The Closet is a 2020 South Korean horror film about a father searching for his missing daughter who seems to have vanished into the titular closet.
Written and directed by Kwang-bin Kim (making his feature debut), the Moonlight Film-Perfect Storm Film production stars Jung-woo Ha, Yool Heo and Nam-gil Kim.
Reviews:
” …really delivers on both horror and mystery. Also, it has a story that doesn’t shy away from some very heavy social realism. This alone makes the movie worth watching. The core horror elements feel somewhat similar to both The Ring and The Grudge which are Japanese horror classics. However, the plot in The Closet manages to still be new and relevant.” Heaven of Horror
“There is definitely scare imagery and scare scenes that you have seen before, but as the rest of the story is fairly original fair, they do not in any way spoil the enjoyment of the film. It does not make for awfully scary storytelling, but still gripping enough to keep you entertained till the end.” Horror News
“…Kwang-bin Kim crafts a haunting environment and marries it with the perfect score to create a subtly creepy character unto itself. Both Jung-woo Ha and Yool-Heo’s acting is skillful and moving. Nam-gil Kim’s character offers levity, and at times, even comic relief. Despite creating a fantastic set and featuring several solid acting talents, The Closet is peppered with plot holes and inconsistencies that compete against the actors for center stage.” Killer Horror Critic
“The Closet has more it wants to say about mental health and how we treat children, but the message doesn’t pack the punch it hopes to in its climax that sandwiches some tear-jerking moments in between its final scares […] So those willing to look past the tonal issues and if expectations aren’t too high, there is a decent level of enjoyment to be found in The Closet.” The Movie Beat
“The Closet suggests a familiarity with horror classics as diverse as Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw and Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist. Kim the screenwriter recognises the inherent terror in haunted houses and creepy children, but his talented cast is left flailing, as Kim the director proves incapable of conjuring a single significant scare of his own.” South China Morning Post
“On its surface, The Closet is a fairly straightforward horror film. A haunted house, ghosts, a closet that opens on its own accord, etc. Underneath though it has a lot to say about other things. Things like the demands of long hours demanded by many jobs are destroying family bonds. Child care and child abuse also play a large part in the story. Thankfully Kim never lets these overwhelm the film’s plot, but lets them add a layer of reality to the supernatural events.” Voices from the Balcony
“There are some jump scares in the film as well as some shocking moments involving Sang-Won entering the realm because they are somewhat unexpected but it’s the twist in this third act that really dishes out making this a worthy supernatural film.” World Film Geek
Release:
The film was released on February 5th 2020, in South Korea.
The Closet is released on DVD and On-Demand in the USA on December 15th 2020.
Cast and characters:
Jung-woo Ha … Sang-won
Yool Heo … I-na
Nam-gil Kim … Kyeong-hoon
Technical details:
97 minutes
