That night, while in his apartment, he starts to see horrifying images of the same two girls sitting at his dining table. Frightened and confused, he decides to temporarily flee his pad and stay at his dad's place, which is also a church that his father operates. As the days come, Jung-Won loses more and more sleep, so he decides to check into mental health clinic. While there, he meets a young girl named Yun (Jeon Ji-Hyeon) and is somehow drawn to her - not in attraction - but more in an unexplained spiritual way. It just so happens that Yun attends the church that Jung-Won's father runs.

One night after church services, Jung-Won take a few attendees home, one of them is Yun. Dropping off the other members, Yun is the last one left in his vehicle. As he's driving to her destination, she suddenly faints. In panic, he decides to take her to his place. When she wakes up, she heads out and thanks him for his hospitalities. Just as she leaves, she says: "You should put your kids to sleep". It turns out that Yun is seeing the same exact images of the two little deceased girls. Jung-Won decides to pursue her and find out what's really happening. In the course, the puzzle unwinds. New truths and older mysteries are revealed.

The Uninvited is a strange, slow-paced and disturbing experience. No visual punches are pulled, so be prepared to be rattled by the graphic images you'll see; they're not bloody, they're just VERY present. Out of all the "ghost" Asian movies I've seen so far (i.e., Ju-on, The Ring, The Eye, Tale of Two Sisters), this one seems to be the most thought-provoking. However, that doesn't mean it's the best. There are a few plot holes and unresolved trails that really lead to nowhere; and this hurts it from being an otherwise excellent film.

Like most people, I was attracted to this movie mostly for the appearance of Jeon Ji-Hyeon (the ultra-cute and extremely photogenic babe from My Sassy Girl). The Uninvited sheds a different light on acting abilities, even compared to her dramas. In her role as Jun, she's very offbeat and dim; in fact, I don't even think she smiles once in the whole movie. Despite the misleading poster-art, they tried to make her look homely-looking, knocking out almost everything that makes her the bombshell that she really is. They succeed, but with a girl like Jeon Ji-Hyeon, you can never succeed enough. She still looks like a heavenly creature.

If it weren't for a few plot holes, The Uninvited could have been another prized Asian ghost story, but instead is falls short a few notches. With out a doubt, it's still entertaining and worth seeing at least once; especially if you're a fan of these kinds of movies.

Review: xForced into the ranks with the many successful contemporary Asian horror films, The Uninvited attempts to bring a different approach to a genre that has begun to grow soggy with the over-saturation of ghastly phone calls, cursed video tapes, and undying grudges. Where its peers have taken the route of the full-on scare, The Uninvited opts for a more psychological journey where the frights take the form of character revelations, making it more dramatic than horrific. When dealing with the supernatural, a film of this sort must rely on either abundant scares, or atmosphere and interesting characters. Fortunately, since its scares are more subtle and greatly spaced apart, the creators of The Uninvited acknowledge this necessity, by presenting the viewer with a plot that is fairly fascinating, despite some dragging through the middle, and central characters who are sufficiently played as to properly convey the haunting theme of the story.

The plot of this film is often at the mercy of scenes that both haunt and bewilder. Fortunately, the digressive pacing of the film is made more tolerable when viewed through the eyes of Jung-Won. We experience the same confusion, fear, and depression that he does, enabling us to better understand the man and the situation. While Shin-yang Park’s performance is in no way award winning, he does an adequate job of delivering when necessary. The cornerstone of his performance is undoubtedly found in his interaction with the characters around him, namely that of Yun. Fans the world over were undoubtedly aquiver with anticipation over the announcement of International superstar Jun Ji-Hyun’s next project. Perhaps fifty percent of that same crowd found their enthusiasm subsiding though, when it was revealed that the picture would be billed as a supernatural horror film. It is also probably safe to say that the remaining fifty percent, after seeing the film, lost their excitement as well when the realization set in that The Uninvited was neither a horror film, nor a predictable follow-up to its sassy predecessor. Now with that knowledge in mind, the viewer is more likely to free himself up for a far more rewarding experience. No, we unfortunately do not get to see our spunky leading lady smacking the love out of her clueless beau; and in all actuality, Jun Ji-Hyun’s performance in The Uninvited would probably be best described as “The Ultra Depressing Adventures of the Not-so-sassy-girl”, as her delivery is dark and lifeless at times. Fortunately though, a film of this variety calls for just such a portrayal, and our South Korean sweetheart delivers her spades by the melancholy truckload. Laden with despair, Jun Ji-Hyun’s role as the vulnerable enigma definitely brings to the picture a certain value, even if that value is based on star power.

Good intentions and sassy girls aside, the film does suffer from some horrible pacing at times, and could have really used a script revision or a more meticulous editor. If a film is going to be an excess of two hours, it should be continually engrossing throughout. Unfortunately, with The Uninvited we see multiple cases where a scene is long in the tooth for the sake of getting a point across or hammering home an idea. Sparingly, this method of story telling is acceptable if not welcome, but when the entire film is built upon a slow burn, you are likely to lose some viewers along the way.

As for the visual aspect, atmosphere is the name of this game. The cinematographer breathes life into his landscape using a palette of washed out hues and dismal textures that effortlessly conjure some of the bleakest emotions to come out of South Korean cinema to date. If you are the type of person who enjoys a rich sense of dark atmosphere in your drama, then you might be able stay afloat during the slower moments based solely on that.

All in all, this film will definitely find mixed emotions from all types of viewers. Some will be able to enjoy its lavishly grim atmosphere, deliberate pacing, and scattered sense of story telling, while others will not be able to get past the slow delivery, occasionally wooden performances, and depressing subject matter. Either way, it is a film that deserves to be seen before judged.

That night, while in his apartment, he starts to see horrifying images of the same two girls sitting at his dining table. Frightened and confused, he decides to temporarily flee his pad and stay at his dad's place, which is also a church that his father operates. As the days come, Jung-Won loses more and more sleep, so he decides to check into mental health clinic. While there, he meets a young girl named Yun (Jeon Ji-Hyeon) and is somehow drawn to her - not in attraction - but more in an unexplained spiritual way. It just so happens that Yun attends the church that Jung-Won's father runs.

One night after church services, Jung-Won take a few attendees home, one of them is Yun. Dropping off the other members, Yun is the last one left in his vehicle. As he's driving to her destination, she suddenly faints. In panic, he decides to take her to his place. When she wakes up, she heads out and thanks him for his hospitalities. Just as she leaves, she says: "You should put your kids to sleep". It turns out that Yun is seeing the same exact images of the two little deceased girls. Jung-Won decides to pursue her and find out what's really happening. In the course, the puzzle unwinds. New truths and older mysteries are revealed.

The Uninvited is a strange, slow-paced and disturbing experience. No visual punches are pulled, so be prepared to be rattled by the graphic images you'll see; they're not bloody, they're just VERY present. Out of all the "ghost" Asian movies I've seen so far (i.e., Ju-on, The Ring, The Eye, Tale of Two Sisters), this one seems to be the most thought-provoking. However, that doesn't mean it's the best. There are a few plot holes and unresolved trails that really lead to nowhere; and this hurts it from being an otherwise excellent film.

Like most people, I was attracted to this movie mostly for the appearance of Jeon Ji-Hyeon (the ultra-cute and extremely photogenic babe from My Sassy Girl). The Uninvited sheds a different light on acting abilities, even compared to her dramas. In her role as Jun, she's very offbeat and dim; in fact, I don't even think she smiles once in the whole movie. Despite the misleading poster-art, they tried to make her look homely-looking, knocking out almost everything that makes her the bombshell that she really is. They succeed, but with a girl like Jeon Ji-Hyeon, you can never succeed enough. She still looks like a heavenly creature.

If it weren't for a few plot holes, The Uninvited could have been another prized Asian ghost story, but instead is falls short a few notches. With out a doubt, it's still entertaining and worth seeing at least once; especially if you're a fan of these kinds of movies.