What are noon movies you ask? Noon movies are horror films you watch in the middle of the day. Now I know that you are saying that what a big scaredy cat, but that is not the case. As a huge horror fan, I’ve seen a lot of horror movies and loved the majority of them. But for some reason, Asian horror seems to hit different, and are extremely terrifying and I have found myself watching these movies in the middle of the day, hence the name.
Here is a review of Grotesque (Ghost) Manion that is an official noon movie.
From the director Bareun Jo, known for Slate and the 2019 movie Gang, comes the horror film The Grotesque Mansion. Starring Sung Joon (High Society), Kim Hwang Pa (Black Dog) and Kim Bo Ra (Love and Leashes). The movie follows the story of Jung Ji Woo, a horror webtoon writer. He has hit a slump recently and is on the verge of being dropped from his company.
After hearing rumors about a nearby apartment block, named Gwang Lim Mansion is haunted, Jung Ji Woo decides to look for real world inspiration.
Jung Ji Woo arrives at the apartment building that looks like it hasn’t seen life since bell bottom jeans were a thing. Strike one there. Once he is inside of the building, he meets the Caretaker.
Here’s the kicker: five chapters. That’s what you have to sit through. Five chapters of increasingly spooky tales of the happenings in Gwang Lim Mansion.
**WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD**
The Caretaker allows Jung Ji Woo to interview him. First of all, why would an old abandoned building have the need for a caretaker? But, I guess those are only questions I am asking. Jung Ji Woo wants to know the history behind the rumors he heard. And the Caretaker is ready to give him an earful.
Chapter One: The Author. The caretaker starts off about an author that needs silence in order to finish his book. Soon enough there are some strange noises coming from outside the apartment and the author goes to investigate. While investigating, eerie phenomenon starts to send the author over the edge. Will he get to the bottom of the noise or will the noise get to him first?
Chapter Two: The Pharmacist. The pharmacist is having a sordid affair and gets stuck in a seemingly endless guilt loop. When she returns to her apartment, night after night, someone is always there to remind her of her guilty deeds. Is it her husband or something else?
Chapter Three: The Property Agent. His only companion is a creepy life-like doll. My main question is why? Why do you have a creepy doll as a companion? Too all appearances, is she harmless or is she something sinister?
Chapter Four: The Student. After coming home from college, a student reaches out to a former friend for a place to stay for a while. This story is not for a queasy stomach. Pimples, pus, and a putrid room is all I can say about this chapter.
Chapter Five: The Caretaker. His story by far is one of the scariest chapters in the entire film. The elevator scene alone is scary enough to send a chill down your spine all the way to Antarctic. It wraps up the story of the Gwang Lim Mansion and all of its (former) inhabitants. Also as the final story, the chapter all leaves room for a possible sequel, which I will gladly watch…(at noon), of course.
Overall, The Grotesque Mansion is a very frightening movie. The tension and unknown is always present. Little details in the film, like seeing characters pop up in other stories, makes the movie feel like mini episodes but still a complete film. I won’t go into any more details because the movie is a frightful delight. If you are a fan of Asian horror, I highly recommend you watch this movie as soon as possible.
Ranked: 9 out of 10 for a noon worthy film!
Watch The Trailer Here:
