Wi Ha-joon, stratospherically popular in the West since his international breakout role in Netflix's Squid Game as hot cop Hwang Jun-ho, goes all American Psycho in Midnight — the new, hotly reviewed horror-thriller from Kwon Oh-seung. Collider is delighted to exclusively share the bloody first trailer for the new film, which pits a deaf woman, played by Jim Ki-joo, against Ha-joon's notorious serial killer in a game of cat and mouse after she witnesses one of his gruesome murders.
The trailer shows the film to be a real heart-racer, with Ha-joon's killer hunting down Ki-joo like an apex predator, oft with his cheeks etched into a Bateman-esque grin. (Plus: check out some of those sartorial choices. Definitely the kind of guy who appreciates Huey Lewis & The News.) Axes swing around wildly, as does the director's camera; a deft technical choice comes into play by way of muted sound, evoking the protagonist's deaf perspective. (With notes taken, you'd think, from the likes of Sound of Metal.)
Bloody Disgusting said this of Midnight:
"Kwon Oh-seung's debut feature enters the pantheon of breathless thrillers, delivering a propulsive, unpredictable film that's lighter than most of its ilk but no less intense or well crafted."
Reviewing the horror-thriller at Fantasia Fest, the outlet Nightmarish Conjurings agreed with BD's positive review, arguing that it "will leave you on the edge of your seat," while making a "strong mark within the thriller genre". Horror Obsessive were similarly... obsessed, writing that Midnight's "direction is terrific, giving us an introduction to Kyung Mi's world first, then showing just how easy it is to be taken in by a smooth stranger". Well, if you weren't already convinced by the stellar trailer, let us be entirely unequivocal: this movie rips.
Midnight was written and directed by Kwon Oh-seung, and produced by Kim Hyun-woo, with North American distribution handled by Dread Presents. Along with Wi Ha-Jun, the cast also includes Gil Hae-yeon, Jim Ki-joo, Park Hoon, and Kim Hye-yoon. Check out the trailer below. Midnight will be available on VOD April 5 and home video May 10, 2022.
Here's the official synopsis for Midnight:
"Fear grips the country of South Korea as a serial killer, (Squid Game star Wi Ha-Jun), stalks its residents. Kyung-mi, a deaf woman, is out late with her mother when she stumbles upon a young woman bleeding out in a dark alley. Now a witness to the killer’s brutal crime, Kyung-mi is being ruthlessly hunted down. Will she survive or become his victim?"
