Help, I’m Trapped In an Autopsy, and I Can’t Find a Good Movie

I thought I would take a moment to review a film a specifically wanted to see, and see somewhat near Halloween. The film itself was brought to my attention by a few Korean film aficionados, although I was a bit confused. You see the film is The Cut, Cadaver, Anatomy Class. Haeboo Hakkyosil, or even Anonymous Blood. I honestly knew that the title really did not matter (except if it was called Anatomy Class which I will discuss later). My goal was to be scared by kids with scalpels, and perhaps evil cadavers. Instead, I was entertained by a creepy little film that did not quite live up to its reputation.

So the main story features a group of medical students who are about to cut up people for the very first time. They joke about the opportunity, but also fear the class. And then we discover that there is a major spiritual cloud that hangs over these cadavers, so important that a ritual is held before the autopsies begin to honor the spirits of those being cut open. The set-up is well done, building moment by moment as each student is killed. Yes you heard me, the bodies are killing the students! At this point the film could go one of two ways. It could continue the violence and horror and lead to a zombie, crazy killer ending or it could get mired in the convoluted story about how one of the students is related to the body and one of the Doctors has been experimenting with hearts.

They went with the later and the film lost its momentum. A convoluted plot does not always mean failure, but in this case it takes the film down a path of mystery rather than horror. By no means is this meant to be a direct comparison, but Hitchcock played with these two elements very well. He could give you horror and mystery but never lose the viewer. The Cut loses the viewer! At times you have no idea what really matters or if you really care what really matters.

All in all, The Cut could have been worse, but it could have been better. I enjoyed the concept, but felt that the plot tended to move from believable and strong to far fetched and weak. I was disappointed only because I wanted a truly creepy horror film, not one that moved from scary to Nancy Drew. This was a nice change of pace from films like Hostel and Saw, but it needs more polishing to become a truly great horror film.

Now on to one more interesting side note. When I was told about this film I immediately thought of another film I had been meaning to watch called Anatomie. The reason I remembered this film was that is starred Franka Potente from Run Lola Run. Here is what IMDB has for its plot summary:

Medical student Paula Henning wins a place at an exclusive Heidelberg medical school. When the body of a young man she met on the train turns up on her dissection table, she begins to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death, and uncovers a gruesome conspiracy perpetrated by an Antihippocratic secret society operating within the school.

Sounds a bit familiar. It could be a coincidence, which I will find out once I get my hands on a copy. Till next time, some pictures of Franka because I like her.