The Red Shoes (2005) Movie Review

A pair of red shoes.

A curse.

A child.

A pair of cursed red shoes drive this intense South Korean horror movie, but this simple prop has a deadly and twisted history behind it. The Red Shoes should not be missed for any fan of horror.

Cast

The cast basically consists of five major people. Sun–jae is played by Hye-su Kim. She is the woman who picks up the pair of red shoes in the train after the first incident involving the shoes. Park Yeon-ah plays Tae-su, Sun-jae’s daughter. Seong-su Kim plays In-cheol, Sun-jae’s boyfriend. Kim Mi-hee, Sun-jae’s friend, is played by Go Soo-hee. Lastly, Sung-joon, Sun-jae’s ex-husband, is played by Lee Eol.

Plot

One day on the subway, Sun-jae finds a pair of red shoes in a subway car. However, these shoes carry with it a deadly curse as it seeks to kill Sun-jae and her daughter Tae-su. As the mystery of the shoes unravels, ghosts of past owners begin to pursue her everywhere she walks, including her new apartment.

Review

This is one intense horror movie as one will lose time as the story deepens regarding these pair of red shoes. The gore is incredibly well done, and the ghosts mirror ghosts of typical Asian horror films (like Ringu). The simple tap-tap-tap of footsteps is immensely creepy in the subway as Sun-jae and other past owners wear the shoes. Those moments bring creepiness to a whole new level. In order to appreciate this film, one must enjoy horror movies, creepiness and simplicity.

Verdict (Out of 10)

This horror film, in my book, deserves a 9 out of 10. The ending is a bit ambiguous and thought-provoking as one must figure what the past events in the film ultimately led to and who Sun-jae is.