Director: Lee Sang-min
Starring: Kim Hye-yoon, Lee Jong-won, Kim Jun-han, Kim Young-sung, Oh Dong-min, Yoon Jae-chan, Jang Da-ah
Country of Origin: Sputh Korea
Running time: 1h 35m
There’s definitely something in the water.
Something unfathomable and sinister that draws people together for all the wrong reasons.
When the hazy image of a human head inexplicably appears on the street view map of a countryside reservoir a production team is dispatched to investigate.
Led by apprehensive producer Han Su-in (Kim Hye-yoon) there’s an uncanny atmosphere from the beginning of the shoot.
An uneasy feeling of trepidation surrounds the journey to the notorious Salmokji body of water, especially as crew director Woo Gyo-sil (Kim Ju-han) went missing there on a previous assignment.
A symbolic stack of stones at the site adds to the sense of foreboding, while a haggard old lady appears out of nowhere and gravely warns against documenting the area.
From jammed signals to shadowy figures appearing in the woods around the reservoir and in the water itself, the secrets beyond the shore terrifyingly begin to emerge.
After the initial disconcerting set-up director Lee Sang-min doesn’t hold anything back as he submerges us into the mystery of the mist fuelled liquid.
It accelerates into a full throttle barrage of scares, some more subtle and apparent than others which are easier to anticipate.
As the unwilling protagonist on an ominous mission Kim Hye-yoon is both vulnerable and engaging, while Kim Jun-han provides a chilling presence as the enigmatic director drawn in by the powers of the water.
There’s also a supernatural element as the carefully assembled pile of stones has an extra significance – a gateway to summon spirits.
Imaginative cinematography also makes the reservoir seem much bigger; a limited body of water appears like a limitless ocean.
The theme of failing technology also plays a key role; a lost internet connection leads to devastating isolation and a suspected voice phishing attempt adds to the heightened tension.
Another innovative addition is the use of a 360-degree camera which not only messes with our depth perception but outlines the hazardous trail to Salmokji.
Ghost hunter vlogger Moon Se-jeong – an annoying but effective character played impressively by Jang Da-ah – also uses a motion detector among other gadgets to keep her followers in the loop.
Yet it all centres on Salmokji, a crossroads between life and death that spares no one.
A lot hinges on whether you are lured into the mystique of it all – the real-life reservoir has become something of a cultural phenomenon with people flocking to South Chungcheong province in search of ancient spirits.
Director Lee Sang-min deploys the much-used trick of asking if we really believe there is something hiding in plain sight or if it’s just in our imagination.
I was drawn in immediately and felt genuinely frightened about what was coming next.
The catch-all term of ‘jump scare’ is often inadequate when describing anything that provokes a reaction on the big screen.
While I didn’t leap out of my seat there were moments of uneasiness and discomfort from scenes that were both heavily signposted and relatively unexpected.
It certainly resonated at the South Korean box office with more than 3.17 million admissions to make it the most watched horror film in the nation’s history.
Salmokji’s short running time, its commitment to a deluge of shocks and the questions posed in an ambiguous ending combine to leave us pondering what is exactly beneath the surface.
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