Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (Gon-Ji-Am) (2018)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Jung Bum-shik

Starring: Wi Ha-jun, Park Ji-hyun, Oh Ah-yeon, Moon Ye-won, Park Sung-hoon

From: Several South Korean companies

As someone who is always down for the bashing of YouTube “content creators”... paragraphs could be spent on this opinion or why most if not all the most popular channels are absolutely worthless to me-but I won't. Instead I'll mention that I was glad this was done here—one of a few Korean movies I could have selected on Shudder. This was chosen despite the found footage motif (I've seen plenty of bad ones) due to the nice ratings on Letterboxd. As typical for this subgenre, there's a kernel of truth to what is covered. There is a Gonjiam Asylum in South Korea filled with legend and as referenced in the movie it actually was mentioned in a CNN article. Of course, most of that folklore is overblown or downright false; that doesn't mean the yarns spun around the place aren't creepy as hell.

The setup sounds cliché... which it is. A YouTube channel that visits haunted places finally does a livestream at the fabled location. Some time is spent getting to know the crew then they sneak to the property, set up the equipment, you discover that “it's all about the YouTube ad money”, someone's secretly an A-hole, and all the rest. Furthermore, there are few surprises along the way & some bits that certainly looked like less than subtle allusions to famous found footage moments.

Be that as it may, Gonjiam is one of the better subgenre examples I've seen; it is far more than the lazy garbage that has littered the found footage scene since right after it became a fad. Besides the creepy vibe that starts as soon as they reach the building, the lighting alone that creates shadows sets the mood as personally, it had me on edge. Then there's some scares which were new to me that worked pretty well... nevermind a GREAT one in the third act that multiple people have praised. Even if you long ago grew tired of found footage, this may be worth a shot. Heck, if you love the concept of irritating jackasses on YouTube look bad...