Through half-seen flashes of mysterious events, Ji-won begins to remember things. She also begins to see strange things around her: A little girl hides in her closet, only to disappear the next moment, dark figures loom in the shadows. She suspects that these scattered images and events are somehow connected to the past she cannot remember.

When a young woman is found dead, Ji-won discovers that she was once friends with three other girls: Eun-seo, Yu-jung and Mi-kyung. Together these four girls formed an impenetrable alliance, and then... What did she do? Why does everybody look at her so strangely? And why can't she remember anything? Ji-won digs deeper into her past, hoping to find the answer. But as the old saying goes: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it...

Ji-Won tries to live a normal life, considering her lost memory as an umbrella left behind on the bus. However, her life in an unfamiliar world wears her out. One day, a haggard-looking Yu-Jung shows up before her.

A sudden appearance of her old friend with her eyes filled with fear... Which is better, knowing the past or living without it? The fragmented memory of her past drives her into the state of confusion.

"Who am I?"

Ji-Won goes on a search for her friends, Yu-Jing and Mi-Kyung. Realizing everything is connected to her lost past, puzzles to her broken memory comes back hard as she gets to the gorge. She shocked to find out about her true self, too different than now. A series of nightmares and phantoms exhausting her, she finds her way into the warmth of her mom. That night, she experiences the biggest nightmare. The revealing past, more frightening than reality itself torments her to the point where she can't take it any more...

COMMENTS
This is another one of South Koreas attempt at a horror film that just so happens to be very similar to the Japanese Ringu (no surprise!), down to the ridiculously-long-hair-covering-half-the-body-and-face-only-leaving-one-weird-looking- eye-to-scare-the-audience technique. The movie is just oozing with originality! (Obvious sarcasm). Though, even with the lack of anything new I did find the flick to be rather interesting and I thought the ending was the only thing that saved it from getting a lower rating. The climax that reveals the truth behind all the weird stuff that has been going on (although it is somewhat confusing) is probably the best part of the movie.

The story for this flick revolves around a young female college student who has recovered from a serious accident, which led her to have amnesia. As she attempts to put her past together and get her current life straightened out, she slowly comes to realize that those she associated with in high school are now turning up dead and all are keyed to water. Hmmm, weird. As fragments of her memories and the people she knew come together, she experiences weird visions of a girl drowning and what she thinks is a ghost following her around. Could there be a connection?

If you put two of Japanese director Hideo Nakata's films Ringu, and Dark Water, and a little bit of Memento Mori together you've got yourself Dead Friend. The movie is seriously lacking in originality (like stated above), but somehow makes it up towards the end? Although the movie isn't spectacular, I did enjoy the "twist" and I honestly didn't really see it coming as I'm usually able to do. If you're experienced with Asian horror cinema already you won’t find the same-old scares effective enough to scare you, much like it hasn't for me and other veterans of the genre.

OVERALL
The same-old thing we've seen done before. The only thing I liked about the movie was the interesting and somewhat unpredictable ending. Only worth a check if you've got extra money to blow and if you're really into Asian horror.

After reaching the top of the box office last year with the romantic comedy hit "Tongapnaegi Kwawehagi" ("My Tutor Friend/An Extra Class"), actress Kim Ha-neul got a frostier reception earlier this year from audiences with the ice thriller "Bingu" ("Ice Rain"). Kim now returns to the screen with "Ryung" ("Dead Friend"), one of a handful of teenage horror tales to hit theaters this summer.

"Dead Friend" is a bit off the beaten path for an actress who is usually found in romantic roles in comedies and dramas. Kim stars as Ji-won, a college student who suffers from amnesia; she can't remember anything about her past, and frightening dreams and a vague association to water are all that remain of her identity. Gradually, she discovers that something happened to her in high school, which becomes clearer as members of the high school clique she supposedly hung out with wind up dead.

The film looks like it could have been the most recent installment of "Yogogwedam" ("Whispering Corridor"), a popular series of horror films that takes place in high school, and in many ways it aims for the same teen audience. In trying to stay within the "12-and-over" rating, the film remains fairly tame in its depiction of its horror, giving only hints at what happens to the victims _ with the usual evil eyes and high-pitched screams _ and leaving the audience to fill in the gruesome details.

There's not a lot in "Dead Friend" that hasn't been done before. The eerie, gothic quality of Kim's house, which she shares with her alcoholic, psychotic mother, is also reminiscent of "Changhwa, Hongryun" ("A Tale of Two Sisters"), but without the same evocative sensuality. The best thing about the film in fact is Kim, who does an apt job playing what amounts to a split personality when her new angelic self discovers her evil high-school side.

The summer of horror began slowly at the box office when "Face" opened with a whimper last week. Seeing as how competition will only get stiffer with the local release of "Shrek 2," things are not looking too good for "Dead Friend" either.