CCTV is a 2021 Korean horror film in which the truth behind a broadcasting network’s brutal massacre drama a decade ago is revealed by a YouTuber.
Written, directed and produced by Hong-ik Kim.
The Channel Mac production stars Won Choon-Gyu, Kim Danmi, Kwak Do-won, Kim Nak Gyoon, Lee Hee-hwa, Kwak Ji-sook, Hyung Joo Lee, Jang Moon-suk, Ki-Ryung Park, Shim Wan-bo and Kim Yeon-soo.
Plot:
An annoying YouTuber visits a woman locked up in a mental asylum to record a video about the events of a mass murder incident that occurred ten years prior dubbed the “CCTV incident”.
In this incident, which was captured via CCTV around the office where it occurred, a group of people working on a TV series are seemingly possessed by the ghost of a woman who committed suicide and wants to get revenge on them, with the girl in the asylum being the only one who survived…
Our review:
Honestly, even after watching the whole movie, I don’t think I could – with any confidence – provide a decent recap of what this film was about. It was such a mess, but then that’s almost to be expected from so much modern Korean horror.
The movie’s black-and-white presentation is pointless. It’s used to signify we are witnessing a “flashback” but the audience isn’t that stupid that they can’t work that out.
Due to the lack of quality English subtitles, it’s also a bit hard to understand if the movie is in chronological order or if there is a bit of Pulp Fiction-style storytelling going on here.
Nevertheless, it’s not all bad news. The movie has excellent audio. The sound mixing is one of the best in modern Korean horror, with great use of spooky effects and whispering to build some suspense and creeps.
And the way the main character is presented on camera when she is in the asylum is also very well done. The actress (Kim Dan-mi) has rather distinctive features that are exaggerated in the asylum scenes, adding to her character’s overall creepiness. Overall though, CCTV is a film best avoided.
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Reviews:
Technical specs:
1 hour 39 minutes
Original title:
ssi-ssi-ti-bi
Film facts:
The production started filming on March 3, 2014.
