Do you dig Grave Encounters? Are you a Flanagan? If you answered yes to both of the previous questions, I have a Mike Flanagan-endorsed recommendation you’ll surely want to check out posthaste.
The flick of which I speak is called Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. Mike Flanagan is an enthusiastic supporter of the film. So much so that he added the picture to a Letterboxd list showcasing his favorite horror movies.
Similarities to Grave Encounters abound.
I drew the parallel to Grave Encounters because the setups are remarkably similar. Each adopts the found footage approach and sees a film crew visiting an abandoned asylum rumored to be haunted and documenting their findings. The crew in Gonjiam is filming for a web series, whereas the cast of Grave Encounters is capturing footage for a television show. Save for that distinction, the core outlines are nearly identical.
There’s an entire Reddit thread speaking to the similarities between the two films. However, the Redditors aren’t bashing Gonjiam for aping the setup for Grave Encounters. No, the majority of those weighing in are speaking to the film’s efficacy. It seems the picture has a small but dedicated stateside fanbase.
Oh, and did I mention that the flick took home a Grand Bell Award in 2018 for Best Editing? What are the Grand Bell Awards, you ask? They are the Korean equivalent of the Oscars. That’s quite an impressive distinction, indeed.
Fun fact: The film lensed in the Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, which CNN previously named “one of the freakiest places on the planet.”
If you are curious to experience Gonjiam for yourself, you can do just that completely free of charge. That’s right, Gonjiam is available to stream for free (with ads) on Tubi as of the publication of this very post.
Jung Bum-shik directed Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. Bum-shik co-wrote the screenplay with Park Sang-min.
The setup for this Mike Flanagan-approved chiller goes like this:
The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. They soon encounter much more than expected as they move deeper inside the nightmarish old building.
That’s absolutely everything we have for you at present, dear reader. Make sure to stay tuned to the site for more off-the-beaten-path recommendations from your favorite creators in the genre space as we successfully uncover them. If you would like to chat more about overlooked and underrated films, you can find me on Threads @FunWithHorror.
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