Web-toon comic artist, Ji-Yoon finds her on-screen horrors simulated into real-life scenarios. Initially, what appears as a “copy-cat” murder turns into a series of gruesome deaths with Ji-yoon struggling to adjust between fantasy and reality. Killer Toon is a juicy concoction of horror, mystery, thriller and suspense.
The plot begins with the first victim and this is one of the creepiest scenes in the entire film. Victim number one sees herself in the scenes of the online web-comic before finding herself tortured by an unknown presence. The suspense builds as the comic mimics her every move. This death is the first of a connecting sequence of events due to unfold. As expected, the artist herself is the number one suspect and the police bring her in for a confession. Ji-yoon experiences traumatic nightmares and finds herself waking up in random places with no recollection of how she got there. She becomes the perfect character to shape into a psychopathic murderer. The murders that follow all share a similarity beyond the idea that they had all been executed before on the virtual pages of the web-comic.
The first hour of the film is well-paced with unnerving suspense as the characters develop and the film reaches a peak of terror. Sadly, as the film reaches this peak, it hurtles back down to the bottom. The suspense weakens, the potential diminishes and the plot is left deflated as the film tries to hit a ‘climatic conclusion’. The disappointing finale shouldn’t bring this film’s rating down too much. Killer Toon remains a strong, innovative horror with many terrifying scenes. The execution of the plot onto screen is remarkably strong too. The idea of integrating the world of comics into a horror/murder plot is nicely implemented.
Failing on it’s potential to hit an unpredictable resolution, Killer Toon salvages some credit for the great supporting cast, the artistic direction and the well-executed horror.
Director: Yong-gyun Kim
Cast: Si-young Lee, Ki-joon Uhm, Hae-hyo Kwon.
Watch if you loved White: Melody of the Curse and Bunshinsaba!
