The Mimic

This South Korean ghost story from filmmaker Huh Jung draws its premise from a Korean myth about a tiger that mimics human voices to lure its victims into the forest, but the film definitely goes its own way from there. Hee-yeon (Yum Jung-ah), still grieving over the unsolved disappearance of her son, moves from the city to her rural childhood home with her husband and daughter to care for her ailing mother. Nearby, an old bricked-up cave has been disturbed, releasing a scared and apparently abused little girl and an ancient evil spirit, which may be after the girl or using her to get to others. When Hee-yeon takes the girl in, a demonic shaman enters the family’s lives. There are some interesting dimensions to The Mimic, which features a number of familiar South Korean horror movie conventions (from the creepy little girl who appears to be taking the place of the couple's daughter, to animals sensing supernatural evil), but the film also takes a while to get past the set-up and exposition before ultimately paying off with an impressive third act. The director favors atmosphere and eeriness over scares and spectacle, and the lost little girl becomes a more complex figure than she at first appears. While it isn't particularly inventive or unique, this is still a satisfying Asian horror film with a creepy sense of dread. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)