21 Nov 2006

9:56

Director: Ahn Byung-Ki

Language: Korean with English subtitles

Starring: Ko So-Young, Jang Hee-Jin, Kang Seong-Jin

Release: 2006-11-21

Long-haired female ghosts make their stock appearance once again (yawn...) in this K-horror-meets-Rear Window.

Ko So-Young plays a woman who notices that at 9:56 every night, the lights in the apartment facing hers go crazy for a moment. She decides to investigate, even though her theories about there being something strange about it are simply dismissed by her neighbours. Her friendship with a strange girl in a wheelchair (Jang Hee-Jin) offers the answers she is looking for...

9:56 is directed by Ahn Byung-Ki, a seasoned director of the genre with titles like Phone and Bunshinsaba under his belt. As in Phone, Ahn is very good at creating a creepy atmosphere with his skilled compositions and lighting. But he can't seem to tell an original story or create believable characters to save his life.