Suddenly in the Dark: Deluxe Edition – Terror Vision (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: South Korea, 1981
Director: Young Nam Ko
Writer: Sam-yuk Yoon
Cast: Il-bong Yun, Yeong-ae Kim, Ki-seon Lee, Hye-ri Han

Release Date: August, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 100 Minutes 47 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Korean
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"Kang Yu-jin is a biology professor who brings in a housemaid to help around the house. Mi-ok doesn’t have any family, so Yu-jin and his wife, Seon-hee, welcome her into their home. Seon-hee grows weary of Mi-ok's presence not only because she suspects an affair between her husband and their new guest, but mainly because Mi-ok carries around an old wooden doll that resembles her. As pressure starts to build, we are thrown into a world of nightmares and madness as things spiral out of control." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD/Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Terror Vision is very happy to bring a brand new 4K restoration done by the Korean Archive and in UHD w/ HDR by Terror Vision and uncut!"

Suddenly in the Dark comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 54.9 GB

Feature: 54.4 GB

Although there are a few instances where debris passed through the film gate and is now a permanent part of the source, the bulk of this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Suddenly in the Dark comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.9 GB

Feature: 27.2 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Korean with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and robust when it should, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with Korean film expert Ariel Schudson.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include an archival interview with film critic Kim Bong-seok, who discusses the history of Korean horror films (21 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital Korean English with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with producer David Suh (12 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital Korean English with non-removable English subtitles), a video essay by Clayton Dillard titled Suddenly in the Dark: The Housemaid of ‘80s Korean cinema (14 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Korean film clips), an audio commentary with Ariel Schudson, and an older HD presentation of Suddenly in the Dark done by the Korean Archive (100 minutes 21 seconds, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Korean with non-removable English subtitles).

Other extras include a chipboard case, a slipcover, a poster, a postcard, and a 36-page perfect-bound book with an essay titled Watched Women and Demon Dolls: Contextualizing the Gender Politics of Suddenly in the Dark written by Amber T, an essay titled Follow the White Butterfly Spirits, Dreams, and Nascence, Suddenly in the Dark written by Pierce Conran, an essay titled Poisoned Kaleidoscope: Human Messiness & Black Magic in Young Nam Ko’s Suddenly in the Dark written by Heather Drain, an essay titled Shedding Light on Suddenly in the Dark written by Paul Le, an essay titled Shamans in the Dark written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and an essay titled Nation on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown written by Grady Hendrix.

Summary:

A wife loses her grip on reality when she begins to suspect that her husband is having an affair with the housekeeper. Is she losing her mind, or will she find that her suspicions were right? 

While modern Korean cinema is primarily recognized for its revenge-themed films, horror cinema has been gaining popularity in recent years. Western audiences are not familiar with or able to access Korean horror films produced prior to the year 2000. Case in point, Suddenly in the Dark, a film that comes from South Korea’s golden age for horror cinema. 

Young Nam Ko directed Suddenly in the Dark. He was a prolific filmmaker who directed over 100 films. What makes Suddenly in the Dark particularly impressive is that it marks Young Nam Ko's sole venture into the horror genre. When it comes to utilizing elements typical of horror, he excels remarkably.

When discussing Suddenly in the Dark, the one area that immediately springs to mind is its stylistic visuals, which are reinforced by a robust color scheme. Standout moments include a scene where the housekeeper is taking a bath shortly after her arrival and the wife assists her. Another standout moment includes a scene where the wife almost dies after someone accidentally leaves the gas stove on. When it comes to memorable moments, there are none more memorable than the tour de force finale.

While everyone excels in their respective roles, Yeong-ae Kim's portrayal of the wife stands out as the heart and soul of Suddenly in the Dark. Her character experiences an emotional roller coaster, and she delivers a flawless performance of a woman undergoing a nervous breakdown. Another performance of note is Ki-seon Lee in the role of the mysterious housekeeper who carries around creepy-looking dolls. For someone who had not acted before, she delivers a remarkable performance in her only onscreen credit.

From a production standpoint, Suddenly in the Dark is a film where everyone involved is clicking on all cylinders. The way the premise of Suddenly in the Dark is executed sets it apart, despite familiar ground being covered. The well-constructed narrative does a superb job building momentum by maintaining tension. Ultimately, Suddenly in the Dark is a well-crafted horror film that's overflowing with a forbidding atmosphere.

Terror Vision gives Suddenly in the Dark a definitive release; highly recommended.

Note: Terror Vision is releasing a standard edition of Suddenly in the Dark that ships in late August, 2025.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer