Face (2004 film)
A horror film about a facial reconstructionist haunted by a ghost.
Face (Korean: 페이스) is a 2004 Korean horror film directed by Yoo Sang-gon. The plot centers on Lee Hyun-min, a facial reconstruction expert who leaves his job at an institute to care for his daughter Jin, who has a beta allergy and received a heart transplant from Dr. Yoon. A new researcher, Jung Sun-young, brings him the skull of a serial killer’s victim, whose body was dissolved in acid. Hyun-min initially refuses the work but is haunted by the victim’s ghost and agrees to reconstruct her face. When Jin’s transplanted heart fails, Hyun-min asks Dr. Yoon for the donor’s medical history, but the doctor refuses on confidentiality grounds. Detective Suh, investigating the murders, suspects Dr. Yoon and uses the reconstructed face to identify the victim. Hyun-min later finds another skull buried long ago in a field, reconstructs it, and uncovers a supernatural secret. The cast includes Song Yoon-ah as Jung Sun-young, Shin Hyun-joon as Lee Hyun-min, Kim Seung-wook as Detective Seo, Ahn Suk-hwan as Dr. Yoon, and others.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Yoo Sang-gon
- Producer
- Tae Weon-jang
- Writer
- Kim Hie-jae / Park Cheol-hie / Park Seong-min / Yoo Sang-gon
- Starring
- Song Yoon-ah / Shin Hyun-joon / Kim Seung-wook
- Music
- Lee Han-na
- Cinematography
- Choi Ji-yeol
- Editing
- Park Gok-ji
- Released
- 11 June 2004
- Runtime
- 92 minutes
- Country
- South Korea
- Language
- Korean
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Lee Hyun-min, who works reconstructing faces from skulls, quits his institute to stay with his Beta-allergic daughter Jin, who received a heart transplant from Dr. Yoon. The newcomer researcher Jung Sun-young brings Hyun-min the skull of a serial killer's victim whose body was dissolved in acid. Hyun-min initially refuses but is haunted by the victim's ghost and reconstructs her face. When Jin's transplanted heart causes trouble, Hyun-min requests the donor's history from Dr. Yoon, who refuses on confidentiality grounds. Detective Suh, investigating the murders, suspects Dr. Yoon and uses the reconstructed face to identify the victim. Hyun-min later finds another buried skull and reconstructs its face, unraveling a supernatural secret.
Reader's Guide
Face (2004) is a Korean horror film that blends forensic science with supernatural elements. Directed by Yoo Sang-gon, it centers on a facial reconstructionist who is compelled by a ghost to solve a murder. The film explores themes of medical ethics, parental love, and the persistence of the dead. Its significance lies in its unique premise—using facial reconstruction as a plot device—and its place within the early 2000s Korean horror wave. The cast includes notable actors such as Song Yoon-ah and Shin Hyun-joon. The film's legacy is as a cult entry in Korean genre cinema, though it did not achieve major international recognition.
Did You Know?
- The film's protagonist, Lee Hyun-min, reconstructs faces from skulls for a living.
- The victim's body was melted down with acid by a serial killer.
- Lee Hyun-min's daughter Jin is allergic to Beta and received a heart transplant from Dr. Yoon.
- Detective Suh investigates the murder cases and suspects Dr. Yoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who directed Face (2004) and what genre is it?
Yoo Sang-gon directed this 2004 South Korean horror film, which is written and performed entirely in Korean. It sits squarely in the supernatural-horror subgenre, blending ghostly possession with a forensic-reconstruction premise.
What is Face (2004) about?
The story follows Lee Hyun-min, a facial reconstruction specialist, who agrees to rebuild the face of a serial killer's victim after her skull is recovered from acid-damaged remains. His work is complicated by the victim's persistent ghost and by the sudden failure of his daughter Jin's transplanted heart, which forces him to investigate the donor's medical history.
Who are the main actors in Face (2004)?
The lead cast includes Song Yoon-ah, Shin Hyun-joon, and Kim Seung-wook, who carry the film's central family and investigation threads.
What makes the ghost in Face (2004) different from typical Korean horror spirits?
Rather than possessing the protagonist directly, the victim's spirit haunts him specifically around the act of facial reconstruction, tying her presence to his professional skill. This makes the horror deeply personal: the more accurately he rebuilds her face, the more he is drawn into her story and his own family's secrets.
Why do fans consider Face (2004) a standout in the Korean horror canon?
It pairs the clinical, detail-driven world of forensic reconstruction with a supernatural haunting, giving the genre a rare medical-scientific texture. The dual pressure of a failing child's transplanted heart and an unresolved murder keeps the stakes intimate rather than purely spectacle-driven, which fans often cite as what sets it apart from more generic ghost films of the era.
More in South Korean horror films 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced