Don't Click (2012 film) explained

Don't Click
Native Name:
Hangul:미확인 동영상: 절대클릭금지
Rr:Mihwag-in Dongyeongsang: Jeoldaekeullikgeumji
Mr:Mihwagin Tongyŏngsang: Chŏldaek'ŭllik Kŭmji
Lk:Unidentified Video: Absolutely Do Not Click
Director:Kim Tae-kyung
Producer:Ahn Dong-kyu
Cha Ji-hyeon
Jang Won-seok
Starring:Park Bo-young
Joo Won
Kang Byul
Music:Seong Ji-dam
Cinematography:Kim Gi-tae
Editing:Kim Sun-min
Distributor:Showbox/Mediaplex
Runtime:93 minutes
Country:South Korea
Language:Korean
Gross:[1]

Don't Click is a 2012 South Korean horror film about a "forbidden video" that curses people to death.[2]

Production

The movie was the first for actress Park Bo-young to appear semi nude on any film.[3] The abandoned factory scene had to be filmed by a smartphone hold by the actress Park Bo-young. Actress Kang Byul had to practice valley dancing for the movie, and had to drink tea for the excessive screaming she had to do for the movie.[4]

Plot

Se-hee is a shop attendant who lives alone with her sister, the high school student Jung-mi, due to their mother's death and their father's decision to work in the United States. Due to a misunderstanding, she is estranged from her boyfriend, the IT college student Joon-hyuk, who tries to make amends by asking Jung-mi to convince Se-hee for a reconciliation. In exchange, Jung-mi, who secretly earns money for both her and Se-hee's tuition by uploading viral videos, wants him to download a blocked video supposedly cursed to kill its viewers.

The video that Joon-hyuk retrieved is revealed to be a series of clips, 108 in total, which changes content after each viewing. The clips are about various things, including what appears to be witchcraft and sexual harassment of a middle-aged man towards a drunken woman. Since viewing the video, both Jung-mi and Se-hee begin to feel haunted by a presence. An internet artist whom Jung-mi sends the video to also becomes haunted and is eventually crushed by an elevator when she tries to escape; a snuff clip of the killing is later made a part of the cursed video. Meanwhile, anonymous videos of Jung-mi doing a stripping dance and the subsequent commotion she causes inside a train go viral; these combined with the aforementioned haunting make Jung-mi deeply paranoid and violent.

Worried, Se-hee asks for Joon-hyuk's assistance to record Jung-mi's activities by placing security cameras around the house. At one point, Jung-mi escapes towards an abandoned house, which was formerly inhabited by the man who did the harassment from the video. Joon-hyuk searches about the identity of the man and finds out that he did not "harass" the drunken woman; in fact, he only wanted to give her solace, but the girl who made the amateur recording uploaded it as harassment anyway. The man committed suicide in shame, his wife died of heart attack after hearing it, while their daughter, who was bullied for the incident, attempted a viral suicide that went unrecorded due to a brief blockade imposed by the site. However, before she died, the daughter was able to create the cursed video.

Se-hee and Joon-hyuk race towards the abandoned house and discover the decapitated remains of the girl who made the "harassment video", before finding Jung-mi. The trio find the doll used for the curse and burn it as well as the flash drive containing the cursed video. The three head back to Se-hee and Jung-mi's house thinking that they are safe, but it is revealed that the curse is still active. Both Joon-hyuk and Jung-mi die in their attempt to stop the curse, while Se-hee is confronted by the daughter at the rooftop. Declaring that she should come to hell with her, the daughter corners Se-hee into jumping from the rooftop.

The next morning, Se-hee is revealed to have survived her fall. However, she panics upon seeing all the videos and cameras carried by the reporters who came to the scene, implying that she is still haunted by the curse.

Cast

Production

The movie was the first for actress Park Bo-young to appear semi nude on any film.[8] The abandoned factory scene had to be filmed by a smartphone hold by the actress Park Bo-young. Actress Kang Byul had to practice valley dancing for the movie, and had to drink tea for the excessive screaming she had to do for the movie.[9]

Release

Don't Click was originally slated to be released during the summer of 2011, but because of lack of screens available, it was pushed back to the autumn/winter season. Distributor Showbox/Mediaplex then decided to push the movie's release to the summer of 2012, believing horror films generally do better business during that season.[10]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012Popularity AwardPark Bo-young
Joo Won
2013Most Popular - Actor (Film)Joo Won

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Don't Click (2012). Korean Film Biz Zone. Korean Film Council. March 23, 2017.
  2. News: Don't Click (2012). 2012-11-27. The Chosun Ilbo. 1 June 2012.
  3. Web site: 박보영 '미확인 동영상'서 목욕신 생애 첫 노출. The Chosun Ilbo. 2012-05-25.
  4. Web site: 영화 '미확인 동영상' 언론 시사회. 2012-05-25. news town.
  5. Web site: Hong. Lucia. Park Bo-young speaks about becoming new queen of horror. 10Asia. 2015-01-04. 3 May 2012.
  6. News: Actress Park Bo-young Expands Repertoire with Horror Flick. 2012-11-27. The Chosun Ilbo. 2 June 2012.
  7. Web site: Interview: Park Bo-young, Come back in 4 years. BNTNews. 2015-01-04. 27 August 2012. January 4, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150104162023/http://www.bntnews.co.uk/app/news.php?nid=323. dead.
  8. Web site: 박보영 '미확인 동영상'서 목욕신 생애 첫 노출. The Chosun Ilbo. 2012-05-25.
  9. Web site: 영화 '미확인 동영상' 언론 시사회. 2012-05-25. news town.
  10. News: http://xportsnews.hankyung.com/?ac=article_view&entry_id=234675. ko:'미확인 동영상' 제작자, 알고보니 차태현 친형. 31 May 2012. 2012-11-27. Xsport News. Korean. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120809071152/http://xportsnews.hankyung.com/?ac=article_view&entry_id=234675. 9 August 2012.