Death Bell (2008) User Reviews

Fast paced and entertaining high school slasher with the usual flaws

[kluseba · 6/10 · 26 August 2013]

"Death Bell" is a South Korean high school horror movie released in 2008. It includes lots of slasher elements, a few minor mystery passages that can be seen as a nod to many popular Asian ghost movies but also several twisted enigmas that the surviving pupils and teachers have to resolve to save those who are kidnapped one by one by a vengeful mind. Imagine a mixture of the "Yeogo Goedam" series and "Saw".

The problem I have with this movie is not that it doesn't introduce anything new to the genre. A solid high school slasher flick like "4th Period Mystery" can be quite entertaining without being innovative. This movie takes too much time to kick the story off. The first twenty minutes don't even introduce you adequately to the story. The real reasons behind what happens in this movie are shown later in a few rushed flashbacks. The opening minutes introduce you to many unimportant secondary characters.

In fact, there are so many pupils running around that it's a little bit hard to realize who is who. After twenty lame minutes, pupils are suddenly kidnapped and murdered at such a high speed that you might soon feel confused about who is still alive, who has been kidnapped and who is about to be murdered.

Then we have the enigmas. Each time a pupil is about to be tortured to death, a madman presents the surviving crowd an enigma they have to solve at time to save their kidnapped colleagues. Sometimes the survivors even solve the enigmas but that doesn't keep the killer from continuing his slaughter which is pretty lame as the challenges feel somewhat useless. No matter if you solve the enigmas or not, the killer continues to spread death and terror until the very end of the movie.

The enigmas are also rather hard to follow. The first enigma has something to do with mathematics but the solution is never shown to the viewers. For the second enigma, the survivors have to create a sentence which is very hard to understand. I neither understand the sense behind the sentence nor the way the survivors manage to compose it in the end. The other enigmas are a little bit easier to understand but not very interesting as well. The movie should have spent some more time on explaining the enigmas and their more or less associated traps as it is the case in movies like "Mindhunters".

The ending of the movie is rather intriguing and includes a minor twist. Some people felt disappointed by it, others thought it was great and to me it was just okay. At least, it ended this short movie on a rather high note.

Fans of high school horror movies or slasher films can try this movie out. It's nothing groundbreaking but surely entertaining enough if you don't want to watch your "Scream" movies over and over again. It's decently entertaining but only an average horror movie, especially if we compare this to other unique and stunning South Korean horror movies like "A Tale Of Two Sisters", "Bedevilled" or "I Saw The Devil" for example. But for what it is, it's an acceptable fast food horror flicks with a few Korean pop stars acting in here.

Lack of common sense and logic

[KineticSeoul · 5/10 · 22 April 2010]

Seeing how this movie did so well in Korean box office, I thought it would be pretty good. It's not really a horror flick, but sort of works like the "Saw" movies except not the victims but the students that still hasn't been kidnapped yet has to solve the puzzles in order to save there classmate. My guess is that there wasn't many Korean horror movies released during that year, and since Asians tends to crave horror flicks it did so well. Although the premise is pretty well done, none of the characters seem to stand out much and you just don't care who lives and who dies. None of them were believable and the character decisions don't make sense sometimes, there just isn't any logic. Plus everything about this movie seems to be rushed, especially the ending, the twist also wasn't that shocking or original. But what annoyed me the most was the cliché, it's safe to be in one area but a person can take it anymore or goes off to investigate when the person they leave behind is the one that really needs help, which tends to get annoying since it gets used way too much in this. Although I ain't really looking forward to the sequel to this, I hope it's better than this although sequels tend to suck.

5.3/10

Slasher that doesn't quite cut it

[vainblood · 6/10 · 21 July 2010]

This is supposed to be a horror movie but it's not really scary. It has some suspense however which can make it worth watching and it's more like a gory slasher similar to "Scream" than a ghost story. Having said that I'm not excluding any ghostly presence in the movie. It's simply up to you to find out. The actors are good, at least the main characters but the rest is just average.

The big disappointment comes later in the movie when the director is trying to tie everything together. The script just fails to make a trustworthy impression and you are suddenly very aware that you are only watching a movie when the characters starts behaving in weird ways and doesn't act at all how you would expect them to in their current situation.

Unexpected events are good in horror movies but not in this case, where it's only confusing but like I said in the beginning, the suspense is there so it's not really a bad movie.

This was, uhm, well just idiotic...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 4 December 2019]

The 2008 South Korean horror movie was off to an interesting start, but then everything just came crashing hard fast and irrevocably.

And there wasn't much that director Hong-Seung Yoon could manage to do to salvage the movie, because the movie suffered from having a dubious and questionable storyline from writers Hong-Seung Yoon and Eun-Kyeong Kim.

The events in the movie made little sense, and there definitely was no logic to what transpired throughout the course of the movie. And what would deter the students from simply leaving the school grounds in opposite directions, and what would the killer do about that? And the total lack of action on the character's behalf was just appalling.

The acting in the movie was adequate, but it was hardly enough to make up for the shortcomings of the movie.

For a South Korean horror movie, then the 2008 movie "Death Bell" (aka "Gosa") was just a swing and a miss. It was boring, mundane and rather stupid, to be bluntly honest. This makes me somewhat doubtful about about sitting down to watch the 2010 sequel any time soon.

My rating of "Death Bell" lands on a mere, although quite generous, three out of ten stars. This is hardly worth the time, effort or money, and there are far better horror movies readily available in the South Korean cinema.

Decent film, not a great one.

[richnieh · 7/10 · 18 November 2010]

I gave this film seven stars for the above average special effect they are using for an Asian movie. Normally, Asian movie are on pretty tight budget, I believe this movie received more investment than some others. The main actress is a singer turned actor, this is usually a disastrous move for western entertainment world but it does happen very often in Asian and she actually did a good job. Asian horror movies very frequently use young, innocent girl as main actress and she is perfect for that role. I must say, it works better than Western sexual appealing actresses. Most white girls are pretty tall and strong but with good body; I really think sometimes if they serious want to fight back, the bullies will get pounded.

Anyway, those young school girls and boys were as helpless as always but the only thing will work in this movie was their brain. Now another eastern culture people need to understand is that grades are everything; getting into good university is everything. There is something implied in the movie is about how those students were best students of the school and they have a bright future because they study hard and smart. Quite a few movies implies how stressful of the eastern education is and some writer thinks it is scary if he adds horror element on top of that stress will attract Audience. Based on the experience of the school in the UK, I really don't think English students will ever get it. Well, if you can think of it this way, you are fighting into the night after 1am in the morning trying to compete with one hundred thousands other students in the exam and there is a ghost start bothering you and try to rip your gut out, I think people will get disturbed by it.

By the way, I have seen way much more disturbing movies than it, so I am kinda numb. However, I thought among all the Korean horror movies, they do have some new ideas involving some psychological traps and supernatural activities. I liked the singer-actor small girl, it is refreshing to see a pure school girl for a change than teen-model wannabes getting slashed.

Worth a watch if you want to see something different. The movie is not that smart, direction was OK, story is fine if you are patient, please don't expect too much acting in a horror movie, in which I mean it is good enough. Try to get a friend grew up from Eastern Asian environment, you might enjoy this movie more if you know our culture.

Bad direction and editing waste of a good cast

[phd_travel · 3/10 · 12 March 2022]

If only this show had a better director. It could have been a decent horror movie. The continuity is not good. Too much in the dark. Check this out for early work of the pretty Nam Gyu Ri and Kim Bum.

"Saw" set in a Seoul School

[Coventry · 7/10 · 1 August 2009]

Meanwhile it's been more than three months since I watched "Death Bell" at the Belgian Festival of Fantastic Films, but for some reason it must have escaped everyone's attention here at IMDb, because the film didn't receive its very own page until now. Since it's been quite long, and since I watched a whole lot of other crap in the meantime, I'm glad I took some notes and wrote down impressions after seeing the film, otherwise I'm afraid I wouldn't have remembered that much. By that I certainly don't mean that "Death Bell" is a bad film. Quite the contrary, it's a very amusing horror flick with exhilarating gore and a dazzling fast pace. Originality, however, isn't the film's biggest trump as it borrows plot ideas and stylistic elements from various other and more famous horror movies. "Death Bell" somewhat describes itself as "Saw" meets "Battle Royale", with a bunch of high school students and their teachers desperately trying to escape the imaginative death traps of a maniacal killer. Twenty of the most intelligent, but also sickly competitive and pompous students of a prominent Seoul high school attend a special exam held on a Saturday. Suddenly classical music plays through the speakers and the television monitor displays images of one missing student trapped in an aquarium slowly filling up with water. The exits are sealed, the contact with the outside world is cut off and the group finds themselves subjected to the lethal and perverted games of a deranged killer. But who is he and what are his motives?

Co-writer and director Chang (who was a guest at the festival and appears to be incredibly young) has obviously watched and studied a whole lot of contemporary popular horror movies and knows exactly what it takes to please a large crowd of fans. The death traps are complex and implausible – like the ones in all the "Saw" movies – but they definitely guarantee extended moments of suspense and a lot of gruesome bloodshed. The make-up and sound effects are fantastic, so if you have the opportunity to see this film in a theater or with luxurious home cinema equipment, you definitely will be overwhelmed. The characters are typical Asian high school students; like they appear in numerous movies, but the film does it best to provide as many backgrounds and little personality details that are also relevant. Considering the subject matter, and exactly like "Saw", the script is often incoherent and extremely implausible (example: how could one individual plan such a hi- tech and accurate large-scaled massacre) but you easily are willing to overlook that thanks to the entertainment value. The identity of the killer and his reasons are quite predictable as well, but then again, this is a film that primarily relies on inventive shocks and outrageous gore.

Slaher horror film that becomes predictable along the way

[thomvic · 29 September 2011]

This is more a slasher film where you count down who is going to be next on the list to be crossed off - it is formula driven. That being said, Death Bell has some very good moments and the middle half brings a lot of suspense and excitement and tension, though the plot gets a bit repetitive after that so you are simply waiting to find out who is the culprit.

The plot is simple: a class full of high grade students are being held captive in their school. An anonymous person has told them they must answer all the questions he gives them or student by student will be killed.

Of course, with Asian horror films, there is usually the usual cliché's - not to say that they won't work - because they usually do. This is no exception - you have your flashbacks, a tormented past and the reflections of adolescent school kids who often make the stupid choices while in stages of panic in their predicament - I guess that is universal.

The choice of music in this film is a bit questioanble as it felt more like a high beat sort of atmosphere that doesn't work at times. The concept is interesting but at the same time the film feels more like a detective game rather than anything really scary - there are only a few moments which made me shudder - and it is mainly shock tactics that don't last for more than a few moments.

Still, it is an entertaining ride. The final payoff at the end - I admit I didn't see it coming and it wasn't too bad. Think of this film like Battle Royale meets Saw.

This is not ghost movies

[deepanshuladwal · 1/10 · 28 February 2021]

I watched this movies and I enjoy tbh. But then ending scene comes " tells what actually happening" I mean why killing students ? at the end I get a stupid answer they give ! I don't know about anyone but don't like the answer "maana Teri beti ka sath huaa vo galat tha par iska mtlb ye nahi baki kises ki beti nahi ha "

Passable entertainment, though cliché ridden

[cadillac20 · 6/10 · 14 November 2009]

For those of you who like Korean horror, and who doesn't these days, there is certainly no real shortage. And Korean horror seems to have perfected the balance between the supernatural and the psychological. And the two often go hand in hand. Death Bell is a slightly more genre take on this sort of horror. It also borrows heavily from western horror films, most notably the SAW series. I would imagine this "torture porn" is something Koreans don't get a lot of, while in the US, we're plenty used to it. So, it's hard to look at this film through the eyes of its intended audience. Even so, Death Bell is entertaining enough, but descends into territory that is both too familiar and too cliché, even by Asian horror standards.

For the uninitiated, Death Bell tells the story of a group of top-notch students who have been chosen to study over their vacation in order to take a test and impress a sister school. The best students in the school are chosen, but it is to their unfortunate fate. Soon, a sadistic killer traps them in the school and starts kidnapping them one by one. Each kidnapped student is then threatened with a torturous death unless the rest of the students can solve the questions being given to them by the killer.

Once the film starts going, it does very much resemble the formula of SAW. Person is taken and put in some kind of trap, other person has to solve some kind of problem to free trapped person, if not person is brutally killed. And Death Bell certainly does this end well enough. The traps aren't as creative as we have come to expect from SAW, but they are creative enough, ranging from a clothes dryer to a candle wax trap. They provide a good amount of tension and there is a pretty decent mix of Korean horror elements mixed in, most notably the presence of a supernatural force.

The acting is very good, with Beom-su Lee of City of Violence fame doing a particularly good job. The directing is also quite good. First time director Yoon Hong-Seung does a good job at building tension and mystery, and it is an impressive debut that successfully melds traditional western slasher conventions with Korean horror elements. Production is of the highest quality here. However, despite these elements, it still remains a mostly passable effort.

The thing that really brings this down is the script. It's cliché ridden, both for western horror and eastern. There's scary ghost girls, obvious twists, and the attempts at pulling at heart strings, even though you can't help but feel emotionally detached from these characters. It might simply be a cultural barrier, something we can't really understand in what is a truly horrible academia nightmare. Still, halfway through the film, you simply stop caring. It just isn't that interesting anymore. By the time you learn the truth, it's not surprising, nor that interesting. Part of that problem comes from an over-complication of the films story. Elements used are unnecessary. If the film had been kept to a simple, entertaining horror piece, it might have worked all the way through.

I rated it the way I did because of this. Everything else was top notch, and there was even quite a bit of tension, mostly during the torture scenes. But once it starts getting complicated, then it fizzles. It could have been better, and Yoon shows great potential for a sophomore effort. I'll even say that this film was very impressive as a first. But on it's own, it's merely a one-night piece of entertainment.

to much stupidity.

[Annie_Mah · 1/10 · 8 October 2010]

Death Bell annoyingly combines prettified, slick visual filmmaking (but with no real depth) it's simultaneously tepid and lackluster on the one hand and gross and offensive on the other. Recommended only for the fans of Lee Beom-SO and very undiscerning fans of the horror film genre.

"Death Bell" may be able to deliver decent thrills, but the stupidity of the students alone makes the film become a frustrating experience, not to mention the crude script. Only for hardcore horror fans.

"Death Bell" may be able to deliver decent thrills, but the stupidity of the students alone makes the film become a frustrating experience, not to mention the crude script. Only for hardcore horror fans.

Battle Royale meets SAW

[manuelasaez · 8/10 · 3 October 2016]

I watched this movie on a whim without knowing anything about it beforehand, and I was pleasantly surprised at how gory, disturbing and downright entertaining the movie ended up being. The film follows a similar set up to many of the recent Japanese/Korean high school films; Students are locked in a school and picked off one by one by an unseen force. This time, however, the force is asking the brightest and most intelligent students to solve questions in order to save the lives of their peers. It's a great set-up that flows nicely between each act, with some great practical effects and some disturbing and downright horrifying scenes involving the teens. The acting was great all around, save for a few of the students that seemed to not have much experience or didn't take their roles too seriously. And while the movie seemed to get a bit confusing towards the final act, it all came together nicely in a twist that was not only unexpected, but very well executed. My only gripe with this film was that it could have been a bit more graphic with its depiction of death. I wanted to see each person as they were being killed, if only to increase the tension and disturbing element of an already pretty effective set-up. Overall, one of the better South Korean horror films I have seen, and definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys seeing annoying High School kids get their just deserts. A success, as far as I'm concerned.

Death Bell (2008)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 6/10 · 27 December 2011]

Fast paced Korean high school spin on Saw. Students are kidnapped, set up in traps, and their classmates must answer questions to set them free. Simple set-up that requires a lot of generous suspension of disbelief by the audience. The killer becomes almost omniscient, and their technical skills are flawless. Still, if people didn't follow the rules we wouldn't have a film. The traps are pretty unsettling, and the story behind why this is going on manages to intrigue for the short running time. Also a critique on the competitive nature of education in South Korea, we see the students scores represented like sports scores. It knows when to build the suspense and when to relish in its gore, but the victims are simply that, and the twist is just too convenient.

Could be better

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 9 November 2021]

Another high school horror from Korea, with SAW-style kills and traps testing a group of elite students who have to solve puzzles in order to save their classmates. Not a bad setup per se, but this one's let down by a generally cheap feel, not helped by choppy editing and bad direction throughout. It's hard to get to know or like any of the characters here and they keep you waiting till the very end before the twists come. Could be better!

Why did I watch this?

[jfgibson73 · 4/10 · 26 March 2020]

I thought this was just okay. It started off interestingly enough--students are trapped in a school and have to solve puzzles or someone dies. Except that people die even if they solve the puzzle. And there were three or four villains who may or may not have been behind what was going on--I wasn't sure who was responsible for what. There was an insane kid, a ghost student, and a crooked teacher, and a vengeful janitor. Even when it got to the end, it implied the killings may continue. I kind of lost interest over the course of the film, I think because there wasn't just one master villain, but too many characters to keep track of. Plus, I really didn't like seeing kids get killed.

Flawed but fun

[szemeteskuka72 · 6/10 · 9 April 2021]

If you're looking just for entertainment than it's great, fast phased, filled with action and a little gore. Other than that the acting is not outstanding but not awful either, the special effects are okay. However the story is nothing special it's kind of a revenge story with saw-ish elements. I gave it 6 stars because I did enjoy watching but it's not something that'll stick with me or have any impact whatsoever.

Korean torture slasher

[christopher-underwood · 6/10 · 10 June 2014]

Korean torture slasher set in a school and the torture element actually adds something different to the usual Korean/Japanese school gore fest movie. I was very surprised to find that these short set pieces were very much the best thing about the film. Nasty, gruesome, suspenseful but not drawn out to the point where the audience is also tortured, these were well executed. The rest of the film was much more formulaic and somewhat confusing. The elite students having to solve some question or one of their number dies before them was a fine idea but for some reason was made over complicated and it seemed that right or wrong the victim still got it . I didn't really care about anybody, so as one after the other died it just became a bit of a carrousel , a bloody one, granted. A great start and not a bad finish, surprisingly high production standards apparent but I just lost some interest somewhere along the way.

Subtitles!

[Deanna-n-allen · 6/10 · 4 September 2019]

I thought this was decent, kind of a story line I have seen previously. Not a fan of reading subtitles though. Good overall.

This is why I watch horror movies

[gary-985-94909 · 10/10 · 26 April 2014]

I watch dozens of horror movies to find one like THIS one. Several things to figure out, a look into elite high school in Korea, real characters -- Chang put some THOUGHT into this horror, and I'm going to seek out more of his work. Style, but not boring. Death, but not random, and probably gross enough to satisfy torture porn enthusiasts. A movie with a reason to exist, enjoyable horror. A+.

A little disappointing IMDb doesn't have more information about a Korean film. This info needs to be filled in! Also disappointing my brief, well thought out review doesn't reach the minimum 10 lines for a IMDb review. Less is more, people.

A Great Horror Film

[Slyphr15 · 10/10 · 9 March 2014]

I have just started looking into Korean horror films and I really enjoyed this one. It even had a good twist at the end which I did not expect at all. It was very well done in my opinion. The atmosphere was enjoyable as well and the acting wasn't too bad either unlike some foreign films I have watched. I would most certainly refer it to a friend or anyone who enjoys a good horror film. I have always been a horror film fanatic and find this to be one to add to my collection if the time calls for it. The actors and actresses were all new to me so gives me a few new faces to look forward to seeing in future Korean films and hope the director don't stop making them. I will definitely suggest everyone give it a watch.

Somewhat flawed but still highly enjoyable

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 20 August 2012]

A group of students at an elite school find that the series of mysterious disappearances are the result of a vengeful ghost intent on playing murderous games with the faculty as retribution for their behavior towards her and must race to solve the clues to stop the games from getting out of hand.

A pretty confusing entry overall, as there was some parts to this one that was really enjoyable and some parts that were really infuriating. From the atmosphere of the school and the sense of everyone being targeted, the sense of panic as the games started and how to deal with them, it's really good and of course, once the games start this one is just an absolute blast as they finally make people being placed in traps scary for once since it connects them with a series of questions to be solved in order to free them, their failure resulting in graphic deaths which are really fun and bloody. The part that's really hard to get around is the fact that the ghost isn't really all that active in the story and it's more about the solving of the questions rather than dealing with a ghost running around kidnapping and killing people, making its involvement more like an afterthought rather than the main focus, which is a shame since it's got a couple really good, creepy moments that are really enjoyable, but it's confusing storyline arch and a rather inane ability to announce on-screen someone's death we have just witnessed seconds earlier knock it down somewhat.

Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language

OMG I couldn't stop watching!!! Subtitles needed or not You'll get the chills you've been looking for!!

[Voklova · 10/10 · 8 March 2020]

So basically I stumbled on this movie after reading about it on a post that mentioned it's premise, and being a horror movie fanatic looking for something to watch I was intrigued. Boy was I glad I saw the post cuz this film blew my mind away every time! The premise of the film is pretty standard and is not too intriguing to pull ppl in on the get go, but after watching the film you'll be glad you overlooked the bad reviews as it will surely make you gasp scream and jump by the time it ends. Combining the sub genre of slasher flick and psychological thriller, this gem of a film leaves audiences baffled on who the real culprit is by the big reveal. Audiences will surely get what they asked for in this film.

Highlights of the film:

• well shot and sequenced
• is able to keep tension efficiently along with keeping the audience interested to watch every scene play
• well acted
• creative kill scenes (major thing that makes this film stand out)
• interesting twists and reveals

All in all viewers will be watching parts of the film through their fingers because it's just that Good!! Only thing that could possibly be bad for the film is if America makes a dumb remake that no one enjoys :)

This is what you call horror

[anraancog · 10/10 · 1 December 2017]

WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

If you're looking for a horror movie that will really scare you, well watch this! I have seen a lot of horror movies already and this is one of the most memorable horror movies for me. I don't usually got scared easily but this movie made me to do so effortlessly. Watch it!

good quality, nice plot

[raereese-70079 · 9/10 · 5 July 2021]

I watched death bell on youtube, the quality was amazing. I loved the plot and it was really good. I didnt realize there was a second until now! Trying to find where to watch?

Sawed By the Bell

[NoDakTatum · 8/10 · 13 November 2023]

This gruesome horror flick from South Korea is full of over the top performances, lots of gore, meaningless dream sequences, and nubile teenage girls...it's pretty awesome. Ina (Gyu-ri Nam) is a typical boarding school student getting ready for midterm tests. After the tests, the high school's sister school is sending a visiting team, so a couple of classes full of the elite students will be staying behind during vacation. The students will be watched over by the humorless Miss Choi (Shin-ae Yu) and the nice but tough Mr. Kim. Bad boy Hyun has taken a liking to Ina, and she sneaks out to see him DJ at a local club. The stress of the exams get to Beom, who promptly flips out and begins seeing ghostly visions. The almost-empty school is suddenly terrorized via intercom and closed circuit TV. A mysterious voice demands the school's smartest students begin to solve tough word and math problems, or else someone will die. All the telephones have been disconnected, cell phones are gone, and the students and teachers bear witness to some bloody killing that seem to involve the ghost of the dead classmate Beom may or may not have seen.

This film owes A LOT to "Saw." I only "saw" the first two "Saw" films, but picked up on similarities right away. However, director/co-writer Yoon Hong-Seung throws in enough thrills to make this recommendable. Co-writing with Kim Eun-Kyeong, the "Saw" elements are overshadowed but oddly enhanced by the good ol' slasher-film elements. I turned my brain off, and was surprised by the final explanatory scenes. Jun-seong Kim's musical score is incredible, a Jerry Goldsmith-inspired Gothic masterpiece. Yoon's direction covers the occasional plot missteps well, the film moves at a brisk pace and ratchets up the tension in many a scene, playing some dark comedy when need be- watch for the final scene over the end credits. The film does run a little longer than it needs to, but Yoon's visuals are creepy enough. While not the scariest film to come out of the Far East, "Death Bell" is a strong entry in the South Korean horror genre.