REVIEWED
“Granny licked my sister like a cat with her long tongue.” - Grandson (sounding almost like The Simpsons Ralph)
From the cats cradle to the grave: 'Salinma' which I like far better than 'A Devilish Murder' is a slightly B-movie-esque kid licking supernatural treat, thats got bags of atmosphere and cats, and cats in bags. While on a chance visit to a gallery, Lee Shi-mak finds a beguiling lone red portrait hanging on the wall that looks uncannily like his former late wife Ae-ja. He takes it to an artist to see if he can find who had painted it. This triggers a series of sinister supernatural incidents, which force Lee to delve deep into his families dark secrets, and to uncover the real truth about his first wives apparent suicide.
Its the formulaic 'walled up on unconsecrated ground, vengeance seeking spirit' tale thats still used in Asian horror today, but its got the twist that Ae-ja had been walled up with her cat, who she sends out to haunt those who wronged her. South Korean Lee Yong-Mins film is very melodramatic, at times it feels like your watching a play more than a movie. It was filmed in dark and gloomy b&w that make it appear decades older than a 60's movie, oddly this aspect still makes it look surprisingly creepy, even today - I'm sure back then it scared the shit out of those who caught it.
Korean cine-connoisseurs will most likely tell you otherwise but for me it fell a little short of being a classic or essential, its still none the less a fun film littered with odd moments that more than held my attention.
[Personal Reasons For Remembering]
Highlights include Do Kum-bong as the creepy cat woman Ae-ja. Then you got the claw handed goblin mother-in law from hell floating on the ceiling, then transforming into a cat. And best of all was the ewwh! grannies got her tongue in my ear scene, ending with the kids chasing her around the bedroom with rosary beads.
Originally taken from Letterboxd
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