Director: Joon-ho Bong

Writers: Chul-hyun Baek Joon-ho Bong Won-jun Ha (as Jun-won Ha)

Cast: Kang-ho Song Hie-Bong Byeon Hae-il Park Ah-sung Ko Du-na Bae

Rating: R for creature violence and language.

Format: Anamorphic, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Run Time: 119 min.

What is this movie about?

On the surface, this South Korean horror movie is about a monster causing extreme panic by supposedly being the carrier of a deadly virus (not to mention it kills people in other, more gruesome ways). The monster being a product of formaldehyde dumped into Seoul's Han River, the movie becomes a legitimate social commentary as well.

The Review

At the core of The Host is a story about a family's struggle to come together and perform a daring rescue. Park Gang-du (Kang-ho Song) is essentially an oaf, and it is his daughter who is snatched up by the monster and taken to the sewers of the Han River. Gang-du is complex as the main character because he provides most of the humor (much of it surprisingly good slapstick) in addition to having so much emotionally invested in the situation. On top of that is the dynamic with the rest of his family, all of whom seem to look at him with contempt.

All of the above already makes this a horror movie at a higher level intellectually and emotionally than almost every single American attempt at horror, especially those movies in the "torture porn" genre. The Host is a story that plays with one's emotions to the point where instead of hoping to see the gruesome death of a witless teenager or clueless tourist, there is a desire for all the characters to survive. For one to die would be an actual somber moment.

Really, there should be some notes taken by other horror directors. While the first fifteen minutes would suggest that the monster will be in nearly every scene, the gears shift and the story becomes character-based, relying heavily on personal struggle rather than complete destruction of South Korea. Nevertheless, those first fifteen minutes are intense, and will require multiple viewings to fully appreciate its impact on not only the pace of the movie, but how a monster attack should be portrayed in a movie.

The Host is particularly strong visually with close attention paid to even the smallest aspects. Combine that with a captivating story and the ability to evoke true emotion and the result is one of the best, if not the best, horror movie of 2006.

Special Features

Deleted Scenes

Deleted News Clips

Director Joon-Ho Bong's reflections - this is just an elongated clip of him apologizing to various members of the cast and crew, such as extras that were not visible and crew members who created art work that was hardly used. It must be a Korean thing, because when was the last time a director offered a confessional, apologetic reflection on a movie's DVD?

English 5.1 Dolby Digital (Dub) English 2.0 Dolby Digital (Dub)

Korean 5.1 Dolby Digital Korean 2.0 Dolby Digital

Commentary with Joon-Ho Bong

English and Spanish subtitles

Should you buy this DVD?

Get the DVD for the movie itself, because the special features are lacking, at least on the one-disc version. However, due to the complex nature of the story and the overall intensity of the movie, The Host is worthy of joining any horror buff's collection.

Grade: A