While many on Western shores may know Asian horror for exports such as Ring, The Grudge and One Missed Call; Korean cinema as delved into the slasher sub-genre.
This brings us to Chang’s 2008 feature Death Bell, which feels born out of the Final Destination and Saw series, but instead of Death we have a killer offing students in creative ways once a school becomes locked down.
At this elite school, students are sidelined from their colleagues and must use their specialist area of expertise to survive the killer’s wrath.
Death Bell also has plenty of twists and turns that keep the whodunit aspect intriguing plus there is plenty of gore on display throughout.
Admittedly, some of Death Bell’s set pieces may feel more applicable to the torture porn sub-genre, but this doesn’t take away from its slick production value. It also spawned a sequel, which given the film’s conclusion, I am intrigued to check out.
If you’ve been sleeping on Death Bell or haven’t heard of it, its a strong recommendation.
Bloody Flicks 