Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)—A Must-See for Found Footage Fans!

It’s no secret to anyone that I love horror movies. And it’s also no secret that I love found footage movies. In fact, a good chunk of the horror films I’ve reviewed here are found footage. While the subgenre has a reputation for poor, shaky camerawork and low quality production, found footage done right can leave you chilled to the bones. And no film better encapsulates this than the 2018 Korean film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum directed by Jung Bum-shik!

News spreads about the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital after two high schoolers go missing while filming their experience. Reports even go as far as making it on CNN’s top creepiest places list. Piqued by its reputation, a small team of horror YouTubers led by Ha-Joon decide to check the place out for themselves. The team consists of six people: three girls (Ah-Yeon, Ji-Hyun and Charlotte) and three boys (Sung-Hoon, Seung-Wook, and Je-Yoon). The group set up a tent near the hospital premise and head in, while Ha-Joon stays back to livestream their experience. Although the scares are initially staged by Ha-Joon for the goal of reaching one million views, things quickly take a turn for the worse as the team realizes there’s something sinister about the abandoned asylum.

There’s something exciting yet ironically calming about urban exploration. For those of you who don’t know, urban exploration is the exploration of abandoned buildings. These often range from hospitals, schools and even houses or mansions. Plenty of YouTube channels feature content of people documenting their experiences, some of these rather mundane and a decent few actually terrifying. The most dangerous part of urban exploration is not encountering ghostly or demonic entities, but the possibility of running into squatters or falling down compromised flooring or roofing. Fortunately, videos that do feature “proof” of ghosts, are no more than mere hoaxes to garner clout.

If I have to compare this film to another I’ve reviewed on Film Purgatory, I’d easily compare it to Infrared by Robert Livings and Randy Nundlall Jr. Both feature showrunners who want to strike it big by filming genuine reactions to staged horrors who realize they bit off more than they could chew. The major difference is that Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum thrusts you into the thick of the dread 15 minutes in. From there on, it’s a ride straight through the darkest depths of hell. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum has a way of tapping into your fears and grabbing ahold of it, whether it be a fear of the dark or the paranormal. Once it gets ahold of you, it doesn’t ease up its iron grip. Every scene escalates the horror. You never get a moment of relief, for there’s always something just around the corner waiting for you.

Unlike some found footage films that follow one camera operator, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum follows six. Each person of the group has a camera rig strapped to their head that captures both their face and what they see. Therefore creating this back and forth switch allowing us to see their reactions to the horrors they experience. And as the film progresses, we as the audience see their expressions gradually become twisted by fear and paranoia. This is a very creative and effective way to shoot found footage, as you get a more visceral and complete picture of the horror. Meanwhile, stationary shots are accomplished via ceiling and wall-mounted GoPro cameras. These shots are intercut with the POV and reaction shots to create further unease, especially during the halfway point and third act.

Those of you who are wondering if the Gonjiam Asylum is a real location, let me inform you that it was a real psychiatric asylum located in Gwanju in the Gyeonggi Province. I say was, because it’s no longer around for better or worse. The entire building was demolished in 2018, only a few months after this film came out. Despite the asylum being the focus of the film, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum was actually shot in a high school in Busan. In fact, the film faced a fair deal of controversy after its release. It was believed that it would garner a negative image of the defunct asylum. A lawsuit was even filed, with the courts deeming the film eligible to be screened. Fortunately, overcoming this hurdle was well worth the effort as the film grossed $21 million on a budget of $2.2 million!

For every fan of found footage horror and urban exploration, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum should be at the top of your bucket list. Don’t be put off by the lack of English (there are subtitles). With rock solid tension building, strong performances and truly gut-wrenching scares, this movie needs to be experienced by more mainstream horror fans and movie fans in general. Despite only watching it once, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum has already become one of my favorite found footage horror films. And with that, I will end this month of Halloween. So now, take your pick from our selection of Halloween flicks. And depending on what you’re looking for, you can’t go wrong.