31 Movies of Halloween: Day 17

Day 17 - The Host


Thank you, Korea. Thank you for so many things. Being the only country that can be the bad guys in action movies anymore. Cheap, imitation toys that will harm children. Staying Communist, even tough it isn't cool anymore. But, most of all, thank you for The Host.

Wrong Host.

Since I'm not talking about Krevlorn swath of the Deathwok Clan, I must mean the Korean horror...ish movie The Host.

Better...?

The film revolves around a working class, dysfunctional Korean family during a monster attack on the city. Tragedy strikes when the monster seemingly eats the little girl, though her father never gives up hope. As luck (and careful story crafting) would have it, he's right, his daughter wasn't eaten...well, it's involved, so I'll just say the monster kept her safe for a midnight snack.

It's going to end poorly, happy Korean family.

Shit, as it is want to do, rolls downhill into an orgy to violence, death, and misery. Yet, in a strange twist, there is a campy humor to many of the scenes. I wouldn't say that the film is a horror-comedy, but I can't quite say it's a full-on horror film. It definitely marred the film, as the goofiness takes away from the story. Another problem is that the movie is too long. Scenes drag and/or don't seem to matter, and an efficient editor could have made this good movie great. These minor issues aside, The Host is definitely a movie you should watch if you get the chance.


Best Part:
The best part of the movie is definitely the creature's origin story. This hulking beast with the taste for human flesh was birthed because a doctor in the US military had his Korean assistant dump a whole mess of formaldehyde bottles down a drain that leads to the Han River. Now, as I've actually done research (gasp and quiver!), this story is actually based on real events that transpired in 2000. The chemical dumping...not the monster creation part...not yet...
What I found to be the most amazing part, though, is the reason that the doctor has his assistant dump the bottles: they are dusty. Yuuuup. Dusty.

This is your brain on old formaldehyde.

PS: Since I am writing about The Host, I feel as though know would be a fitting time to remember Andy Hallett. You'll be missed.

RIP: 8/4/75-3/29/09