The Grotesque Mansion

Jung Ji Woo (Sung Joon) is a web-based cartoon (webtoon) artist whose debut title fell flat. He is dating Da Hye (Kim Bo Ra) and the two are looking forward to spending his birthday together. But Jung Ji Woo is determined to ensure that his follow-up effort fares better than his first, so decides to look for some “real-world” inspiration. He has heard talk that a nearby apartment block named Gwang Lim Mansion is haunted, and that terrible incidents have occurred there, so decides to investigate. When he arrives, he runs into the apartment block’s ex-caretaker (Kim Hong Fa). The latter agrees to let Jung Ji Woo interview him, and the man starts to tell a series of increasingly macabre and spooky tales of things that happened to the block’s former residents. He begins by telling Jung Ji Woo the story of a tormented author who craves peace and quiet, but can never seem to escape the noise. There is also the story of a pharmacist and her sordid affair with a married woman – a story that ends in mystery and murder! Further, there is the story of a property agent whose companion, a doll, appears to have come to life! Two students living together then find themselves living in an increasingly rotten room. And finally, the final story centers around the caretaker himself – and his ghastly secret identity. Will the horror overwhelm Jung Ji Woo, or will a late intervention from Da Hye save the day? “The Grotesque Mansion” is a 2021 South Korean movie that was directed by Jo Ba Reun.