''H'' is a 2002 South Korean urban horror-thriller film. It was written and directed by Lee Jong-hyeok, and stars

Yum Jung-ah Yum Jung-ah (born July 28, 1972) is a South Korean actress. Her notable films include ''A Tale of Two Sisters'' (2003), '' The Big Swindle'' (2004), '' The Old Garden'' (2007), and ''Cart'' (2014), as well as the television series ''Royal Famil ...

Ji Jin-hee Ji Jin-hee (born June 24, 1971) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the TV shows ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003), '' He Who Can't Marry'' (2009), '' Dong Yi'' (2010), ''Misty'' (2018) and '' Designated Survivor: 60 Days' ...

, and

Cho Seung-woo Cho Seung-woo (born March 28, 1980) is a South Korean actor and singer. He is best known for his leading roles in the films '' The Classic'' (2003), '' Marathon'' (2005), '' Tazza: The High Rollers'' (2006), and ''Inside Men'' (2015), as well as ...

. A

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

who preyed on pregnant women has been behind bars for 10 months, when a copycat killer becomes active. Detectives meet with the imprisoned killer and search for clues in an effort to head off the copy cat killer before he kills more.

Plot

Twenty-two-year-old serial killer Shin Hyun targeted pregnant women and turned himself in after committing several grisly murders. Ten months later a copycat killer became active, and detectives Kang and Kim are put on the case. They track down the killer by following clues from the first two victims: A pregnant schoolgirl whose

fetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal deve ...

the killer removed, and a single mother strangled from behind on a bus. They had tried to pump Shin for information, but without success. They stake out the killer's home, but when the killer comes home, he notices the cops and runs. Kang follows him into a nightclub, where the killer slices off a lesbian's ear and then slits her throat, just like Shin's third victim. Kang fires two rounds into his chest; this puts him in a coma. Despite this, the murders still continue. The police capture the next suspect, but the murders keep occurring. In the end, it is revealed that Shin's mother had tried to abort him, but he survived. The psychologist Dr. Chu had used post-hypnotic suggestion on the other two killers to make them commit copycat murders. Kang then kills Chu (imitating Shin's murder of an abortion doctor), but Kang is triggered by a CD mailed to him. Kang kills his own mother, who was a prostitute. In the course of the movie, Shin is executed and his final words are "I killed my mother." This explains the sixth and last unidentified victim, whom he brought in a bag to the police station when he confessed. Kang is about to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

when Kim shows up and kills him instead. Just before the ending credits, the letter "H" appears and expands into the word "hypnosis", and its definition.

Cast

as Detective Kim Mi-yeon *

as Detective Kang Tae-hyun *

as Shin Hyun *

Sung Ji-ru Sung Ji-ru (born October 16, 1968) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Awards and nominations References External links * * * 1968 births Living people People from Gongju 20th-century Sout ...

as Detective Park * Min Woong-ki as Choi Young-jin * Park Yong-soo as Chief Jang * Kwon Hyuk-poong as Captain Lee * Lee Eol as Detective Han Jung-woo *

Kim In-kwon Kim In-kwon (born January 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor. Known for playing memorable supporting characters, he starred in his first leading role in the sleeper hit ''He's on Duty'' (2010), followed by ''Almost Che'' (2012), '' Born to Sing'' ( ...

as Heo Young-taek * Park Kil-soo as Bae Yong-man * Kim Sun-kyung as Dr. Chu Kyung-sook * Kim Bu-seon *

Kim Roi-ha Kim Roi-ha (born November 15, 1965) is a South Korean actor. Notable roles include a detective in ''Memories of Murder'' (2003), and a gangster in ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005). Kim won Best Actor at the 2001 Dong-A Theatre Awards for his portr ...

* Yeon Seon-mi

Awards

''H'' was nominated for the International Fantasy Film Award at the 2004

Fantasporto Fantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to Fantasy film, fantasy/Science fiction film, science fiction/Horror film, horror-oriented commercial fe ...

Reception

Kyu Hyun Kim of ''Koreanfilm.org'' praised the "distinctive production design and cinematography" and minimalist music score and sound design, which "contributes a great deal to the film's uniquely and unremittingly dark atmosphere." He also mentioned that the detectives' characterization was "believably professional and suitably humanized," aided by the cast's solid acting, notably by Sung Ji-roo's "excellent supporting performance." But he criticized the antagonist as "misconceived" and that the climactic revelation was "a complete letdown."

Remake

A 2009

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

titled ''

Amaravathi Amaravati () is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the river Krishna in Guntur district. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone at a ceremonial event in Uddandar ...

'' was directed by

Ravi Babu Ravi Babu is an Indian actor, director, writer and producer in the Telugu film industry. He has written and directed 15 films and starred in over 75 films. Career His work earned an invitation to participate in a course at the Sony Institute ...

and starred

Taraka Ratna Nandamuri Taraka Ratna is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. After debuting in '' Okato Number Kurraadu'' (2003), he did several movies as a hero before moving on to villain roles. Early life Tarak was born on 22 February 1983 in Hy ...

as the antagonist.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0304120, H 2002 films 2002 psychological thriller films 2000s Korean-language films South Korean serial killer films South Korean detective films South Korean mystery thriller films 2000s mystery horror films South Korean psychological thriller films South Korean films remade in other languages 2000s South Korean films