Asian horror films are by no means new, but they have slowly been introduced and accepted by mainstream American audiences in just the past few years. Much in the way that “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” paved the way for the acceptance of films such as “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers” in the U.S., movies like “Ringu” and “Ju-On: The Grudge” have opened doors for Asian horror. And make no mistake, just because these films are not ‘made in Hollywood’, this does not diminish their ability to scare the hell out of you. As a matter of fact, both of those films have had American remakes that, to be honest, paled in comparison to the originals. The newest offering in the Asian horror market comes to us from Korea, in the form of the innocently titled, “A Tale of Two Sisters.” What I like about this title is the fact that it elicits thoughts of an Emily Bronte novel, while the story that unfolds is anything but. It puts one at ease before the terror begins. The story, as such, revolves around two sisters, Su-mi and Su-yeon, who return home after an unexplained stay in a hospital.

On the surface, the house is pleasant, and like the films’ title does not seem as if it would contain anything frightening. However, soon after their return it becomes obvious that things are… not quite right. Their father is distant while their stepmother’s happiness over their return seems little more than an act. But if these little familial quirks do not fill you with enough unease, just wait until you see what happens after the lights go out.

“A Tale of Two Sisters” was directed by Kim Jee-woon, and he offers viewers a haunting experience more than full blown fright fest.. While there are certainly some extremely frightening moments, they are not like the ones you will find in most American made horror films. With those, you usually get a quick forgettable jump scare every few minutes, and then you go home and water the lawn and start writing out the bills. But a film like this one stays with you long after you’ve left the theatre (or in my case, turned off the DVD player). Jee-woon artfully mixed the subtly of a psychological horror with some ‘in-your-face’ frights, and delivered a film that admittedly made it a little hard to get to sleep the night I watched it… okay and maybe for a few nights after.

Jee-woon takes his time in revealing the story (“…it’s not the tale, but he who tells it…”), so if you’re used to the “Friday the 13th” style of filmmaking, you might find the movie a bit slow. However, if you have a real appreciation for the art of filmmaking, you’ll easily sit back and allow the story to unfold. Of course, I say this figuratively since you’ll more than likely find yourself switching back and forth between sitting on the edge of your seat to cowering with the blanket over your head while watching this film.

In mentioning the ‘art of filmmaking’, I am reminded that most American audiences have the impression that ‘ART’ and ‘HORROR’ do not mix. Give them a steady diet of knife-wielding maniacs, a queue line of teenagers to slaughter, a huge bucket of popcorn and a (diet) coke and they’re good to go. But the truth is that art is everything when it comes to making any type of film. In the case of “A Tale of Two Sisters”, the visual style is, in part, what makes it so haunting. The images, both beautiful and horrifying, are incredibly striking and add tremendously to the disquieting tone of the film.

Of course, there would be no movie at all without the story itself, and I was quite impressed with Jee-woon’s screenplay. Again, the film moves slowly but is never boring. It is full of twists and turns, some of which you see coming a mile away, while others… you don’t. As for the ones that were obvious, they weren’t a product of bad writing at all. It is evident that Jee-woon meant to foreshadow these particular twists and in seeing them coming, they only made watching the film all the more disturbing.

“A Tale of Two Sisters” is being released in a limited theatrical run beginning December 17. While there is talk of an American remake, I recommend not waiting. As in most cases, the original is the one to see.

Directed by: Kim Jee-Woon
Starring: Yeom Jeong-a, Im Soo-jung, Moon Geun-young
Studio: Tartan Films
Theatrical Release Date: 12/17/2004

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We'll give A Tale of Two Sisters an A.