Five likable members of a mountain biking club ride right into serious trouble when they journey into Chiak mountain for some riding adventures while crashing at group leader Min-joon’s uncle’s mountain cottage. The man went missing from the place years ago but they try not to let that disturbing fact ruin the fun. The missing man’s daughter, Hyeon-ji, is invited along by her cousin, and she may be a little socially awkward but this affable group aren’t too annoying about it. The mountains also hold an urban legend concerning murder and mutilation which has given it an infamous reputation but that can be written off as bullshit ghost stories. So, even before they make it to their destination, there’s a lot of shit blatantly throwing up warning signs. They even get the standard old hermit (homeless person) warning them away from the area on the way in. While scouting for a good trail to set cameras up on to catch the biking, Yang-bae discovers strange rock towers set up in a creek and as soon as he prays for safety and fame, shit gets weird. Bright red lights, a sonic boom, a wonky compass and the rumbling of those rock towers all hit within seconds of each other and then everything quiets down. That night, something comes into the cabin and scavenges their food supply. Oddly leaving the meat strewn about the floor but munching on the lettuce. Hyeon-ji acts stranger than usual, staring off into the night but there’s riding to be done and the next day, they get their biking on. Hyeon-ji (who is the least experienced) wipes out and encounters a giggling little girl who runs off into the woods. She limps after the child (who may be her younger self) and stumbles across her father. Papa dissipates away like Thanos just snapped his thumb. It’s all a dream. But the high strangeness is only gearing up. Yang-bae catches something that seems to be camouflaged in the environment and not exactly human, but it looks like he’s creeping on his making out friends so they take the SD card from the camera. His minor tomfoolery is accepted but they won’t stand for perversion. Soo-ah develops a nasty-lookin’ rash on her neck, Hyeon-Ji’s nightmares grow progressively more unsettling, those bright red lights come back and the group gets agitated as their situation spirals further and further out of control and into the realm of the unknown. An underground bunker may offer up some strings of an explanation but unfortunately any answer just makes the realization hit that things are about to get much worse. Not at all what I was expecting but in the pleasantly surprising way. It falters in various bits with some ideas not being sustainable thanks to the budget but that’s only a quibble and doesn’t really take away from the slightly bonkers ride we’re taken on. It’s interesting, even if it runs a bit too long and feels just a little undercooked.
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