Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Wi Ha-joon as Ha-Joon
• Park Ji-hyun as Ji-Hyun
• Oh Ah-yeon as Ah-Yeon
• Moon Ye-won as Charlotte
• Park Sung-hoon as Sung-Hoon
• Yoo Je-yoon as Je-Yoon
• Lee Seung-wook as Seung-Wook
• Park Ji-a as Hospital Director / Director’s Ghost

Storyline:

An internet broadcaster recruits a handful of people for their ‘experience the horror’ show at Gonjiam. They are to explore the haunted asylum and stream it live on the show. To attract more viewers, the show hosts play tricks on the guests, but things start to get out of hand when they are inside the place, where tortured souls could really be lurking in the shadows.

About Movie:

The film is set in the former Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, regarded as one of Korea’s most haunted places. In 2012, CNN Travel listed it among the “7 freakiest places on the planet.”

Most scenes were shot at the National Maritime High School in Busan, with the production team replicating the hospital’s exact exterior and hallways based on the original floor plan.

Released in South Korea on March 28, 2018, the film premiered in the U.S. through Well Go USA on April 18, 2018, and in the Philippines via Multivision Pictures and Viva International Pictures on May 2, 2018.

Shortly after the film’s release, actor Lee Seung-wook, who debuted in the film, announced his departure from the entertainment industry, citing personal reasons. He was notably absent from the film’s promotional events.

The film was a commercial success, ranking as the third most-watched horror film in South Korea, following A Tale of Two Sisters and Phone, and was later screened at the 20th Udine Far East Film Festival.

Before its release, the asylum’s owner filed a lawsuit to prevent the film’s screening, claiming it would harm the property’s market value. However, a Seoul court ruled in favor of the film in late March 2018. Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital was ultimately demolished on May 28, 2018.

Budget & Box Office Collection: