Director:  Bong Hoon-Jo
Distributor:  Madman
Genre(s): Horror/Sci-Fi/Comedy/Drama

While Hollywood endlessly attempts to revivify the lost moneymaking properties of the horror genre - with dull remakes and cheap franchising - other world cinemas have been profiting. Whether it was Britain with The Descent or Australia’s own Wolf Creek, it seems the freshest takes in the genre have blossomed far from the burgeoning eye of America’s tinsel town. Little could anyone predict that the best creature feature in an age, a tradition which Hollywood rightly lays claim to with Jaws and its hereditary ilk, would come from South Korea of all places?

Enter The Host, director Bong Joon-Ho’s third feature, a film that makes brilliant use of the horror/monster genre while reinvigorating it with his proficient filmmaking style and incorporating current global politics.

The story focuses around the appearance of a monster in Seoul’s Han River and a dysfunctional family who must band together to rescue their daughter from the beast’s sewer lair. The mutated slug beast is a result of negligence on behalf of the American military dumping chemicals into the Han River’s drainage system. This prologue instantly flags the political subtext at work in the film, basing its events on the real-life McFarland case of 2000.

The film embraces the genre traditions of horror and sci-fi in its critique of contemporary Korean society, satirising issues such as media dissemination, class politics and even biological warfare. Without giving too much away, the “monstrous” element of the film may in fact be society’s heartless institutions, rather than the aquatic menace. The film never feels burdened by its themes though, thanks to its ability to entertain and Bong’s focus on the struggles of the Park family.

All issues are filtered and interpreted through the quirky, but ultimately believable, family unit as the narrative follows them; first dealing with the essential kidnap of young Hyun-seo, and then rallying against oppressive government forces - and the beast itself - to rescue her back.

Whether it’s the narcoleptic Gang-Du (played with wonderful naivety by Kang-Ho Song) or the slow-witted Nam-Joo, the humour is cute and played to the hilt; but the family has its problems too, and Bong is never shy to entice subtle drama from his performers, making the intimate scenes all the more rewarding.

The real star of The Host however is, of course, the monster. The frog/snake amphibian hybrid is both at once startlingly original and yet reminiscent of a bevy of past silver screen terrors. In the tradition of the likes of King Kong and Jaws, it’s the creature’s makeshift personality that makes it memorable. Thanks to the brilliant combination of CGI, practical effects and a series of tightly executed action set pieces that emphasise the creatures’ creepy design. Like all good horror should do, there are more than a few moments that will genuinely make you jump.

The Host is an excellent feature, recommended for both fans of the horror style – in its brilliant combination of satire and spectacle – but also to a broader audience, thanks to the equally brilliant humour and humility of the Park family. If nothing else convinces you, know that this is Korea’s highest grossing film and hey, 13 million fans can’t all be wrong.

Rating: 4/5