Bloody Reunion (2006) User Reviews

I bought this movie expecting something else...

[Oil_Painter · 5/10 · 15 July 2007]

Bloody Reunion is described as a horror/slasher movie, but because of all the hype and good reviews of this movie, I was expecting a better storyline than what is usually found in this genre. I am a huge fan of Asian horror in general because of the greater depth of their story lines, yet this movie remains confusing throughout. Also, even though I'm not a big gore-hound, this movie really doesn't provide the gruesome killings expected by most American slasher fans, although those scenes were quite unique.

***SPOILER ALERT*** Confused storyline: The most significant problem I had with this film is that what did and didn't really happen is not fully explained. We find out that the story told to the police by the one surviving student,who is also Mrs. Parks caretaker, is a lie. We are then told that these students meet every year with their teacher, that they are all in fact successful, that the student known as "Shy-Guy" never really existed, that the young woman caring for the inexplicably wheelchair bound Mrs. Park is in reality the student known as "Shy Guy", and that all of the nasty things the young woman described as being done to the other students, were in reality all done to her by Mrs. Park. Confused? It gets even better. Also, we find out that all of those former-students were killed with poison, and then mutilated by the young woman. Why would she kill her former classmates? Well, we are shown a flashback of this young woman as a student, and in this scene she is humiliated by her classmates and her teacher, Mrs. Park, when she has her first menstruation in class: They all insist that she has defecated in her pants. (Wait, there's more) She goes home to her poor mother, who loves her more than anything, and after telling her mother what happened, the mother is so angry that she goes marching off to the school(clutching her daughter's bloody underwear as proof) and is killed when she is hit by a car. The girl left school, and hasn't been seen until she shows up to care for Mrs. Park about a year before the reunion. Oh, and this young woman also keeps her dead mother in her old apartment, and Mrs. Park may or may not have had a hideously deformed son that she kept in her basement who liked to wear the same bunny mask the killer is described as wearing when the young woman tells her fabricated story to the police. At the end of this movie I was left wondering: What really happened? Who really existed? Why did I pay $29.00 at Borders for this movie?

Decent horror flick with some genuine creepiness, but not as good as I had hoped

[massaster760 · 6/10 · 30 March 2007]

Tartan's new release, Bloody Reunion (a.k.a. To Sir, With Love) is not a remake of the 1964 classic starring Sidney Poitier. It is a grimy, sadistic, South Korean foray into the slasher flick genre. In ways it is very reminiscent of early 80's Horror flicks like Jason or Sleepaway Camp. And just as those films are considered cinematic trash, Blood Reunion might also fit the same description. Fortunately for my viewing pleasure, I love Asian Trash Cinema! Bloody Reunion tells the story of a group of elementary students who return years later to visit their former teacher-who has recently took ill-in the countryside. Once the group arrives, the film briefly jumps back and forth between the past and present, showing us that this sweet teacher (Mrs. Park) had a cruel side to her. In fact as the film progresses we find out that most of her former students have murderous intentions towards the teacher. And their not the only ones with murderous intentions, as we soon find out. Someone in the group is systematically bumping off the students one by one in the most gruesome fashion possible.

That's pretty much the story, as the film's narrative kinda sputters out after the first 30 minutes and then degenerates into a slasher flick (literally). The film than takes you through a series of murders each more horrid than the next. This goes on for awhile, and if the film was just this,I would have probably liked it less. But just when you thought you've figured it out, the film twists into a way that you don't expect. And is pleasantly surprising.

The film has a lot of faults and loose ends. For one, the sub plot about Mrs. Park's deformed child never really pays off. The acting is substandard (but does anyone really expect good acting in a slasher flick?). And as I mentioned before the story kinda just stops and the viewer is left with a lot of unanswered questions. I guess it all depends on what your frame of mind when you watch it. Don't go into this with high expectations and you just might come out liking it. Also, if gore and violence aren't your thing, STAY AWAY from this film.

All in All, a decent horror flick with some genuine creepiness. Not as good as I had hoped, but it's nice to see a director depart from the long-haired ghost girl movies that Asian Cinema seems to puts out over and over

Entertaining slasher with a few winks to "Friday the 13th"

[Milo-Jeeder · 6/10 · 24 May 2007]

In "Bloody Reunion", a group of South Korean former class mates are invited to a reunion in a nice cottage located in the countryside. Mrs. Park, an old teacher from elementary school, who happens to be very ill and crippled, wants to see her favorite students reunited again. However, when these former class mates arrive to the cottage, the plot thickens and we realize that Mrs. Park actually wasn't exactly very nice to her students and as a consequence, they still hold a big grudge against her. Unfortunately, the old woman doesn't seem to remember much of it, maybe due to her illness or perhaps it's just a fake reaction in order to cause sympathy and avoid having her head chopped off. The only truth that can't be denied is that Mrs. Park has caused an immense scar on her students and they're all in the mood for revenge.

Even though I really enjoy Asian horror films for what they are, with their repeated and yet somehow dissimilar premises, I still wanted to see something completely different. If we keep in mind that some of the finest Asian flicks were remade in the United States, frankly, I don't see why we should bash a movie that falls into the slasher category. Especially, if we keep in mind that the ending, somehow turns the whole thing around in a matter of seconds and what seemed to be a slasher at first, quickly turns into a gory drama flick with a big mystery revealed. In order to avoid possible spoilers, that's all I have to say regarding the genre of this film and its ending. While "Bloody Reunion" doesn't exactly belong to my all time favorite horror movies, I still appreciate the director's dignified effort of leaving the ghosts aside for a second and mostly focusing on a graciously gory tale about revenge. With some obvious winks to "Friday the 13th", this film somehow tricks the audience into believing something that ends up being the complete opposite. Even though I'm not a big fan of these "incredibly amazing twists" (notice the sarcasm, please) that horror movies tend to include nowadays, I dislike insulting predictable endings a lot more. These predictable endings are even more blameworthy when we're talking about a slasher or a giallo, which are two horror sub-genres that are mostly captivating because of the mystery and uncertainness. In "Bloody Reunion", the ending turns out to be pretty one-dimensional and yet quite dramatic. I will not spoil it, but it's perhaps one of the highest points in the movie and one of the main reasons why "Bloody Reunions" separates itself from the typical American slashers.

Death Reunion

[Chrysanthepop · 17 July 2011]

Dae-wung Lim's 'Seuseung-ui Eunhye' is pretty much another East Asian slasher flick made in the traditional fashion. It starts off slow and drags on. For a slasher flick, there isn't that much slashing which isn't necessarily a bad thing provided that the story's good enough. But, once the slashing starts, it goes on until almost the end. The torture scenes are quite creative and well executed. Unlike the Hollywood slasher flicks, the story here has layers and at least some of the twists make sense. Yet, it's not without its share of flaws. Plot holes are abundant and the pacing is poor. The dialogues do ramble on at some point. The performances, especially those of Seong-won Jang and Mi-hee Oh are better than what one usually expects from such movies. This certainly isn't the best of East Asian horror and slasher but it's not a bad suggestion for those who enjoy this kind of stuff.

The genuine story does never exist while some genuine scares are building well enough

[gila_film · 6/10 · 2 October 2006]

Korean horror movies are taking break from haunting-spirit-possessed-unanimated-object or long-haired-ghost. Instead, in To Sir, With Love (TSWL), director I'm Dae-wuong is revisited the 80's slasher intact with the very formula. Throw in some contemporary Korean thrill and drama, TSWL is surely to entertain and trust me, this nothing to do with Sidney Poitier's classic.

The story revolves around some twenty something people, groups for a reunion with their former teacher in a small countryside cottage. Most of the student obviously has a serious grudge against their teacher who's now is wheel-chair bound. As the event continues, the grudge slowly unfolded, even the teacher seems doesn't remember. When the night comes, someone wearing a paper cut rabbit mask start making bloody carnage, one by one, in a grisly body count. Anyway, you know the drill! If you watch a lot of horror movies, you will easily constructing the plot and even though there are hint of Jason Voorhees-like tale, where the teacher keeps his deformed child in the basement, you still able to figure out the killer is and it's including the twist the end.

Therein lies the problem with TSWL. The genuine story does never exist while some genuine scares are building well enough. Yes, the positive aspects are TSWL succeed in build the tension with some interesting set-ups. The gore it self is nicely done. Somehow we expect it just could be much better. The last Korean slasher I watched is 'Bloody Beach', which is fairly good. But it years ago. Now, comes the match, TSWL.

Despite the flaws, TSWL is definitely worth to watch, especially if you fans of Korean Horror. After some tired Sadako's clone invading the Korean cinema-scene, it's time for something new.

Interesting if Not Great

[drumax-759-417828 · 6/10 · 19 August 2012]

That is to say, this movie wasn't great. Some genuine horror, one in particular involving razor blades was particularly disturbing, but I felt the story and the twist ending didn't jive well. I like to have a chance to possibly guess the twist but sometimes that twist is more just a complete 180 out of the blue that almost negates everything you just watched.

All the same the story itself, that unravels during most of the movie, is a reunion of students who visit their now sick and aged teacher, all of whom have issues with how she treated them as well as issues with each other. As I said above, the actual events of this reunion that unfold rather well into a very interesting story of bitterness and revenge are almost negated by the movies twist ending.

Still worth a watch if you are a horror fan.

A horror film that just doesn't grab ya'

[gregsrants · 4/10 · 22 May 2007]

When it comes to horror, it is my opinion that Asian cinema knows how to go for the jugular. Possibly due to the fact that they have less restrictions than North America - what with the MPAA able to make or break you depending on their rating and all. Asian cinema has no boundaries and if you want scares, blood and those scenes which have you turning your head away just to catch your breath, South Korea and Japan are two of the trendsetters in the industry.

So when the copy of Bloody Reunion was placed in my mail slot for viewing, I was expecting a slaughter of cringe inducing deaths. Instead, what I got was a relatively routine film about revenge that was watchable but did not provide me with scenes that I wanted to run to the water-cooler at work the next day to try and explain.

Bloody Reunion is about a bunch of students who go back to visit their dying teacher who, as we find out in flashbacks, was as insensitive a mentor as Don Rickles would be at a celebrity roast. The class reunion takes place some sixteen years after they all left the school and each of the former students have a moment of screen time to explain to us why they are so angry (then why did they go back?).

As we would hope, once everyone is settled, the killing begins and like most horror films, anyone who leaves the pack and goes somewhere on their own is pretty much done for.

The killing in the film is a mixed bag. Someone is forced to eat razor blades which is somewhat cool and original. Yet another gets an office desk utensil applied to their eyeball and the third gets his tortured by ants running into in through his ears. I couldn't help but think of the ceramic 'Hear no Evil. See no Evil. Speak no Evil" monkey's that I have sitting on my end table upstairs as each of the three victims were paraded out in gruesome form.

The whole movie is actually a flashback with a detective trying to piece together what happened to the poor young visitors to the cottage. All signs lead to a deformed child that was the property of the teacher back when they were all children. Looking like the son of the monster from The Goonies, this poor kid wore a paper rabbit's mask to hide his hideousness. As the story is described to the detective, the killer also donned a rabbit's mask. Hmmmmmmmmm.

I wanted to enjoy Bloody Reunion and with quotes such as "The best Korean Horror film in years" and "The best slasher pic to come along in a while.", I was more than expecting the ho-hum response that it solicited out of me.

To note, it wasn't a complete disaster. The killings were more original than anything produced for the North American mass audiences and the ending is somewhat interesting even if it is unnecessary.

On a whole though, I can't give the film a recommendation. There are just too many better Korean horror films on the market and this one failed to make its mark.

www.robertsreviews.com www.killerreviews.com

watch out for first time menstruation!

[trashgang · 7/10 · 2 May 2010]

South Korea. Now and then there is a movie coming out of that country worth watching. And let me say, this one is a gem of that country. Be warned, you will have to go a bit into their traditions, and the way they are making movies. What is good about Bloody Reunion is the fact that there is a strong storyline. Just when you think you know the killer the director or screenwriter tricks you. It isn't all about the horror. The story takes you far beyond that. What Grotesque misses this one has, a story. Grotesque was all about torture, this one delivers more. An old woman being a teacher ones is dying. She gathers some old students to say goodbye but those who came to the reunion would like to say how they feel about her and their lives. It starts a bit slow with the arrival of the guest and then getting into the characters. Slowly we glide into terror that becomes horror. Ones we know who the killer is the movie changes from horror into suspense. But let me tell you, it all works and by the sudden changes into the plot you will watch it without being bothered by the language, it's spoken in Korean. Be sure to catch the full uncut. It's sometimes gory in the typical Eastern tradition. I wouldn't say it's HK III but for some it will be a bit brutal.

What the hell did I just watch?

[baumer · 6/10 · 8 September 2009]

Bloody Reunion is a mess. It doesn't really tell us what happens or who the killer is or who the killer might be or even if there is a killer. Well, I'm fairly certain that there is a killer, because people die, but why the killer does what he or she does, is still a little confusing.

I love a lot of Asian horror because they are either A) incredibly scary like Ringu and Ju-on, or they are disgustingly violent and gory like Men Behind the Sun or Audition. Bloody Reunion falls into the latter as the best part of the film is some of the killings. There is plenty of blood and several gut wrenching scenes as one unfortunate soul gets his mouth kept open by what looks to be protractors, then has tiny razor blades dropped into his mouth and boiling water dropped into his mouth. I shuddered watching this part as the pain he must have went through would be excruciating.

But beyond the gore, the movie cannot be recommended. The ending is just too strange and really doesn't make any sense. Is there a deformed kid running around killing people? Did he ever exist? ***SPOILER ALERT*** What really takes away from the film is that you think one thing and then it just confuses the hell out of you by making you believe one thing and then another. We find out that the story told to police by the surviving student is all a lie, ala The Usual Suspects. We are then told that these students all meet with their teacher once a year, are all successful and are all poisoned by her. We then find out that one of the students never really exists and (this is the most confusing part) all the nasty things described as being done to the students was really done to her. Then she has a menstruation problem in class that people made fun of her about and then her mom is on the way to the school to confront the teacher and she gets hit by a car.

It doesn't make a lot of sense. Stylistically the film is fine. The gore effects are wonderful and some of the women in the film are very easy on the eyes. But the script is much too confusing.

I'll continue watching Asian cinema. This film isn't terrible, it just could have been much better.

6/10

Class dismissed...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 2 March 2013]

"Bloody Reunion" had me suckered in with the "the best Korean horror film in years" label that it brandished on the DVD cover. Well, I guess whomever is reviewing for beyondhollywood.com doesn't watch a lot of Korean horror movies, because this movie is nowhere near being in the top 10 of Korean horror movies.

That being said, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that "Bloody Reunion" is a bad or boring movie far from it. It did have its moments, and there were some fairly interesting deaths along the way, plus a nice twist of events. However, the movie turned out to be rather mundane and predictable in the end.

As for the horror aspect, well it just hardly wasn't there. "Bloody Reunion" is more of a slasher movie than it is a proper horror movie, especially because you don't really get thrilled or have that 'edge of your seat' sensation at any point throughout the movie.

The people cast for most of the roles were actually doing good jobs with their given roles. And the characters in the movie were really nicely fleshed out and detailed, that was one of the better aspects to this movie.

There are some really interesting horror movies coming out of Asia quite often, "Bloody Reunion" however, is just a bit too average and doesn't really stand out. There are far better horror movies, even Korean ones, out there, if you enjoy Asian horror films. If you are new to the Asian horror scene, then "Bloody Reunion" is a good starting point, but for us veterans to the Asian horror scene, it just doesn't really make the cut - pardon the pun!

Class dismissed...

One of the best slasher movies I've ever seen...

[EvilSimen · 10/10 · 31 August 2007]

Woah. Like seriously, wow. I bought this movie at Borders Books a couple weeks ago because the cover looked cool and it's been shitting on my shelf since then building up a good weeks worth of dust before I decided to put this into my DVD player tonight and by god, I wasn't expecting to be hit this hard by this film.

This movie, no, masterpiece managed to hit me at every level possible. It was gripping, it was scary, it was gory, it was disgusting, it was suspenseful, it was daring. I haven't felt this amount of uncomfortable edgyness while watching a movie in a long time. It really scared me. The strange part about this? All it simply is is a slasher movie. At it's core, that's what the movie tries to be... But it manages to be so much more than simply your cut and dry slasher movie.

It manages to defy slasher movie convention at every turn. Instead of a bunch of assholes who you could never care about at all, this movie is casted with characters that each manage to go through their own ups and downs throughout the film and each manage to come together to form a cohesive whole of a character. They aren't cut and dry jocks or cheerleaders like you'd find in a modern, every day slasher. No, no, no. These are people, people with problems, people with lives, people who are tortured by their own lives. I managed to be gripped with each of their stories as they were told, including that of the most despicable of them.

Then the ending occurs, and really manages to surprise me. I wasn't expecting it. I thought it had already gone through it's "twist" by then, but that twist turned out to be a red herring. I'm being vague simply because, well, I don't want to spoil it for anyone else who decides to pick up this brilliant slasher masterpiece. I'd say it's the best slasher I've seen since Halloween, my personal favorite horror movie and one of my two favorite movies ever made. It's that damn good. I'm definitely adding it to my top 10 horror movie list. I recommend you all pick this up, it was one of the best damn blind buys I've ever had.

An underrated Khorror/slasher flick

[Saanwithhisstupidthoughts · 6/10 · 16 May 2021]

WOW REALLY UNDERRATED AND LESS TALKED ABOUT SOUTH KOREAN SLASHER MOVIE.

YES IT HAS PLOTHOLES

BUT WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT IS THAT ITS APPROACH AND ITS STYLE.... IT ALL POINTS TOWARDS CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD SLASHER BUT WITH BETTER PLOT AND GOOD GORE.... ALSO THE TWISTS WERE CONVINCING.

EXTREMELY WELL ACTED TOO. I LOVED EVERY SINGLE ACTOR IN THIS MOVIE.

MUST WATCH FROM MY SIDE IF I HAD TO RATE IT I WOULD GIVE IT 6.8 ON 10.....IF THE PLOTHOLES WERE NOT THERE I WOULD'VE GIVEN 7.5.

Slighty Disappointing is an understatement.

[utahman1971 · 1/10 · 13 November 2013]

This is worse than You're Next. OMG! Why do people like this? This was about a student getting revenge on a teacher and students on a reunion. Nothing about a home evasion like You're Next. Come on, you see someone in a bunny mask and assume that You're Next is a rip off. How stupid is that? You're Next was heck of a lot better than this trash. Not really the same plot and you say You're Next is a rip off of it. Dang if I seen stupid crap, but hearing that tops the dummies out there. Impeccable? Where in this movie? Your nuts.

Watch some more horror movies before saying one is a rip off of another. Geez some people. I had to watch this, even when I knew these people saying it was a rip off of this one, and what a waste of time it was too. Man some should not be able to put a review on this site at all.

Still obvious, but I like it

[daryopeek · 6/10 · 22 February 2019]

To Sir, With Love (2006) probably one of the movies that included into my watchlist when I was a teenager. The interesting synopsis and poster artwork intrigue me so much, but back then it's really difficult to look for Korean films, ultimately horror genre, in my country. Just today I watched the movie, and it's not living up my 10 years expectation, but at least I like it.

The movie told a terrifying story of the relationship between a disabled teacher in her old days and her ex-students back in their elementary school. After grim stories about their old days begin to unfold in the reunion day, a person in bunny mask awaits to turn the reunion red.

Slasher flick isn't too strange for us. There are certain elements in slasher films involving unknown figure that always bring a shock in the end, and for an unhelpful hint, the same in this movie. With that being said, once you see this movie and have seen many similar stories, this movie is kind of stale. Lots of boring jumpscares, unearthly characters, and "effortless" twist, even the torture scenes seem uninspired for me. However, the twist changes it all.

While I said the twist is pretty easy (I can figure it out in the middle), the twist justify many lacking points this movie has. It just elevates your cliche slasher into a psychological drama with bonus of melodramatic sequences the usual K-Dramas have given.

What refrain me to give this movie higher than 6 is the direction and how the cinematography implemented in this movie. I should judge this movie with mind that super fast scenes with lots of flashes (ultimately in the disturbing scenes) were heavily used back then in Korea. But, I never really been a fan to that kind of effect. The production design, also seems cheap in the camera. I don't know if it's the wrongdoing of my copy, but it makes this movie seems like from early 2000s with soap drama effects.

At the end, this movie is preferable to me based on its story, although somehow the execution may make me unable to recommend this to my horror-loving colleagues.

Aprobarias el Examen Final?

[joanamolko · 6/10 · 9 July 2009]

The film is known in Mexico as "Final Exam" had heard criticism that this film, was similar to "The Art of the Devil 2 and 3" and if only the pieces of torture, rather the Usefuls used for torture, during the film sometimes I despair As "students" with the attitude victimizer teacher, as it could be so irresponsible to be as discriminate and attack with their students, to make them feel stupid about, and so cruel to their punishment, is still believed a saint! and worse, that did not even remember what they had done!! so anybody crazy, I have read several reviews and I find it funny, it says: "I would like to invite 3 of my teachers to see what their reactions to seeing the film although the movie took a big twist at the end, changing the history of film, I liked the end that gave "the girl who took care of the teacher," the teacher because she was right:, If the others had lived a happy life, if they were dying was a blessing, So let live, was a worse punishment it was worse than death, take that pain ... if they entered more about this film (Fotoresumen, see free, tips for understanding the film, data curious avatar for messenger, critics to the film, entirely in Spanish!) enter the next page http://joanamolko.spaces.live.com /blog/cns!8CAC86AC6C43C127!2218.entry

A mess of a movie. The film thinks mystery means changing the story every five minutes.

[dbborroughs · 3/10 · 7 May 2009]

Even by odd Asian film standards this one is a huge WTF film that will leave you wondering "what did I just watch?" I paid 2 bucks in a bargain bin and I'm happy I didn't pay more because frankly this film is a mess. The plot has the cops stumbling upon a bloody murder scene. One of the survivors tells the story of an annual grade school reunion gone wrong- but something isn't right-and wait I forgot to mention the deformed kid who may or may not have lived there and who's father hung himself at the start- and there's bunny masks (Donnie Darko NO!) and more red herrings and things not adding up and then we get to the end and we're...wondering what in the hell did we just see. I thought I was falling asleep and when the film ended I came in to check IMDb to see what I missed. Apparently not a damn thing. Some strange imagery is the only thing that I'm certain I experienced while watching the film. Beyond that your guess is as good as mine. I will give the film points for one of the most bizarre-and never ending- reasons for murder I've run across. Its some what adequately done but total gibberish.

Internally Overwhelmed Slasher Flick

[TwistedContent · 6/10 · 12 September 2021]

The appealing combination of words "korean" and "slasher" pulled me into this one, and indeed it's quite the saucy slasher, but not in the best of senses. Via an unapologetically fast intro we learn that a teacher gives birth to a deformed child, who they don't love and keep in basement, until her husband commits suicide in front of the kid. Sounds like a slasher alright. Cut to present day, a class of that time is visiting the now old and wheelchair-bound teacher, and this dinner party will bring out old grudges. The script of "Bloody Reunion" tries hard to twist a bunch of borrowed tropes, and explore a high count of characters too deep too quickly, establishing plot-points frequently with little behind them. The movie is sort of 50/50 plot/slasher violence driven, and the plot involves serious matters, like psychological trauma through abuse, but as opposed to more acclaimed, focused movies on similar themes, "Bloody Reunion" doesn't allow time or space for substantial development and construction, and rather takes leaps. Visually, the movie is very well serviceable, but unimpressive, and the constant zooming in some dialogue scenes didn't work very well. When it comes to special effects, however, they're gruesome alright. It's a slasher that definitely speaks some effort, and is a decent attraction to the fans of the genre. 6/10.

Audience Deception Wrecks a Potentially Good Movie - Contains Spoiler

[Calenture · 2/10 · 5 October 2013]

The infuriating thing about this movie is that it could have been so good if they hadn't tried to be so clever with the plot. 90% of this film, we're told, didn't actually happen. So why film it?

If two of the characters are actually the same character (one in disguise) then how do we - and the other characters, apparently - see both these characters at the same time?

At one point a detective explains how the victims were 'initially killed'. Huh? It doesn't matter what language you use, once someone's been killed there's no second time you can kill them.

Even one of the alternate titles is misleading: 'To Sir With Love.' There's no 'Sir'. The teacher's a woman!

So far (despite my subject line) I've somehow avoided giving any real spoilers. The reason is, if you're prepared to sit through a better- than-average slasher movie, even prepared to accept the appalling ending which informs you that almost everything you've seen was bogus, that's fine. I love Asian cinema and some of its best has come from South Korea, but this is a total cop-out. Blood and gore thrown in apparently to please a mass market, then a 'clever' ending trying unsuccessfully to tie things up, possibly in the hope of pleasing any highbrows in the audience. It just doesn't work.

I'd like to think that maybe the director was coerced into adding those nonsensical later films by studio bosses and maybe one day a much shorter director's cut will be released, with all the illogical bits taken out. If that happens the result will be a still-complex film that transcends the average slasher picture. At the moment it's just a mess.

To Sir with Love (2006)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 6/10 · 13 December 2011]

The film begins with a number of bodies being found. The lone survivor then explains the previous days' events. We see a story of a dying teacher meeting some of her old students. It all seems to be going well, until we realize each ex-student holds a grudge against their teacher for an event/comment she made. It's great to see how such small moments can stay with a child for a lifetime, and how they can shape the person that child will become. It also emphasizes the need to forgive. The teacher doesn't always recall these memories, as they were just fleeting moments to her. It's about responsibility and how we should treat others, as well as empathy. Soon the crap hits the fan. Did I forget to mention the teacher had a disfigured son that was always locked in the basement? The film does well at mixing character drama with slasher horror, but is also a bit dramatic at times. A man hangs himself to Moonlight Sonata for example. There is also some questionable camera work, during dialog scenes it just zooms in and out from the speakers face, no reason for this, just very distracting. The final twist is obvious but does well to fit into the themes being discussed.

What???

[aelsiaa · 4/10 · 2 October 2011]

This is my first review so bare with me.

To start off WTF...

It's pretty much a movie about events that never really happen, which I think makes the whole movie pointless.

Its starts off good but as I got further into it I started to wonder why did they bother to show up if they didn't like her? Why is the killer killing the former students but not the teacher (I mean really if it was one of her former students wouldn't he/she go after the teacher)?

At the end is when you find out that none of it really happens, fake care giver women made it all up. This is where I'm thinking WTF...

This movie has left so many unanswered questions. What I really want to know is What The Hell Happened To Her Deformed Child? Did he even exist or did no life having crazy vengeful women fabricate the beginning to. But most importantly, Did those cops run into that house with a bat at the end??? I'm pretty sure it I saw a bat, what kind of dumb ass cops are they?

Bloody Reunion

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 10 April 2009]

This was one hell of a reunion! What is supposed to be a celebration for a dying teacher turns out to be far more sinister, bloody, violent, and painful. A group of adults return to reunite with their school teacher and we discover that each member of her class have grown with boulder-sized chips on their shoulders, their lives deeply effected by her mistreatment of them. The teacher's husband hung himself after she gave birth to a male child with a hideously deformed face. Keeping him in her basement, several of the school kids(..appropriately those gathered at the reunion)often mock him, while one younger boy is kind to him..the film sets up that this particular child(..who was actually criticized by the teacher for talking to her son!)is perhaps the young adult who begins sadistically attacking the characters of the reunion, one by one, surprising them when they are preoccupied, finishing them off in the basement where the deformed kid was kept away from the outside world. The film shows the deteriorating mindset of those who have gathered with their teacher, their emotional outbursts, confronting her on how she has misshapen their lives for the worse. Shortly afterward, however, most of them meet a grisly fate.

I will say that BLOODY REUNION isn't your typical slasher..this is a film with something to say. It is chock full with anger, pint-up animosity, buried hostility that is surfacing(..and had built over the years), and the reunion provides an opportunity to aggressively seek answers for the torment that has lingered due to the improper upbringing by a teacher who was supposed to nurture her students, not belittle and criticize them. The film has a whopper of a twist which many might compare loosely to HIGH TENSION, but BLOODY REUNION does it in a very effective way that works rather well and isn't riddled with plot holes. Almost completely told from the point of view of Jung-won(Seong-won Jang), sadly slumped over the bedside of her mentor, to a detective attempting to piece together the sequence of events that led to the slaughter, the school teacher's indictment is brought to light over the course of the film. It is far from a pretty picture. The teacher is made to look as if she held a disregard for the poor, often ridiculed those with weaknesses(..one's nonathletic ability, another's weight issues), and even possibly molested her attractive male student(..which has turned him into a pill-popping wreck). At a very sickly state where she's confined to a wheel chair and can not control her bowels, the teacher is at her most vulnerable and weakest. Her punishment, the bad karma which is returning the favor, should be enough, but these former students, fueled by years of self-loathing, social rejects with buried contempt for the very one they sought approval(..always wanting to please her), have a chance to unleash the vitriolic rage held inside for far too long. The violence can get pretty unsettling as one is a victim of a vicious razor blade attack(..after bound to a chair, he's fed broken razors and water to wash them down!), one's eyelids are stapled, another is pummeled with a bat(..before the final crushing blows, we watch as ants enter his orifices and bleeding wounds..yuck!), with eyes gouged, and a neck stabbed, blood squirting from the hole. The teacher's life is threatened multiple times when students approach her with violent intent, but each time she is spared in the nick of time. The very fact that they have such hate for her and are dying so horribly is enough punishment..because she realizes that she's the real mastermind behind everything.

Now, I will not reveal the twist, but before the bellyachers lay claim that it makes the film a waste of time..I beg to differ. The teacher is still responsible for those under her care, and their obligations to those under her is of great importance. The mentor and role model, the teacher can shape minds, and motivate her students to be the best they can be. It can work both ways, and even if what we witness may not totally be accurate, the same negative feelings still exist and the behavior of an adult towards a student she has distaste for can ultimately bring about such dire consequences. This is a slasher with a potent punch. Care given to the characters and the twist isn't something merely thrown in there to foil the viewer, but comes from a dark place. Slasher fans definitely should give this one a shot..it's a winner.

Brutal Slasher with a Solid Mystery from South Korea

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 7/10 · 30 April 2021]

This was a movie that I had never heard of until the Podcast Under the Stairs' Summer Challenge Series for the 2000s. I'm surprised it hadn't popped up before that as I'm a fan of South Korean films and for a stretch there I was seeking as many out as I could. Aside from what I heard on the episode, I came into this one pretty blind. The synopsis is buried grudges have disastrous consequences for a class reunion.

To start us off, we're given a lot of the back-story very quickly. There is a teacher of Miss Park (Mi-hee Oh). She is pregnant and takes her class to the beach. Something happens to her while there and her son is born deformed. She decides to lock the child in the basement and I'm assuming part of this is cultural as Asian countries from my experience strive for perfection. Due to the grief and stress here, Miss Park's husband commits suicide, leaving her alone with the child.

We then shift to the present time where an older detective is close to retirement. Along with his partner, they go to a scene that looks to be murder. This brings them to the hospital from what I remember. It is there we see the name Nam Mi-ja (Yeong-hie Seo).

It turns out Mi-ja is taking care of her former teacher, Miss Park. She has come down with a disease that is eating away at her. She is confined to a wheelchair and we even learn that she has trouble controlling her bodily functions. At her house, a group of her former students are coming to visit. There is Myung-ho (Dong-kyu Lee) who we see early on is popping prescription pills, driving a fast car and wearing a leather jacket.

There is also a couple of Eun-young (Seol-ah Yu) along with her fiancé of Se-ho (Hyeon-Soo Yeo). We have a former athlete of Dal-bong (Hyo-jun Park) who is hitchhiking to make the reunion and ends up being picked up by a former classmate of Sun-hee (Ji-hyeon Lee). She used to be overweight, but now is quite attractive. She is hiding something with always wearing sunglasses though. The last one that shows up also lives nearby Miss Park. He dropped out of school after his mother passed away and was kind of weird, Jung-won (Seong-won Jang).

Their time here isn't as happy as everything sounds though. We are given flashes that Miss Park wasn't as nice as she is carrying on to be now. Jung-won was mocked by students before leaving class, including the teacher. She has embarrassed them all in different ways when they were younger and the effects are still felt today. It has driven some to drink while others deal with deeper psychological issues. It takes a deadly turn when someone attacks and takes them one by one into the basement to torture them. Is this Miss Park's deformed son doing this or someone else finally snapping from their psychological damage from the past?

That is where I'm going to leave the recap of this movie as this is really about half of the runtime to be honest. They do a really good job at making sure we get to know each of these characters and this almost plays out like a giallo film actually. I'm not going to call it one, but it has that mystery type vibe for me. I could see some people not necessarily being on board for this part of the movie, but I think it makes a bit more sense to fully understand what happens in the second half.

To shift this slightly, this is an odd movie as well. I don't really know why they're having this reunion with Miss Park. At first, we are led to believe they all really like her. I think part of this could be cultural gap for me. She treated them all pretty horrible. We learn that she could be the cause of Dal-bong's knee injury. She humiliated both Eun-young and Se-ho. Yet, they're still there seeking her approval for them to be married. She mocked Sun-hee about her weight and there could be abuse that involves Myung-ho as well. All of them have a reason to want to kill her. There is also drinking going on at this party, which we know what can happen there with harboring anger.

There is also this aspect of Miss Park's deformed child. As kids, they would come to his window and there seems to be a bit of making fun of him. Really the only one that doesn't is Jung-won. He does get scolded by Miss Park for looking in on him. Of course, the killer in this movie is donning a rabbit mask like the boy would wear and there are some child-like aspects to how he ties up people that are taken into the basement. I will give the movie credit here that I dug the mystery it is building for this.

Now I will admit though, I think I need another viewing of this movie. When the reveals happen, it does feel a bit like a cheat and that everything we've seen leading up to this isn't exactly how we saw it. I want to see if there is something that I missed or some tell that makes this not a cheat, because I really don't want it to be. To bring this back with a positive though, I really liked some of the images we flash back to explain the ending as it comes together. I still don't fully think I grasped the ending though.

What I did like was the acting here. Jang is solid as this quiet guy. We don't fully trust him and as things go on, the group reverts to how they acted in school. Dal-bong starts to bully him again and it is sad actually. Dong-kyu Lee does well in harboring a dark secret and I liked that I could pick up signs before it is revealed there. Ji-hyeon Lee was good as well with someone with low self-esteem. She does want she can to present that she has gotten over her trauma, but we can see it is still there. Oh is interesting with the duality of her character. She's been humbled by her condition, but it doesn't give her a pass for the horrible things she did in the past. She pretends like they didn't happen until she's confronted which I liked. Park seems like this guy who has his dreams shattered and drinking is how he copes. He is a bit overweight now which fits as well. Seo's performance is understated here, especially by the end. She does really well. Yeo is similar to that of Dal-bong in that drinking his how he copes, but his anger is manifested differently and Yu was solid as his counterpart. She really has an interesting scene with Miss Park as things progress. The rest of the cast does round this out for what was needed.

So then the last thing I want to go into would be the effects. I was really shocked to see how far they went with things. This movie is bloody and really lives up to that part of its title. I think there is good color and consistency. The attacks looked good and the torture scenes made me cringe as well. The acting was solid in them as well with conveying their fear of what is happening. I believe there probably was some CGI with ants that we got, but I wasn't bothered there. Aside from that, the look of the movie seems a bit amateur. Not that it is a bad thing as the cinematography still looked good.

In conclusion here, this is an interesting little movie. I like how it starts off feeling like a group of students visiting their teacher, but the more we learn, the more we see that isn't the case. We're getting a good look at the trauma caused and the effects it has on adults. The actors do a great job in conveying that. As for the effects department, they looked to be mostly practical and looked good. The soundtrack fit for what was needed. This has an interesting mystery, but it is one that I want to rewatch to ensure it isn't a cheat now that I know how it plays out. I would say this is above average movie after this first viewing.

A bloody hit!

[asda-man · 8/10 · 26 October 2012]

We all know that Korean's do absolutely amazing horror films. I could bore you all by listing a load, so I'll only mention Oldboy and I Saw The Devil as being two of the genres finest. But slasher films? I've never heard of a Korean slasher, but luckily for me I love Korean horror and I love slashers. Perfect match? Absolutely! Bloody Reunion managed to create a fantastic slasher that is way more than your bog-standard Friday the 13th. Instead of annoying kids, we get well-drawn out adult characters who we can care for and actually get to like. It's refreshing to see a slasher film with actual characters, instead of the usual cardboard cut outs, as seen in The Cabin in the Woods.

The film opens with intrigue, giving a very quick flash-back to the young teacher giving birth to a deformed child. It's quite sad, if not stereotypical, but don't worry because what unfolds is something that's quite unconventional for the slasher genre. There's a great, if not a little too long, 30 minute sequence with all the ex-pupils coming to see their sweet old teacher. It gives us opportunity to bond with the characters and also to unveil a little more depth to the back-story, as we find out that the teacher isn't quite as rosy as she appears. It just adds to the brilliant character development.

Things do get especially interesting once the killing starts! The whole jovial atmosphere changes as soon as it reaches night-time and you start to feel sympathy for everyone, especially Mrs. Park, and it's where the killer starts to make his move. The kills are brilliantly brutal with a little torture even added in for extra cringe! I found myself curling up into a ball in some parts. Bloody Reunion is certainly true to its name, and it is massively entertaining because of it. However, unlike most slasher films it's not all about the killing, there's a great deep story put in there as well, making the film even more gripping.

The film would be just fine as a detailed slasher film but then it goes one step further and unveils a huge twist that had me scratching my head. You could say that it's unnecessarily confusing and it does make the film seem like a bit of a waste of time, depending on how you look at it. Nevertheless, I did find it incredibly emotional and impactive, and it added yet another intricate web to the story and the characters so I'm unsure as to whether I liked it or not.

My only complaint would be, that I wish the slasher element ran for a little longer. I think the film needed a small dose of fun and I would've enjoyed more thrilling action. It also seemed a little repetitive at times with a character going to the beach and then being taken by the killer, but apart from that Bloody Reunion is a bloody good slasher film! It offers much more than your average American slasher (of course apart from The Cabin in the Woods) and is a film that I'm sure many few people in the horror community know about, which is a shame because Bloody Reunion is, in the words of SuBo, bloody fantastic!

Beautiful Slasher

[my_first_last · 9/10 · 10 November 2011]

Well, first of all. Bloody Reunion is must watch film for slasher fans. Second of all, don't believe in all the bad criticism here at IMDb. As you will see, bad reviews are from north Americans who are really fool and can't get a movie if it hasn't sex, the women's naked body or athletic guys doing shirtless scenes. Of course there's nothing of that here.

No here we go... Bloody Reunion starts with a crime scene, that is huge spoiler for what's about to come. Then we see the 'meeting'. You know something is wrong with this, but still watch it until the end. You'll be shocked!

For me this film was a slow paced at the beginning, as it goes on, the pace gets faster and you just don't get bored. Nice scary scenes, nice gore scenes, a simple plot made into a great story of revenge.

Overall Bloody Reunion is beautiful masterpiece of it's genre, as usual in the amazing Asian horror, twist are here to be expected and they keep you waiting for what's gonna happen. And the ending took a couple of tears from me!.

9 out of 10 The best: Ending. The worst: Too much blood.

Very sick indeed

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 30 July 2007]

For one I'm talking about the old teacher, who plays one of the main roles here. But I'm also referring to the movie itself! It's very sick and it might not be to everyone taste! That's also referring to the blood but also to the conclusion of the movie. But let's not jump to far ahead just now ...

It all begins with a crime scene and then the story of how this happened unfolds. The crime scene or the making of it, as it is told, is I have to emphasis that, not for the faint hearted! You have been warned! Some people come visit the old lady and we soon find out, that there were old pupils of her. They're coming to visit the old lady and wish her well ... but not everything is as it seems to be ... I'll leave you with that ... :o)