ji-wonHa Ji-wonHa Ji-won was born Jeon Hae-rim on 28 June 1978. She is a South Korean actress. She is also the Grand Prize winner of 2006 KBS Acting Awards for her performance in TV drama Hwang Jin-i.- Career :...
(Ji-won, a young journalist) - Kim Yu-mi (Ho-jeong)
- Choi Woo-jae (Chang-hoon)
- Choi Ji-yeon (Jin-hie, a disturbed schoolgirl)
- Eun Seo-woo (Yeong-ju, Ji-won's young niece)
- Choi Jeong-yoon
Remake
Imprint Entertainment planned an AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n remake with a 2010 releasing, Imprint talks current with Mirovision over the co-financing.
External links
- Phone script (dead link)