Warning: Do Not Play - A Warning For Horror Fans Chasing That Fear
“Listen to my warning, don’t shed tears of regret when it’s too late.”
Want to be spooked out and become afraid of a new ghost story complete with creepy ghoul noises? Shudder has got you covered when it added Warning: Do Not Play to its streaming schedule. Directed by Kim Jin-won and starring Seo Ye-ji and Jin Sun-kyu,
Premise:
Mi-jung has to come up with a new horror movie script soon or she’s going to be in hot water. Her friend, Jun-seo, tells her about an urban legend that might actually be a true story. 10 years ago an aspiring filmmaker screened his new film, Warning, at graduation. Apparently someone had a heart attack and multiple people left in fear. The legend goes that the movie itself was filmed by a ghost.
Mi-jung decides to write her script about her own search for this film and begins to do her research. Eventually she discovers the director, the film, and the true story. But if it’s all true, has Mi-jung invited a vengeful spirit into her life?
Trigger warnings: self-harm
Here’s what I loved: (full spoilers)
I wanna dive right in and talk about Soon-mi, the ghost in this movie. Clearly, she is a Gwisin which is a vengeful Korean spirit. These spirits are usually found in abandoned buildings and died without completing something so their spirit remains on earth to hopefully complete the task, growing stronger the longer the task is uncompleted. Soon-mi was an actress in 1980 who died filming in a theater, she was shooting a hanging scene when a fire broke out. Her crew left her and ran, in her panic she kicked the chair out from under her and actually did hang herself. Horrifying. But Soon-mi is out for some fucking vengeance and it’s such a cool idea – she wants her damn movie to be made and for people to see it, and since she’s basically trapped in this abandoned theater, anyone who enters is at risk.
The original director, Jae-Hyun, filmed the theater while Soon-mi killed his crew, he screened it, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy her. When Mi-jung ends up in the same situation, she successfully films her movie without killing anyone, then screens it to standing applause. Soon-mi is finally satisfied, we think. But to get to that point Mi-jung has to go through a lot of terrible shit, including being haunted by Soon-mi and she is SO terrifying.
Firstly, we never fully see her, she appears in the dark corners, some burned fingers, an eye without an eyelid, stringy hair, bloody cheeks. We’re never shown a full shot which keeps you pretty terrified as your mind fills in the blank spots. But most importantly, Soon-mi makes some terrifying fucking noises. All I can think to relate it to is like an insect type noise, coming out of a dead woman’s throat, in the pitch black. Move over creepy girl from The Grudge, your noise has been outdone.
I’ve read reviews of this movie and I’ve seen quite a few complaints. I’ve seen folx saying this movie is hard to follow, or reviewers referring to Soon-mi as a Yurei spirit. To those I say; do better. Pay more attention to a movie that has subtitles, work harder while watching it to fully understand the story. And secondly, do your fucking research. This is a Korean film, not a Japanese film.
To me, this movie was a fascinating story to chew on and once I had pieced it together it was supremely satisfying. A well thought out plot that turns horror fans against themselves. Most of us watch horror to chase that feeling of fear, of the unknown. Warning: Do Not Play throws that in our face – showing us what could happen if we took chasing our horror dream too far. It’s so damn good. There’s also many supremely unreliable narrators here that will twist your view point of the main characters over and over.
This is also an incredibly emotional film, both Jae-Hyun and Mi-jung have emotional pasts that play a big part in their story trajectory. It says a lot of about sacrifices and how far someone will truly go to achieve their dream.
“You know what’s scarier than dying? Living in horror.”
Outstanding performances by everyone, some genuinely scary moments (including one in the first 5 minutes), a very funny scene involving some film nerds, and a complex story that sticks with you long after the credits role.
There’s also some very unique story telling as the two tales combine in moments, leading to you breathlessly trying to figure out how that was possible.
Warning: Do Not Play is a must watch for horror fans!
“You’re insane too.”
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