South Korean Horror
SOUTH KOREA: ACACIA (park ki-hyeong, 2003)
The visual style of Acacia is atypical of conventional horror films. This film does not feature many scenes with dark lighting. In fact, Mi-sook 's parents are both attacked by the acacia tree, believed to be the reincarnation of Ji-seong 's mother who died on a rainy night, in broad daylight. There are also few scenes of gore, save for dreams of a bloody childbirth process experienced by Do-il. These elements seem to be intentionally kept to a minimum as the film instead generates fear psychologically and emotionally rather than doing so through overt visual cues.
A relevant point to note is that Acacia assumes the Asian perspective of supernaturalism. Asian horror films tend to portray an acknowledgement of the supernatural and the acceptance of supernatural elements in people’s everyday lives. In Acacia, this is reflected in Mi-sook’s mother immediate association of the strange behaviour of Jin-seong with ghosts and urges Mi-sook to hire a pastor.
Acacia also illustrates this acceptance by blurring the boundaries between what is considered as normal happening and what constitutes paranormal occurrence. For example, Mi-sook 's mother picks up flowers from the acacia tree and chokes from the smell. Do-il’s father is later attacked by ants, known to share a symbiotic relationship with acacia trees and would defend the trees at all costs. The two incidents can pass of as freak accidents and nothing extraordinary because they can be explained scientifically, but a closer look uncovers uncanny coincidence that could be the doing of a supernatural being taking the form of a tree.
Acacia is indeed an interesting watch as it does not take a conventional approach to horror and is unique in its execution and delivery.
Following Ringu’s (Nakata, 1998) success, many Asian horror films have incorporated the visual motif of vengeful female ghosts sporting dark long hair, usually also dressed in white. Inner Sense (Law
The visual style of Acacia is atypical of conventional horror films. This film does not feature many scenes with dark lighting. In fact, Mi-sook 's parents are both attacked by the acacia tree, believed to be the reincarnation of Ji-seong 's mother who died on a rainy night, in broad daylight. There are also few scenes of gore, save for dreams of a bloody childbirth process experienced by Do-il. These elements seem to be intentionally kept to a minimum as the film instead generates fear psychologically and emotionally rather than doing so through overt visual cues.
A relevant point to note is that Acacia assumes the Asian perspective of supernaturalism. Asian horror films tend to portray an acknowledgement of the supernatural and the acceptance of supernatural elements in people’s everyday lives. In Acacia, this is reflected in Mi-sook’s mother immediate association of the strange behaviour of Jin-seong with ghosts and urges Mi-sook to hire a pastor.
Acacia also illustrates this acceptance by blurring the boundaries between what is considered as normal happening and what constitutes paranormal occurrence. For example, Mi-sook 's mother picks up flowers from the acacia tree and chokes from the smell. Do-il’s father is later attacked by ants, known to share a symbiotic relationship with acacia trees and would defend the trees at all costs. The two incidents can pass of as freak accidents and nothing extraordinary because they can be explained scientifically, but a closer look uncovers uncanny coincidence that could be the doing of a supernatural being taking the form of a tree.
Acacia is indeed an interesting watch as it does not take a conventional approach to horror and is unique in its execution and delivery.
Following Ringu’s (Nakata, 1998) success, many Asian horror films have incorporated the visual motif of vengeful female ghosts sporting dark long hair, usually also dressed in white. Inner Sense (Law
References: Lacefield, K. (2010). The scary screen: Media anxiety in the ring. Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=oxlmJImefGYC&pg=PR3&dq=ringu patriarchal&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3 Choi, J. (2010). The south korean film renaissance: Local hitmakers, global provocateurs. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=aN2swhJnTRoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Park, Y. (2005, January 28). Gender dimensions of family policy in korea. Retrieved from http://www.utoronto.ca/ai/canada-korea/papers/Yeong-RanPark_FamilyPolicy.doc