(Movie Review) 'Salmokji: Whispering Water': mood runs deeper than plot

▲ A still from "Salmokji: Whispering Water" is seen in this image provided by Showbox. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Kyo-sik, played by Kim Jun-han, is seen in this still from "Salmokji: Whispering Water," provided by Showbox. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Soo-in, played by Kim Hye-yoon, and her filming crew are featured in this still from "Salmokji: Whispering Water," provided by Showbox. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Kim Hye-yoon plays Soo-in in "Salmokji: Whispering Water," in this image provided by Showbox. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ A poster for "Salmokji: Whispering Water" is seen in this image provided by Showbox. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(Movie Review) Salmokji: Whispering Water

(Movie Review) 'Salmokji: Whispering Water': mood runs deeper than plot

By Woo Jae-yeon

SEOUL, March 26 (Yonhap) -- The upcoming film "Salmokji: Whispering Water" taps into a primal fear -- the horror of being lured by evil spirits that might lurk beneath dark, murky water.

For those who shudder at such a premise, it will send chills down their spine for the entire runtime. Others who need more logical, grounded explanations behind the haunting, however, may find themselves still hungry for more by the time the film comes to a close.

The movie follows a filming crew, led by Soo-in (Kim Hye-yoon), tasked with capturing footage of the roads surrounding a reservoir before a deadline.

Soo-in, who reluctantly volunteers to lead the crew, taking over the unfinished work left behind by her senior colleague Kyo-sik (Kim Jun-han), seems to be possessed by some unexplained fear from the very start.

When the crew arrives at Salmokji, the reservoir tucked deep in a remote countryside, that unease quickly turns to dread.

The sudden reappearance of Kyo-sik, who had gone silent after his last visit to the very same place, heightens her fear even more. While she cannot quite put her finger on what it is, Soo-in senses that something is deeply off about him.

With his return to the filming location, strange and unsettling occurrences begin to happen, such as unexplained sounds echoing across the water, an eerie silence swallowing the air around them and the crew losing sense of direction, finding themselves circling the same spot again and again as if trapped by an unseen force.

As if on cue, a technical problem forces them to stay there overnight, leading them to sink deeper into an inescapable, swamp-like terror in the muddied landscape where the boundaries between land and the murky water blur.

The fact that the filming location, Salmokji, is a real place, located in Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province, lends the film's horror an unsettling weight. Well-known among anglers as a fishing spot, it also has a reputation as a paranormal hotspot with a history of reported ghost sightings. It has gained wider exposure after it was featured on a TV program dedicated to unverified accounts of the supernatural.

Long fascinated by the paranormal, director Lee Sang-min, who makes his directorial feature debut with this film, effectively captures the dread of an isolated location where patchy roads stretch into nowhere and connectivity is limited. The suffocating stillness of the unpopulated surroundings leaves the characters with nowhere to turn.

For an immersive viewing experience, the film is also available in ScreenX, a 270-degree panoramic viewing format that expands the image onto the left and right walls, giving audiences the sensation of being inside the scene and trapped there along with the characters.

Actress Kim Hye-yoon delivers an outstanding performance as a horror lead, a departure from her role in the 2024 hit romance fantasy series "Lovely Runner." It would have been better had Soo-in been given a richer backstory to anchor her journey. Unfortunately, without it, she remains frustratingly passive, failing to become a force that drives the narrative forward.

In the end, the film's horror rests largely on two pillars -- the eerie surroundings where bare tree branches protrude from the reservoir like grotesque sculptures, and a handful of largely anticipated jump scares.

"Salmokji: Whispering Water" will premiere on April 8.

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