Hansel and Gretel (2007 film)

Lore & Background

The film follows Lee Eun-soo, a salesman who crashes his car on a highway (the film uses a fictional highway number, not specified as 69) after arguing with his pregnant girlfriend. He wakes in a forest and is taken by a girl named Young-hee to a house called the 'House of Happy Children,' where he meets her siblings Man-bok and Jung-soon and a couple posing as their parents. The real mother hides in the attic and warns him not to trust the children. Eun-soo discovers that the children are actually over thirty years old, having been trapped since childhood in an orphanage where they were abused. Man-bok possesses telekinesis and can turn people into objects; he has killed before and documents each death in a notebook.

Reader's Guide

Hansel and Gretel (2007) is significant for its reimagining of the classic fairy tale within a South Korean horror context, blending fantasy with psychological trauma. The film explores themes of child abuse, the loss of innocence, and the desire for family. It received international festival attention, including a Special Mention at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival and nominations at Sitges and Gérardmer. The story's twist—that the children are decades older than they appear—and their supernatural abilities create a unique horror narrative. The film's legacy lies in its dark, allegorical treatment of childhood suffering and the ambiguous ending, which suggests the children have chosen to remain in their forest world.

Did You Know?

• The children's real ages are revealed in a notebook: Man-bok was born in 1959, Young-hee in 1960, and Jung-soon in 1965.
• Man-bok can use telekinesis to turn people into objects, such as turning Byun's wife into a tree (the tree type is not specified in the film).
• The film was the closing film in the Dragons and Tigers section of the Vancouver International Film Festival.
• Eun-soo's collection of news clippings at the end reveals that Byun was a suspect in the disappearance of his wife and children, not a confirmed serial killer.