Well is there anything we haven't seen before? The answer is simple 'NO'. As the plot suggests, the whole movie revolves in the consequences. As any other Asian movie you'll find the same girl with long hair coming over and over on the screen to frighten you with some acoustic bass and creepy sounds. Here the problem is that it repeats again and again with very low scare scale. The story is pretty simple and there's nothing much to expect. Still it manages to keep us awake with the screenplay. They should have modified the story and presented with some surprises as the basic idea of horror i.e. the woman with long hair fails here. The atmosphere which builds is definitely creepy to some extent but not up to the mark. The theme is also the old lame revenge of ghost type which makes it just an average movie who might be able to frighten amateurs.

Who knows what's the trademark of almost all of the Asian horror movies? Yes, you're right: a ghost or a spirit shaped as a girl(or a woman) with her long, dark hair over the face. In small doses, at the right moment, usually associated with creepy sounds or eerie score, moving suddenly or with broken movements, those out-of-this-world presences have the power to scare to death the poor characters unfortunate enough to be in their path. Now, ladies and gentlemen, in "Bunshinsaba" you have the longest presence on-screen of the aforementioned long-haired female ghosts in the entire Asian horror history. If you have a better example, please let me know.Now you think that will make this movie the scariest of them all? Errr...no. "Bunshinsaba" is a horror movie, no doubt about it. But, it's scare factor is average or even low. Despite some (very short) disturbing images, it's hard to be really terrified. No unsupportable tension from "Shutter", no gruesome-deformed faces from "The Ring". The last three-quarters of the film we're dealing with the ghost, who-as usually-seek revenge. The main problem is that we have real difficulties to know who's the real person, who's the real person possessed by the vengeful spirit, who's the real spirit, what's real and what's imagination and who's the reincarnation of the spirit. It's not easy to follow. Once invoked(at the beginning) the spirit move from person to person, determining the subsequent behavior. Some commit suicide by putting a plastic bag over the head, spilling flammable liquid over and set it on fire. Other girl throw herself out of window.About the standard, mandatory, long-haired girl(notice that I didn't said "ghost"): As I said, you will see a LOT of standard stuff. A face looking down and then slightly starting to rise the sight. Don't expect demoniacal expressions, sudden scares in sync with loud sounds. Once is the real girl-school, next time the ghost, next another girl possessed by the ghost. Hmmm, pretty twisted, maybe a second viewing is necessary.Otherwise, even the plot is relatively clear, it is also pretty twisted. There's a lot of talk. All the girls are beautiful and in general the cast consist in pleasant-looking people. Unfortunately, if you want to be really scared, this is not the right movie.

Bunshinsaba is not a name that will roll off of your tongues. Comes in the wake of other far eastern horror movies, and generally follows similar traits to them. Story surrounds the horrific "suicides" of girls at a school in a Korean village, whilst bringing back memories of dark chapters in the communities past.As is the norm for Korean movies, probably the best in the world at the moment, the film is set in beautiful scenery whilst the direction and acting is surprisingly great also taking in the age of a number of the actors. Really puts to shame the teen horror films from the US.On the other hand, the film's main weaknesses are two fold. The story meanders and doesn't seem coherent, whilst the film also takes too much from others in the genre, e.g. the teenage girl with long hair who is the outsider (e.g. Ringu, Phone), broken families, ghosts, revenge etc... At points it appeared to go for frights above all else, trying to outdo it peers, but really its the storyline that is usually the most important point of the Far Eastern horror films. Regardless, original it really isn't, but its still not bad. I enjoyed it, but I still wouldn't push anyone to go watch it. A good viewing but no classic.

If Ringu and Juon were J-Horror, then I guess this is K-Horror. A high school girl and one of her teachers become possessed by the angry spirits of a mother and daughter killed by villagers 30 years before. The usual Ringu/Juon clichés are put through their paces here. The movie is handsomely produced and stylishly directed, but because this genre is getting so played out, there are few real scares and only a handful of effective scenes. Gorehounds will like the climax. Mainly it's just a case of "been there done that." Worth seeing only if you're a completist on a mission to see anything in the horror genre that Asia produces.