The thing that makes the horror genre so great, in any country or any form of media, is its ability to take something that isn't initially scary and twist it into something horrifying. For example, one of the biggest trends in South Korea has been plastic surgery. But how could that be horrific?
Being the highest in the world for plastic surgery rates, image plays a large role in the fabric of South Korean society, and its pressures can no doubt be felt in some circles. Beauty Water is a Korean WEBTOON story created by Seong-dae Oh about a woman who finds a magic elixir that suddenly has her lose weight and fit perfectly into the standard of beauty established in the story; however, things take a grim turn when her newfound confidence devolves into an obsession that reveals a darker side to the young lady.
Initially set to premiere this week, the film was forced to delay yet again due to an outbreak of COVID-19 that put the country into its second (of three) level restrictions. While the film intends to release later this month, according to produces, a trailer was instead released today that gives a definitive look at the tone and feel of the film.
With no guarantee on when the film will release in South Korea or even the west, here's hoping that it sees release in its home country sooner rather than later!
The film tells the story of Yaeji, a woman with low self-esteem who uses an elixir — the titular “beauty water” — to lose weight and beautify herself, then faces some chilling side effects.
Beauty Water is still releasing in Australia and New Zealand on September 17th, while Taiwan should have the release on the 18th and Singapore in mid-September; no further word on the South Korean release or of any North American showings at this time.