The Doll Master

A cute sculptor Hae-mi and four other people are invited to a gallery of dolls.They are excited to pose to be a doll model.Superintendent Mr. Choi and Jae-won a doll-maker are the hosts who invite them to this gallery.After just being in the house a short while strange things start to happen to each one of the newly arrived guests and there are also other strange things going on there,like a man being chained in the basement and some weird acting girl in a red dress showing up every now and then.I must admit that the dolls in "The Doll Master" are spooky as hell.However the climax is disappointing and the pace is slow.Still "The Doll Master" is decent enough to watch it once.6 out of 10.

I couldn't disagree more with those who says this is a lousy movie. Me and my friend went to see it during the Stockholm film festival and this was actually one of my favorite movies during the festival. Dolls being used in horror movies aren't something new but I haven't seen that many movies were it has been as well carried out as it is in this movie. The atmosphere, the setting, the actors, the camera-work.. everything is just beautiful. And they really work well with each other. Now if you expect this film to be another Grudge or Ring then you probably won't like it. But if your out for a good, stylized scare then it's perfect. Even though it's pretty predictable and at some times laughable I still recommend this to anyone who likes horror flicks. Go see it. Now.

Have to say, the film has a lot of potential to be something really spooky but unfortunately resorts to the almost Hollywood like style sense of horror with the predictable deaths of its characters which makes this look more like a slasher film.

It doesn't help that all the characters feel like card board cut outs - the annoying college girl, the annoying male, the uptight and serious guy, the awkward weirdo girl who can't be removed from her doll and our heroine who is sort of in the middle of everyone. They are all invited to a house so the owner can model dolls from their features and find well....there is more going on in this house than meets the eye - like you couldn't work that out for yourself.

The film doesn't build up the suspense which would have been perfect considering there are so many creepy dolls in this house - but relies more on the cheap scare tactics which doesn't work at all here. And it is a pity considering the production design and the look of the film has so much to work with.

If the director had seen A Tale of Two Sisters and tried to make that approach by slowly revealing things while still maintaining a sense of mystery instead of throwing it down your throat, this would have been a much better film but unfortunately, is on the same level as a teenager slasher film. Disappointing - has its nice moments but overall just as hollow as normal doll - all looks but nothing inside.

Bought this quite cheap at a video-store and since I've always been fascinated by dolls I simply had to buy it!

The film starts out a bit slow, but here you really get to know the characters and their personalities. Then when it starts to speed up you'll be introduced to the horror and how scary dolls really can be.

You'll cover your eyes and ears during some parts. The tension is extreme throughout the movie and it constantly changes your perception of the horrors that the characters encounter. What I mean by this is that once you think you've figured out how the horrors can take place, the movie throws something different at you to make you think different.

It's a little reminiscent of The Grudge, and adds a new twist to the "evil doll-genre".

All the actors did a great job, but the once who really stand out are the guy who invites everyone to the mansion and Yu-Mi. Especially Hae-Mi as Yu-Mi delivers a stunning performance.

The story is very strong with a lot, and I mean A LOT of twists as well as impressive writing. The plot throws something different at you every 10 minutes or so, never leaving you bored or making you take your eyes off the screen.

Only watch this if you want to enjoy a rich story, get freaked out, scared out of your mind and love dolls!

10/10

It was a great idea and I always think that dolls coming alive are rather creepy. At the beginning the church like building in the woods is really good although inside most of this is a set. The dolls, especially their eyes, are really cool but when we get down to the story it is rather silly. They sit down and eat several times and it is not too good as they give us some of the story which we never believe for a moment. I think every now and again there are great moments and it is very good when we get close-ups of hands. Creeping around someones back, across the floor, within cuffs of hands covered with blood or not but otherwise most people are standing around or screaming. The lift and the cellar with close-ups are okay but when we see the set it is just not good. It's unfortunate that all the dolls look so new and the sets and Chun Ho-jin playing as the curator looks just as bored as us.