The Devil and the Beauty

A mad doctor reanimates his deceased wife with generous infusions of blood and other liquids including a solution made of liquidated skin – which have to be renewed regularly. An especially fine specimen of 3D-horror reanimated using state-of-the-art digital technology. An unmissable opportunity.

Towards the end of the 1960s, the Republic of Korea enjoyed a brief 3D-movie craze. The oddest and most baffling example of that little wave is horror maestro I Yongmin’s take on the well-worn story of the mad scientist who does unspeakable things to save the life of a loved one. In this case a doctor’s deceased wife whom he reanimates with generous infusions of blood and other liquids including a solution made of liquidized skin – which have to be renewed regularly.

But where to find the donors for all this, and in suitable numbers at that? Soon, a killing spree shocks the nation. I Yongmin was destined for stereoscopic glory, as an eccentric with a flair for outré visuals that always add a grotesque je ne sais quoi to his already surreal stories. Almost unseen in its original format since its first release and reconstructed (or should we say: reanimated) using state-of-the-art digital technology, The Devil and the Beauty will now finally get the admiration it always deserved – hopefully leading to a wider reappraisal of I Yongmin.

– Olaf Möller

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