Sweet Curse – Korean Movie Review

Just 30 minutes long, the 2021 Korean movie “Sweet Curse” is a bizarre mix of horror, comedy and witchcraft. Directed by Kang Woo, it follows a bunch of friends who hang out at a gay bar and play with something that’s akin to an Ouija board, a spirit-summoning device. The heart of the group is the handsome Ha-jun (Bang Ji Hyun), who everybody dotes on, so a jealous Min-woo (Kim Sung Soo) summons an evil spirit to haunt Ha-jun, but with unexpected results.

Film-maker Kang Woo is known for making LGBTQ+ themed movies, but tries blending different genres in this one, with interesting results. Those who like quirky stories would definitely be intrigued by the plot. It’s slightly eerie, but more comical and somehow the ingredients work. It helps that the lead actors Bang Ji Hyun & Kim Sung Soo look their parts and have great visuals (‘visual’ is k-pop slang for a good-looking member).

The brief banter between the friends was fun and easy, they really look like a pack of old buddies hanging out, having fun. The horror bit has more humorous than scary, with a twist that will leave most viewers grinning. It’s nice that they keep it simple with the ghost/demon and do not go for some garish make-up or weird vfx. Actor Sung Yeon Ho who plays the ghost doesn’t have a lot to do and due to the short run-time, there really isn’t much scope for character development, or demon development for that matter.

Overall, it makes for an amusing short film, worth a one time watch. It’s a 6/10 from me.