K-Drama Flashback: ‘Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum’

Another nail-biting, spine-chilling experience while watching Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum – this time with my headphones on, being submerged in the creepy ambiance, admirably effective convergence of light and sound, let alone the foley audio – is undeniably the genesis of this flashback piece. I watched Gonjiam for the second time late last night, and I assume that the sense of dread it instilled in me will linger for a while. It has the potential to scare the crap out of you, no matter how gutsy you are, and if you appreciate found-footage films, this forsaken asylum will reveal clips that will catch you off guard periodically, giving you the heebie-jeebies.

Let me fill you in if you aren’t familiar with found-footage movies and do not know what it entails. Using this theatrical trick, a sizable chunk of the movie – or indeed, the entire thing –is displayed as though it were a video clip. Its participants typically examine what is happening onscreen, and their in-the-moment, off-camera remarks are frequently included. On occasion, the members might even record their own activities. The video can be shown uncut in its entirety or as though its discoverers had edited it into a narrative, such as in Gonjiam.

The movie is rife with unsettling suspense and does an excellent job of maintaining a sharp sense of fear throughout. The story begins with two boys wandering in the desolate Gonjiam mental hospital, where it is rumored that the facility’s administrator murdered all of the patients before vanishing. The two make their way to Room 402, an intensive-care unit that has never been opened. However, after catching a glimpse of an apparition, their broadcast abruptly ends as they attempt to unlock the door, and the teens go missing.

Following the incident, Ha-joon (Wi Ha-joon), the owner of the YouTube channel Horror Times, decides to look into the structure. He gathers six people – three girls, Ah-yeon (Oh Ah-yeon), Charlotte (Moon Ye-won) and Ji-hyun (Park Ji-hyun); and three boys, Sung-hoon (Park Sung-hoon), Seung-wook (Lee Seung-wook), and Je-yoon (Yoo Je-yoon) – for a live stream. They proceed to the asylum, but as they tour the nightmarishly old building, they encounter what they had never, ever expected.

Because of their precisely orchestrated mayhem and heart-pounding thrill, we know how Korean horror films are vividly alluring. If you watch Gonjiam, you’ll see why. Experience the crushing excitement that permeates the movie. It’s one of the great accomplishments of found footage, giving viewers goosebumps with its impressively spooky setting and excellent acting. The early moments of the film drag a little bit as we learn about the characters, their relationships, and the asylum’s history. However, everything ingeniously contributes to the looming catastrophe, including the haunted room, 402, by disclosing secrets and shocks you might not anticipate.

The scary confrontations with the spirits as well as the panicked maneuvers inside the asylum make for some fabulous visual content that heightens the terror of the dark setting. It is commendable that director Jung Bum-sik and the production team were able to create a horror film in a specialized genre that gives such astonishing sensory pleasures. It has the chilly, murky aesthetic of top-notch found-footage films; it is enthralling, completely engrossing, and innovative.

Those inexperienced with this cinematic method may be perturbed by the frenzied camera shakes and sudden brownouts, but you’ll surely appreciate the elements when everything stirs the pot to an exciting point – the live feed eventually ends as Sung-hoon reveals that it was intended to be staged, despite everyone else continuing to broadcast. Contrary to what Ha-joon saw on his monitor, the viewers make fun of the stream’s failure as it turns out that the viewership never reached one million and only peaked at 503 views.

The infamous Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital in Gwangju, Gyeonggi province, is reportedly one of Korea’s most haunted places, where the film was set. According to insiders, the majority of its scenes were shot at the National Maritime High School in Busan, and the production design closely followed the hospital’s floor layout to replicate the exterior and its corridors. The asylum owner attempted to prevent the film’s release, claiming that it would jeopardize his ability to sell the building. However, a Seoul court ruled in favor of the screening. Gonjiam became a huge success as the third most-watched horror film in South Korea after A Tale of Two Sisters and Phone.

Go ahead and watch the movie if this account has convinced you to do so. I’d recommend you watch it over the weekend, but before you do, here’s a small suggestion: Do not watch it alone!