Episode Guide
Crack -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Destination -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Special Guest -| Review Score – 2.5/5 Curiosity -| Review Score – 2.5/5 Red Shoes -| Review Score – 2.5/5 Dimension -| Review Score – 4/5 Threshold -| Review Score – 2/5 Birth -| Review Score – 3/5 Asia is notorious for creating some of the creepiest and long-lasting horror IPs. From Ringu and The Grudge across to the excellent Train To Busan, Eastern horror is unrivaled. Goedam then is an interesting little anthology series. With each episode clocking in between 6-15 minutes, this short collection of films serves as an introduction to Asian horror while doing well to showcase a range of different horror styles. These styles generally come in the form of simple scenarios revolving around Korean urban legends. While in the West we’re graced with the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot and more recently Momo by comparison Korea’s are far more sinister. The Slit-Mouthed Woman, the Elevator Murderer and dead relatives stealing your soul in dreams, are but a taste of some of the stories doing the rounds. If you have the time, these different tales are well worth looking into and one of those rabbit-hole topics you’ll spend hours diving into. The 8 episodes available are very easy to watch and generally follow the same set-up most short-form films of its kind follow. There’s a basic plot played out but it’s padded out with a pretty good array of gore, violence and scares. While there’s nothing here that’s outright scary, there’s definitely some good tension built up through some of the episodes. At the same time, there’s a few of these segments that definitely fall flat too so this is definitely a bit of a mixed bag. Personally, episodes 1, 2 and 6 are my favourites while a lot of the others fall into the realm of forgettable mediocrity. The great thing with a collection like this though is how varied the tales are. If you’re a horror fan there’s definitely something for everyone. And that’s generally what saves Goedam from being a below-average effort. There’s nothing particularly outstanding or likely to shake the horror world but there’s definitely some stand-out entries in this anthology nonetheless. There’s a good showcase of talent in both cinematography and direction, while the simple stories allow for some creative use of jump scares and violence to shine through. While this is unlikely to reach the same prolific heights short-anthologies like Love, Death and Robots has achieved, fans of short-form horror should be in their element. If this whets your appetite and you fancy something a bit longer, I’d absolutely recommend checking out Strangers From Hell, which is also streaming on Netflix right now. Overall, Goedam is a pretty good showcase of Korean Urban Legends and features just enough variety to please horror fans.
