A Bloodthirsty Killer 2160X1023
A Bloodthirsty Killer (1965) © Jeil Films Co.

ACMI presents

A Bloodthirsty Killer

살인마

Lee Yong-min | South Korea | 1965 | Unclassified (15+)

Tickets

Ticket prices
Full $20
Concession $16
Member $14

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Wronged women seek revenge from beyond the grave, and demonic cats hunger for blood, in this rarely seen South Korean horror.

Lee Shi-mak arrives at an eerie art exhibition in an abandoned building and is shocked to discover a portrait of his missing ex-wife. It’s only the beginning of a nightmare. The crazed artist behind the portrait attempts to kidnap the hapless family man, and soon after, his ex-wife mysteriously returns.

Now Lee Shi-mak must fight to protect his family from a malevolent spirit that takes the form of loved ones, and from possessed cats hungry for blood.

Curator’s note
One of South Korea’s most prolific genre directors, Lee Yong-min turned to horror after a string of traditional dramas and comedies in the 40s and 50s. A Bloodthirsty Killer, his first foray into the macabre, arrived during an early wave of Korean horror that took flight with The Housemaid (1960).

Taking its cues from the wronged-women melodramas that filled Korean cinema at the time, the film taps into a collective unease around the changing traditional family and the rapid march of modernity. And this tale of vengeance never slows down, leaping from one delirious nightmare to the next.

Spooky and sinister throughout in the classic tradition, it should be enjoyed by all connoisseurs of weird and wild cinema and serves as a timely reminder that the Korean genre extends far beyond the post-2000 wave of blockbusters and streaming series.
James Mudge, Eastern Kicks
Format: DCP
Language: Korean with English subtitles
Source: Korean Film Archive
Courtesy: Korean Film Archive
Runtime: 93 minutes

Event duration

1 hour 33 minutes

Rating

Unclassified (15+)

Course language, sexual references, suicide, violence and supernatural themes

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Where

Cinemas, Level 2
ACMI, Fed Square

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3-Session Pass
Full $48, Concession $42, Member $39

6-Session Pass
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