The history of Japan and South Korea has brought the two countries together in a variety of areas, not just in the political realm but in the entertainment sphere as well. The multitude of films in a variety of genres and styles depicting animosity between the two countries using real-world scenarios is too vast to name, but one of the more overlooked entries is an acclaimed and highly-stylized horror from writer/director brothers Jung Sik and Jung Bum-shik, originally titled “Gidam” but known more commonly as “Epitaph.”
After he finds a photo album, Dr. Park Jung-nam (Jin Goo) triggers memories of his life dating back to his days as an intern at the Ansaeng Hospital. In 1942, as a young medical intern, Jung-nam's arranged marriage ended when his fiancée, whom he had never met, committed suicide. Later assigned to monitor the morgue late at night, he fell in love with a corpse which is later revealed as the body of his deceased fiancée. Soon, other mysterious events take place in the hospital, involving a young girl haunted by ghosts and a serial killer targeting Japanese soldiers.
There's quite a lot to like with “Epitaph.” One of the better aspects here is the enjoyable storyline that offers a lot of intriguing elements. That there are several timelines at play with the setup in the present day setting up the storyline at the hospital in the past, sets this one going. The whole idea of the original hospital-set story going through the time period allows it to tie into actual history quite nicely. As well, that also leads into the series of storylines involving the romance between Park and the woman laying on the table he's tasked with working on. On top of this setup is the storyline about the strange deaths involving the soldiers that take place around the entire hauntings-at-the-hospital setup that's at the center of the film. The ability of the writer/director brothers to keep these factors charging along in a cohesive manner provides a solid baseline.
The other nice factor with “Epitaph” is the strong series of haunting scenes the few times we get them. The early encounters in the hospital show off the haunted nature of the building with the ghost popping out of strange locations while letting the creepy look and make-up of these entities generate solid thrills. Also quite effective are the quick ambush attacks of the serial killer going around knocking off the various soldiers which bring about the few bloody sequences that show up here. With the finale also bringing together the various storylines with the series of revelations and reveals coming into play, it ends on a high note that's just as enjoyable as the impressive technical qualities. Full of gorgeous cinematography and some wonderfully composed shots from DP Yoon Nam-joo, especially within the hospital setting, offer an overall impressive setup.
There are some flaws with “Epitaph”. The main factor against this one is the rather dull and plodding pace that takes forever for much to happen. As it winds through the series of intricately laid-out storylines and setups at the hospital, the overall impression left here is one of a drama rather than a frenetic genre effort. Even taking into account a romance between several of the characters that result in a traumatic incident with the car crash or the struggle to keep the daughter Asako alive following that incident drags the pace out even more. With so much of the movie bringing up these outside elements in favor of doing more hauntings and creepy moments, that results in very little of this feeling being decidedly creepy or chilling. Despite the enjoyment of the storylines at work, the film could've really used some more action to downplay the heavy focus on dramatics.
A strong if somewhat slow-going ghost movie, “Epitaph” has quite a lot to enjoy about it while there are some of those minor issues that keep it from being the all-time classic it could've been. Fans of the dramatic style of genre fare or who appreciate the J-Horror scene overall will be quite impressed here.
