The Uninvited
TE 9101

The Uninvited
Jang Young-Gyu

“The Uninvited", one of the many recent horror films out of South Korea, opens strong, with interior designer Jung-won (Shin-yang Park) being inexplicably haunted by two dead girls he saw in the subway. Forty minutes later, it's revealed that a troubled woman named Yun (Ji-hyun Jun) can see the dead girls too because, as it turns out, she's a sort of spiritual medium.

While no “white-knuckle ride”, there's a few things to admire in "The Uninvited"; The slick camerawork by Lee and cinematographer Yeong-gyu Jo and some effective uses of nonlinear storytelling devices, and the film does make great use of in-your-face death scenes, including one where a young boy is run over by a truck, and you can see every second of it about to happen.

Undoubtedly, the film’s highlight is Jang’s creepy, evocative score. Utilizing minimal orchestration (Prepared Piano, sparse electronics reminiscent of Brian Eno’s “Music for Airports”, and what sounds to me like some authentic traditional Korean instruments), the mood is one of deep sadness and an otherworldly atmosphere. Fans of the KAIRO and UZUMAKI soundtracks should really dig this.

Track Listing:
1. Work A –1
2. Work A –2
3. Work A –3
4. Work B –1 – grass-cut tree
5. Work B –2 - lullaby
6. Work C –1
7. Work C –2
8. Work C –3
9. Work C –4
10. Work C –5
11. Work C –6
12. Work C –7
13. Work C –8
14. Work C –9
15. Work D –1
16. Work D –2
17. Work D –3
18. Work D –4
19. Work B –3 – grass-cut tree