Going back to the 1950’s, the best horror/sci-fi flicks had their genesis in some sort of environmental or political disaster. Godzilla was born from a post-Hiroshima scarred Japan and like that great green creature, The Host offers a warning of impending catastrophe when nature is tampered with.
When Mr Pinky first heard about The Host via a clip on David and Margaret’s Movie Show, his snout began sniffing in anticipation. That one scene of a truly frightening creature wreaking havoc in a park was a rare example of CGI effects getting it right. The film itself, a South Korean production from 2006 is up there with Alien as one classic scary experience. The fact that it is South Korea's biggest money maker probably means we’ll soon be seeing a dodgy American remake in no time.
The film opens with an American scientist ordering the dumping of huge amounts of formaldehyde into the Han River. A few years later and the effects of this act have spawned a creature of immense horror that emerges from the river to create bloodyminded havoc. I cannot remember a monster film in recent years that has made Mr Pinky hide his eyes in dreadful anticipation of what happens next. But what makes The Host so special is the care it takes setting up the human element of the film. By taking the time to introduce the Park family and having the monster abduct the youngest member, audience sympathy is won and fear is genuinely felt. Indeed, the feeling of dread that this film creates as attempts are made to rescue the little girl was quite an overwhelming experience for Mr Pinky.
The film opens with an American scientist ordering the dumping of huge amounts of formaldehyde into the Han River. A few years later and the effects of this act have spawned a creature of immense horror that emerges from the river to create bloodyminded havoc. I cannot remember a monster film in recent years that has made Mr Pinky hide his eyes in dreadful anticipation of what happens next. But what makes The Host so special is the care it takes setting up the human element of the film. By taking the time to introduce the Park family and having the monster abduct the youngest member, audience sympathy is won and fear is genuinely felt. Indeed, the feeling of dread that this film creates as attempts are made to rescue the little girl was quite an overwhelming experience for Mr Pinky.
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