''Spellbound'' (; lit. "Chilling Romance"), also known as ''My Girlfriend Can See Ghosts'', is a 2011 South Korean horror romantic comedy film, starring

Son Ye-jin Son Ye-jin (born Son Eon-jin on January 11, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in 2003 for '' The Classic'' and '' Summer Scent'', which were followed by the commercially successful ''A Moment to Remember'' (2004) and ''April Snow ...

and

Lee Min-ki Lee Min-ki (born January 16, 1985) is a South Korean actor, singer and model. Lee played his first TV leading role in the 2005 sports drama ''Taereung National Village'', followed by the television series ''Love Truly'' (2006), ''Dal-ja's Spri ...

. It is about a magician who falls in love with a woman who can see ghosts. It was written and directed by

Hwang In-ho Hwang In-ho is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed the horror-romantic comedy '' Spellbound'' (2011) and the crime thriller '' Monster'' (2014). Career As screenwriter Hwang In-ho first wrote the screenplay ...

which also marks his directorial debut.

Plot

Jo-goo, a street magician (

), notices a miserable looking girl, Yeo-ri (

), in the audience during one of his performances, and she winds up being the inspiration for his “Horror magic show.” The show becomes a runaway success almost overnight and Jo-goo in turn, is now a successful stage magician with a model girlfriend. Yeo-ri works for Jo-goo, playing the specter in his show. Forward to almost a year later, the darkness inside her, something her colleagues sense, keeps her from truly connecting with them. When Jo-goo's attempts to include Yeo-ri in a staff dinner finally succeeds, hilarious disaster ensues when she ends up blindingly drunk. Jo-goo calls Yeo-ri the next morning to sort things out, but when the phone disconnects with a weird sound, he decides to drop by her place for a visit instead. There, Jo-goo meets and engages in a game of hide-and-seek with a ghost child, which then scares the bejesus out of him later that night. As the two of them spend more time together, developing a fast friendship, Yeo-ri confesses the long story behind her gray, wan face. Yeo-ri has acquired an 'unwanted' ability to see the dead ever since she survived a high school automobile accident. She not only sees dead people, but these 'dead people' also appear in her life on a regular basis. In particular, the

vengeful ghost In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or crem ...

of her best friend Joo-hee, who died during that automobile incident, follows her everywhere scaring people around her relentlessly. Yeo-ri eventually ends up leading a solitary life, even her family has fled the country and left her behind. She sleeps in a tent in her living room, speaks to a friend sometimes and only through the phone, resigning herself to the idea that her solitary life is best in the grand scheme of things. During the course of Jo-goo's failed attempts to find his lonely friend Yeo-ri a boyfriend, the pair start to develop feelings for each other. And though Jo-goo is sometimes scared witless himself, he loves Yeo-ri enough to overcome his fear. Joo-hee, consumed by jealousy, becomes a threat during the show, prompting Yeo-ri to head off to join her family in order to protect Jo-goo from herself and the ghost. Is getting away going to be that easy, or does Joo-hee have more tricks up her sleeves?

Cast

- Kang Yeo-ri *

- Ma Jo-goo *

Park Chul-min Park Chul-min (born January 18, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Career Park Chul-min began acting in his high school drama club at Chosun University High School, and though he majored in Business Administration at Chung-Ang University, he spent ...

- Pil-dong *

Kim Hyun-sook Kim Hyun-sook (born October 16, 1978) is a South Korean actress and comedian. She is best known for playing the title character in ''Ugly Miss Young-ae'', a long-running sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational com ...

- Min-jung *

Lee Mi-do Lee Mi-do (born Lee Eun-hye on 25 May 1982) is a South Korean actress. Career In 2012, she also moved into the TV arena, while remaining active in her film career. Her notable TV credits include ''The Queen of Office'' (2013) and '' You Are ...

- Yoo-jin *

Yoon Ji-min Yoon Ji-min (born Yoon Ji-young on October 23, 1977) is a South Korean actress and model. She played Ji in the period action series '' Warrior Baek Dong-soo''. Personal life She married actor Kwon Min (Kwon Hae-sung) on July 13, 2013 at THE RAU ...

- Sun-woo * Lee Hyun-jin - Ki-woo *

Hwang Seung-eon Hwang Seung-eon (; born October 31, 1988) is a South Korean actress, model and singer. She was a member of the co-ed project group Temporary Idols under YG Entertainment. She has appeared in numerous films, television series, variety shows, and ...

- Lee Joo-hee *

Uhm Tae-goo Uhm Tae-goo ( ko, 엄태구; born November 9, 1983) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his supporting roles in many critically acclaimed films, such as '' Coin Locker Girl'' (2015) and ''The Age of Shadows ''The Age of Shadows'' (; lit. ...

- Magic show producer

Box office

The film sold 590,232 tickets during its opening weekend of December 9 to 11, and grossed in its first week of release. It received 1.6 million admissions after two weeks, 1.91 million by December 18, and more than 2.29 million by December 21. In total, the film had 3,009,356 admissions nationwide, with a gross of after six weeks of screening, making it the 7th top-grossing Korean film of 2011, and by far the most successful Korean romantic comedy in recent years.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{Hwang In-ho South Korean romantic comedy films 2011 films South Korean ghost films CJ Entertainment films 2010s South Korean films