You know, my experience with Asian horror films has been rather hit-and-miss, and even some of the hits have had their share of problems. This one however, at least in my humble opinion, is a hit with very few problems, if any. And considering that I found this film by accident, with no idea what it was about or what most of the critics thought, I’m really glad I decided to watch it.
Someone Behind You (also known by its North American title, Voices) follows a South Korean girl by the name of Ga-in, a happy and pretty girl on her school’s fencing team whose life suddenly takes a turn for the worse when her aunt is brutally murdered in an act of rage on her wedding day. Whispers go around that Ga-in’s family may be under a curse, and when Ga-in is attacked herself, she has to unravel where the curse comes from if she wants to survive.
From the very beginning, this movie has you terrified and on your toes. The filmmakers create a great atmosphere using lighting, music, and scares to really immerse you in the film, and the actors are great. When they are sad or angry or murderous, you feel the emotion behind it. And the story itself, with its many twists and turns, will keep you guessing about what will happen and about the nature of the curse (is it caused by rage? Jealousy? General resentment over something? Is there even a curse at all, or is it just a metaphor for letting your emotions get the better of you?) right up until the final scene.
My one criticism is that Ga-in comes to trust Seok-min, a mysterious transfer student who in horror terms is “the creepy outsider character” and seems to know something about the curse’s nature, a little too quickly. Why doesn’t she question him about his knowledge more? Why is she so willing to take him up on his advice? Makes no sense to me.
Overall though, this is a creepy film, and I’m very glad I stumbled upon it. You’ll get scared, you’ll be trying to guess what’ll happen right up until the very end, and when the final secret is unveiled, it’ll blow you away. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Someone Behind You a 4.5 out of 5. I hope I find more Asian horror films like this one, because nothing lifts my mood like a good scary story.
Now if you don’t mind, I have to go hide. I think that curse is after me now! AAAAAAAH!
Rami Ungar The Writer 
I’ll have to look for this! I tend to love Asian horror movies (not all of them, there are some bore fests out there) because they have a different… pattern – I can;t think of the word I;m looking for – to the things that happen. Like in a US movie you know pretty much who will live and who will die, and sometimes even in what order, but i have not 100% earned their “horror rules” yet, so I am still often surprised. I am starting to catch on, though, so the surprises aren’t as many as they used to be, but still enough to make it fun.
Great review!
It’s on YouTube, if you want to check it out. Yeah, Asian horror films definitely follow a different pattern. I think they’re more focused on ghosts and curses, and those don’t tend to target people with “sin factor” as much as American movie. I guess it’s a different culture with different values and mythologies shaping the story.