by Colleen Wanglund for MoreHorror.com

Written and directed by Derek Son, CADAVER (2007) is a ghost story that seems to try to capitalize on the success of RINGU (2002) and JU-ON (2000). Released under the original title 'THE CUT', CADAVER centers on Sun-hwa (Han Ji-min), and her fellow classmates as they begin classes at an elite medical school.

A student is murdered and the body is discovered with the heart removed with the skill of a surgeon. Then another student is murdered and after the funeral of the second student, the survivors realize they have all shared the same dream about a one-eyed doctor, their instructor called simply "The Technician".

While investigating the possible link with the beautiful cadaver the six were assigned to, a third student is almost murdered and a fourth is admitted to the mental ward. This leads to Sun-hwa’s father who was institutionalized some years prior and who was a friend of her instructor.

Korean horror movies are known for their long-haired female ghost stories, and CADAVER is no exception. It starts off fairly quickly, with a gruesome murder within the first few minutes. Then it cuts to the students arriving for their first day of anatomy class where groups of six students each are assigned a cadaver for the duration of the semester. One student ends up in the autopsy room alone and, you guessed it, is murdered.

First of all, the autopsy room of an elite medical school should be scrubbed clean and sparkling with bright white lighting. Not this one--it's dark and dirty. Second, why would anyone in their right mind go into a dark and dirty autopsy room alone? You're just asking for trouble.

The characters are cliche--the bookworm, the slut, the rich kid whose dad is head of the school, the poor kid who has to work REALLY hard, etc. Even so, the movie moves along pretty well, but toward the end, there are way too many twists and I got lost....not totally lost, but enough that I didn't understand the final shot of the movie AT ALL. It's a shame too, because I think the basic story idea is a good one. It might have turned out better with a director who hasn't seen too many crappy American horror films.

In other words, don't bother. There are plenty of other Korean horror movies out there that are way better than this one. Yes, even the ghost stories.

CADAVER Trailer