Think of monster movies from South East Asia and our first inclination is to come up with Kaiju (Godzilla, Mothra etc.) and men in rubber costumes trampling all over miniature sets. Over the past few years, there has been a few more variants emanating from Korea with “Monstrum” and “Sector 7” two of the more popular examples displaying a more “Creature Feature” aesthetic with their monsters a bit smaller than the atomic giants. “Chawz” a comedy\horror from the region is, unlike the others, more explicit in referencing such productions that originated in the West. If you don't believe me, just look at the title. It should sound familiar? Say it a bit quicker…. still not there yet? Think sharks and not that ridiculous series about Sharks in Tornados that seems to be going on for all of eternity.
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Kim Kang-soo (Uhm Tae-woong) flippantly writes anywhere on his assignment and is sent to the town of Sammaeri. Arriving with his heavily pregnant wife Mi-young (Heo Yeon-hwa) and dementia afflicted mother (Park Hye-jin), he soon finds that it is not going to be a quiet life as indicated. As an organic food festival looms, bodies start to appear and so Detective Shin (Park Hyuk-kwon) is called in to assist as the town has no experience of murder cases. Eventually it is discovered that the culprit is not a person but a giant boar hiding in the mountains, that has gained a taste for human flesh. As the town elders seek to hide the truth, hunters are brought in to capture the beast, but just when they think the danger has passed, an attack on the town requires several of the survivors to go into the mountains to end the attacks once and for all.
Much of the comedy comes through characters, as opposed to comic set pieces, although there is one particularly brilliant follow up to a dream sequence that is as funny as it is unexpected. There is a fair bit of slapstick, the Police captain seemingly existing in a different plane to the rest leading the way. It's the character sketches, from the Detective's kleptomania, the mother's appetite as she ignores the chaos surrounding her etc. that provide most of the laughs whilst adding a bit of endearing eccentricity to some of the characterization.
The acting is, for the most part, played straight, apart from the keystone cops style of the local law enforcement. Park Hyuk-kwon keeps an admirable straight face as he gets into some unfortunate situations. Uhm Tae-woong is a solid everyman battling both domestic challenges and a very real monster on the loose. A special mention goes to Park Hye-jin who steals every scene as the mother.
There are references to more famous monster movies littered throughout. The trademark Mayor that refuses to close the village down in the midst of harvest is reminiscent of many such genre pieces where authorities try to ignore the reality only for destruction to inevitably occur. “Jaws” being the obvious precedent of this. There are several references to “Predator” also if you observe closely enough in the second half as the hunt begins. We even for reasons that seem to be “well why not” get a bit of backwoods horror with the unhinged villager that crops up from time to time as if lifted from another feature entirely. This does however get a pay off as the credits roll so don't switch off once they arrive. It's the knowingness that makes it work as a whole; there are no pretensions to high art in “Chawz”, just a determination to have fun along with the audience as opposed to taking a serious approach and being laughed at. It's a consistent approach all the way to the visual wink at the audience at the conclusion.
With a monster flick, there is one particular ingredient that is absolutely crucial, the monster itself. A poorly realized creature can suck all the life out of everything that has come before and result in unintentional laughter and all tension dissipating into thin air like a whoopee cushion. Just watch any of the later “Anaconda” sequels for evidence of this…. or maybe not if you have any sense! The giant boar on display is rendered really well and unlike a lot of CGI, does not look like it's weightless as it charges through its prey. There is even the standard backstory to explain its size. Kept off screen for most of the first half, the suspense is built and its eventual appearance is expertly done, culminating in a scene of complete carnage that is expertly edited. The second half switches the narrative to the inevitable hunt and a conclusion that unwittingly brings to mind the other Killer Boar movie that I've seen, “Razorback” with its disused factory setting.
The whole concoction is ably directed by Shin Jung-won. Horror comedy is one of the hardest balancing acts in cinema as going too much one way dilutes the other. This walks the tightrope for the most part admirably and uses its monster sparingly and with good effect. The main issue really is the running time. At 2 hours, it's around 20 minutes overlong and the pacing does tend to drag towards the final third. This is the part where the balance is at its most strained as the comical interactions dilute from the impending danger. A more judicious bit of editing would certainly have been of benefit and made these scenes a lot tauter and given the finale a bit more impact.
This is not a classic, by no means. What it is, though, is fun. Yes, it could do with about 20 minutes of its running time and a little less slapstick that doesn't fit in with the overall tone, but this is a relatively minor criticism overall. Good effects, some well-timed gags and of course, a giant killer boar running around the countryside and you get 2 hours of your life that will not be wasted by sharing it's company.
