Search - The Curse of February 29th on DVD

Korean Nail Biter

matthew haw | North Carolina | 09/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say this was one of the best Asian movies I have seen in a while.I like this movie because it left you to draw your own conclusion of what really happened.The movie is good from start to finish and it is so apparent what they are striving to make the viewer believe,but is it really the truth.You have to watch this movie with an open mind and explore the rhelm of possibilities.The movie is a flashback to a series of murders that take place on February 29th,where a serial killer is stalking tollbooth attendants.The killer appears to look just like the main character(or so they want you to think).As the movie unfolds it becomes stranger and I was left wondering what was really the truth.If you are a true fan of Asian Horror you will love this movie."

The ghost of a serial killer

Zack Davisson | Seattle, WA, USA | 02/22/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Curse of February 29th" is the second in the "K-Horror" series released by Pathfinder Pictures. The "K-Horror" series was produced by Ahn Byung Ki (Phone) in order to bring some life and new blood to Korea's horror film genre. Each story is done by a different director adapting the short story works of writer Yoo Il Han, and concentrates on a different subtext of the horror genre.

Urban Legends are the theme of "The Curse of February 29th," specifically the legend of the fiery crash of a bus loaded with prisoners many years ago on February 29th. It was said that many of the bodies were never recovered from the fire, including that of a notorious female serial killer, and that every February 29th (every four years, in other words!) there has been a gruesome murder.

Ji-yeon (Eun-hye Park) is an employee at the toll-booth said to be haunted by the curse. As the dreaded February 29th approaches, there is a series of murders at tool-booths along the high way. After each murder, a mysterious black car passes through Ji-yeon's tool-booth and hands her a blood-soaked ticket. The police suspect Ji-yeon of the murders, and she herself is haunted by a doppelganger who she feels is the murderess ghost manifested. Is there really a ghost, or is Ji-yeon simply an insane killer not aware of her own crimes?

Overall, "The Curse of February 29th" is more thriller than horror, and there isn't much in the way of outright scares. I felt this episode of the "K-Horror" series was an improvement over Dark Forest of Death which dealt with the "Killer in the Woods" motif of horror films. This is a much more psychological film, and less of a gross-out slasher flick. I liked the ambiguous touches to the story, and felt the overall atmosphere and mood was well-done.

With a running time of 90-minutes it is a tight little film, but even then "The Curse of February 29th" is a good B-movie at best. I respect Ahn Byung Ki's intentions with this series, giving some newcomers a shot at making a film, but the results are always going to be la bit ess than that of a professional cast backed by a studio. Still, I have been enjoying the series so far and will continue on.
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