31 Days of Halloween 2009 - Hansel and Gretel


Where the children aren't quite that vulnerable, the witch isn't a woman, and the parents are the ones lost in the woods...

Hansel and Gretel, the 2007 Korean film, is one of those dark fairytales where part of the entertainment of the movie comes from figuring out just what is going on. Some of it is pretty evident early on: the kids are clearly up to something, and when their parents disappear, leaving the hero, a stranded motorist, alone in the house with them, he has to figure out exactly what that is. He doesn't really have a choice in the matter, given that every time he tries to leave, his path must end back at the house.

But it's when this off-putting preacher shows up that you know something is definitely wrong and the rest of the movie starts veering towards the horrific side. There's flashbacks, an epic battle, and even a nice, happy fairytale ending, which given how most of the movie went, seemed unlikely to happen. It's actually a decent twist on the tale, one in which the adult is the one who has to find his way back.

Lee Byung-woo - Hansel and Gretel
Lee Byung-woo - Lullaby from A Tale of Two Sisters