Synopsis
Love is the kiss of death.
A traumatized girl sees visions of her dead mother in one of three tales set in a 1942 South Korean hospital.
Epitaph
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Alternative Titles
奇談, Gidam, 冥婚淒谈, 奇谈, 기담, گورنبشته, قبرنوشته
Releases by Date
Theatrical
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South Korea15
24 May 2008
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USA
14 Jul 2021
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South Korea15
Releases by Country
South Korea
01 Aug 2007
- Theatrical15
14 Jul 2021
- Theatrical15 Re-release
USA
24 May 2008
- Theatrical
Popular reviews
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On the eve of its demolition, a doctor remembers his intern days at Ansaeng Hospital – a building with more than its share of ghosts. Memories set during the later part of the Japanese occupation, see a serial killer targeting soldiers, which barely scratches the surface of the sinister happenings swirling around the institute.
Epitaph kicks off with faux 40s surgery footage, which provides a gory hook, but incorporates anachronistic shots which betray the levels of artistry the film will quickly reach. A framing device set in the late 70s, for a film largely taking place in the early 40s, removes a sense of immediacy – but replaces it with a bittersweet tone that is quite effective. The jump scares…
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Curious to check this one out as it is by the same guy behind Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (and also because it's available on YouTube right now). Its anthology format is reminiscent of the Ju-On movies. There are three separate stories, all set in the same hospital in 1940s Korea under Japan's occupation. Each story deals with grief and unrequited love, with the characters trying to escape from it, only to face with terrible consequences.
Jung Bum-shik delivers some terrifying ghostly figures and a twist-filled serial killer plot. While the stories don't seamlessly intertwine, they stand out individually. Worth checking out for fans of Asian horror and Korean film enthusiasts.
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Einer der wunderschönsten und melancholischsten Horrorfilme, bei dem sich Grauen und Wehmut perfekt ergänzen und der deshalb auch auf der emotionalen Ebene völlig funktioniert. Extrem stilsicher inszeniert und in zahlreichen Sequenzen optisch extrem beeindruckend und verstörend.
Für mich deshalb der am meisten unterschätzte asiatische Horrorfilm überhaupt.
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당신은 귀신( 유령)을 믿습니까?
Slow and meandering, a peaceful trilogy of interconnected ghost stories blend into each other with their animalistic themes and deep-seated loneliness permeating throughout. Typically Korean and beautifully touching, this feature debut from Jung Bum-shik, director of 2018s Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is a calm and methodical head fuck.
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Unnötig verkompliziert, aber vielleicht liegt darin auch ein Reiz, der andere aufjubeln lässt
Definitiv einer dieser Streifen die ich nochmal sehen muss um sie mit gutem Gewissen bewerten zu können. Das Ding ist nämlich sehr sprunghaft in seiner Erzählung und es gibt für meine westeuropäischen Augen zu viele Charaktere, als dass ich da ohne Probleme durchblicken könnte. Wer war da jetzt teilweise überhaupt wer… ich bin mir nicht ganz sicher 🤔
Klar ist jedoch, dass das Teil mich immer wieder inszenatorisch beeindruckt hat. Da waren echt tolle Bilder und Momente dabei, wo ich wirklich staunen musste wie ordentlich das doch gemacht wurde. Die Musik ist dabei ein zweischneidiges Schwert, was mal wunderbar zur Stimmung passt und dann wieder völlig übertrieben… -
Snow, snails, butterflies, ghosts, an indelible romance, a consideration of the existence of the human soul, an identity crisis, a serial killer of Japanese soldiers in Japan-occupied Korea, a hospital whose mortuary regularly welcomes new ‘guests’…
There’s a lot going on and I won’t pretend I was able to comprehend it all but this is a cut above the average horror film. It’s well-directed and photographed, artily opaque, slow-paced, considered and melancholic – and I wouldn’t be against watching it again, particularly if an HD release were made available; it deserves one.
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Epitaph lays the groundwork for an interesting horror film with plenty to say about grief, anger, and remorse, but instead the film chooses to try and become a mind-fuck with big brain plot twists that anyone could detect from a mile away (even if these twists don’t often service the narrative).
Crafting the film as an anthology where the three main narratives occasionally intersect is interesting in concept, but much like the plot twists, they serve no value to the film’s story as a whole.
Despite my negativity, I do want to praise the cinematography of the film. Epitaph may not be particularly frightening, but its lighting, composition, and colour (specifically its use of rich inky blacks and shadows) excellently establishes a dreary and unsettling atmosphere looming with unease.
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Very artsy and avantgardistic Horror-Drama about two (or even three) interwoven storylines set during japanese occupation of Korea. Combining known, but surprisingly creepy horror elements with beautifully filmed artistic surrealism and great use of classical music, it gives a melancholic poetical impression that reverberates afterwards.
Not simple to follow, but truly rare of its kind. -
Menonton film ini tanpa baca sinopsis dulu seperti yang aku lakukan, sepertinya merupakan sebuah kesalahan besar. Sepanjang menonton aku yang bingung dan pusing sendiri terus mencoba merangkai 3 peristiwa yang ada didalam film ini hingga selesai. Padahal ya memang film ini terdiri dari 3 plot yang berbeda, persamaannya cuman latarnya aja di RS Anseng. /merasa bego/
Sebelumnya, Epitaph ini merupakan film horor yang menampilkan 3 peristiwa horor yang dialami para dokter dan perawat di RS Anseng tahun 1942 di Korea ketika masih berada dibawah pendudukan kolonial Jepang. Ketiga peristiwa ini merupakan cerita lepas yang tidak memiliki keterkaitan sama sekali.
Menurutku, Epitaph ini film yang secantik dan seindah posternya JIKA DAN HANYA JIKA pembagian babak difilm lebih jelas dan tidak gonta-ganti…
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Well this run of horror films is going well, isn't it?
I didn't and couldn't finish this one. I've no idea what was happening. I think there were supposed to be two stories at once taking place in different years but following the same character or something and even if that was what was going on, it still MADE NO SENSE.
If you're going to do these kinds of films, can you at least make it so the viewer, who you have to presume is a blithering prat on this occasion, can actually tell WHICH period you are doing this scene from instead of making both time periods look EXACTLY THE SAME? Because I might actually know what is going…
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Terakhir nonton film horor korea kayaknya Gonjiam deh. Terus iseng² cari horor² korea jadul selain A Tale of Two Sisters, terus ketemu film ini.
Filmnya ada 3 bagian yang berbeda cerita tapi setting tempatnya sama, di Rumah Sakit Anseng.
Di cerita pertama, jalan ceritanya lumayan lambat. Ga ditunjukin nih tanda² kapan hantunya nongol. Dan, pas nongol cuma satu kali. Saya cuma "hah?" pas penampakannya kelar. Untuk cerita pertama, twist-nya lumayan berhasil walaupun terkesan lama. Dan, untuk yang akting jadi Park Jung Nam masih keliatan kagoknya. Ekspresi doi takut kayak lagi nahan pipis. Padahal di sini penokohan Jung Nam itu penakut.
Terus lanjut cerita kedua, di cerita kedua penampakan hantunya mulai lumayan banyak dan hampir keseluruhan cerita diisi jumpscare. Scene pas… -
A curious, intriguing and beautiful movie.
It's a slow-burner that intertwines several different (ghost) stories between several characters who are connected between each other.
The movie is really strong in some factors.
I thought the cinematography was great and the film is visually very strong and beautiful.
The sound department is terrific, both the musical score and the atmospheric stuff; it's sometimes subtle, other times agressive but mostly very effective.
The stories are, at times, chilling and eerie as are the "ghosts". I felt the plot was very engaging, albeit slowly paced, at times.
The characterization was great and the attention to detail and the use of some symbols also lend a touch to the whole thing.
Then there's the movie title and what it may lend in term of the said stories and their significance.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and think it's a pretty cool (and somewhat different) feature ^_^
Surely recommended!