FILM GUTTER REVIEWS: ​NECROPHILIA (1980)

Dir. Jong-Hyuk Lee, South Korea, 15 mins

Over the years, we've watched a lot of films whose titles have really summed up exactly what they are about. Look at a movie like Slaughtered Vomit Dolls or Vase De Noces (AKA The Pig F***Ing Movie) and it's basically crystal clear exactly what you're about to get into. And so it was that I stumbled upon this South Korean short film, and with a title like Necrophilia I thought it wouldn't take a huge amount of imagination to figure out what this one would be about.  And it's not a topic we've ever really ducked, or shied away from – there have been a few nauseating experiences in the field (IE Aftermath), but I've never let that put me off before...

However, one slightly baffling quarter of an hour later, I was rather forced to eat my words on this one. Because Necrophilia isn't really about any physical relations with the dead at all – more a sort of morbid romantic connection, as well as an obsession with sex as a kind of 'little death', presumably riffing off the French name for the orgasm. Was it interesting? Yes, without a doubt. Am I 100% clear on what I just watched? No, not in the slightest. But then again that's not always a bad thing, with the chance to pull at and further puzzle over a film sometimes being a benefit – in fact the work of Phil Stevens (Flowers, Lung II) has always left me with this similar kind of sense. And while Necrophilia might not quite have that edge of quality, it's a worthy effort in its own right.

The story follows I-Jin, who is a young journalist writing a report on the 'orange people' (yes, that reference is lost on me too) and is under pressure to meet her deadline. She spends a lot of time with her best friend, who seems to be pretty open in her discussion about sex and death. The rest of the story – honestly, I'm not totally sure. There's some link to the murder of a man she may or may not know, and some distinctly strange and trippy dream sequences, often featuring her best friend in violent and/or sexual scenes. The real-life elements rather slip into the background compared to these moments, leaving the movie feeling interestingly multifaceted without making it immediately possible to latch onto. My guess is that this one would likely reward repeat viewing in order to further pull at its complexities.

The film itself is really beautifully shot, and while some of the effects can look a little cheap – and the sense of 80s-ness is bottled in an awful opening credits sequence – there's plenty of scenes here that look great. The lead performances capture the kind of ethereality required by this kind of story, and the closing scene goes some way towards explaining what's really going on here. One of the reasons I downgraded this one slightly is that this is one of the few scenes that felt a bit clumsy, and I feel like there could well have been a better way to close this one out there somewhere..

But overall this one left a definite impression on me, and as a short film provides a fascinating insight into a small part of a whole that feels tantalisingly close, almost close enough to grasp, without quite being able to reach. The old saying goes 'leave them wanting more', and Necrophilia certainly fits that particular motto. I'd have loved to have seen this as a feature, but with nearly 40 years passed from its release I expect that particular ship has very much sailed...

RATING: 8.5/10. The latest in what feels like a slew of very good short films, Necrophilia is a piece of art that is likely to leave you equal parts confused and curious. Bound to reward further study, this little-known short feature from an era when splatter and gore were extremely prevalent in the region eschews that side of things for a dark tale with a striking visual aesthetic and some equally grabbing ideas and concepts. I'd argue that this one was well worth fifteen minutes of any horror fan's time, with a very creditable 8.5/10.