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Review

Mild-mannered Jeon Jun-Oh (Hwang Jeong-Min, A Bittersweet Life) has just started a new job as an insurance investigator, when he receives a phone call from a policy holder wondering, if he would collect if a person committed suicide. Triggered by memories of his own brother's suicide Jeon reaches out to the woman, but she hangs up after he reveals too much information. The next day, a client named Park calls to arrange a meeting to talk about his policy at his home. There, Jeon witnesses what seems to be the suicide of a 7-year old boy, the man's son. The insurance man is immediately suspicious and he begins an investigation into whether this is an actual case of suicide. Jeon notices that a huge policy has been taken out on Park's wife, as he delves deeper into his amateur investigation. He is led to the family's decrepit dwelling, where he soon uncovers a bloody scene that will shock even the most jaded DAD fan. A sense of dread and tension permeates Shin Terra's Black House, which injects bloody horror into a psychological thriller. The film finds its shining light in the Korean character actor Hwang Jeong-min, whose appealing "everyman" demeanor creates a sense of trust and comfort that explains why game Korean audiences made it the highest-grossing film in the country for several weeks. (Korean with English subtitles)

 -- Lewis Tice