Harrill Reporting

This realistic horror feature, directed by Derek Son, is full of confusion and keeps the audience thinking. A group of medical students begin their first autopsy class to scenes which seem routine. Dead body, frightened students, and knives…excuse me, scalpels. They are soon consumed by nightmares that soon come to life. Or does it?

Cadaver keeps me guessing on what is really happening. The writers, Derek Son and Park Sun-jae, and director, Derek Son, do an exceptional job keeping the suspense building. I am really not big on horror films, but to me horror film is vampires and zombies thanks to American cinema. Cadaver is what I want to see in a horror film. The mix of supernatural with real-life undertones. As Diane Henderson said of this film in the EIFF catalogue, “Its clever blend of horror and human drama, marked by some genuinely frightening moments, puts a memorable new spin on the recognizable formula.” I love where Korean cinema is heading and this is one of the films to put on the list of many spectacular cinema to come from this nation.

4.5 Film Reels