Movie.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Directed by Jee-Won Kim.
Plot: Two sisters who, after spending time in a mental institution, return to the home of their father and cruel stepmother. Once there, in addition to dealing with their stepmother's obsessive and unbalanced ways, an interfering ghost also affects their recovery.
Review: Another old J-horror film that mostly nobody watched. A Tale of Two Sisters was latter given the Hollywood touch-up and released as The Uninvited but it failed to grab the attention of movie-goers. Why, you ask? Well, The Uninvited was a fair attempt and better done than most adaptations but A Tale of Two Sisters is based on a widely known Taiwanese folktale that has been adapted to cinema several times. Imagine a Bloody Mary movie for a Russian population who has never even heard about Bloody Mary. Half the fun is gone!
A tale of Two Sisters is the latest and more accomplished version of the tale. It is beautifully film. We see the events unfold through the eyes of the oldest daughter, who just got home from an extended stay on the hospital. This is the classic trick of an unreliable narrator used with extreme skill. The movie is confusing but it only adds to the thrill. It has been described as a psychological thriller, a ghost story, and a horror. Watch it and choose what works for you.
Book.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.
Published byWilliam Heinemann in 1898.
Blurb: One of literature's most gripping ghost stories depicts the sinister transformation of two innocent children into flagrant liars and hypocrites. Elegantly told, it is a tale of unspoken horror and psychological terror that creates what few stories in literature have been able to do, a complete feeling of dread and uncertainty.Review: If you like gothic literature, you have to read James' best known novel. It is a testament to his skill and a necessary book for every lover of classic literature. The open ending and paranoid feeling of the whole story is what has made it endure. There is not enough that can be said to make it honor. Just read it.
