Unlocked (2023) Review – A Gripping and Modern Stalking Nightmare

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at South Korean horror thriller Unlocked (스마트폰을 떨어뜨렸을 뿐인데).

Unlocked does hacking and stalking right

Before we start, we have explained the ending to this one so if you need answers, click the link – Unlocked Ending Explained article.

Social destruction is an element of stalking that horror movies haven’t effectively exploited. Not yet, anyway. None have really managed to tap into the layers of damage that could be done from this intrusion. Unfriended and Unfriended: Dark Web are fun but not particularly scary. Hacked (The Den) gives it a good go but falls a bit flat. Ratter tries but completely misses the mark. Nothing really manages to emphasise the damage this situation could do to a person. They simply aim to watch the victim for a while before killing them.

“Social destruction is an element of stalking that horror movies haven’t effectively exploited. Unlocked is here to change that, showing the damage this situation could do to a person.”

Unlocked is here to change that. Our protagonist, Lee Na Mi, is your typical South Korean millennial. Obsessed with her phone and living her entire life through social media. She never realises just how vulnerable her constantly connected nature makes her. All it takes is a clumsy moment of drunken forgetfulness to change her life forever. Ever since she lost her phone things have been going wrong. Returned to her by a seemingly kind stranger, it becomes clear, pretty quickly, that all may not be as it seems.

What starts as simple coincidences quickly transforms into life altering events and things she simply can’t explain. Little does she realise that a sinister individual is watching her every move. Able to see her through her phone’s camera. He knows what she is typing, where she works, where she is going and the secrets she hides. He is going to use this information to not just harm her but to completely ruin her life. It’s gripping stuff.

An interesting side plot

For the most part, Unlocked follows our protagonist as she attempts to pick up the pieces to her quickly unraveling life. We see things from our antagonist’s point of view fairly often, too, but a nice balance is maintained between victim and perpetrator. As that goes on, however, something of a murder investigation story plays out as well.

Featuring a grizzled detective looking into a series of seemingly connected killings. The movie leans heavily into investigative detective work and familial drama. This really lends Unlocked a feeling of uniqueness, especially when compared to other similar stalking and social media themed horror movies. There is a real sense of traditional horror to go alongside the more up-to-date stuff.

The slow unraveling of the mystery really aids the flow of the movie. Piling on a decent helping of thriller-like tension. A game of cat and mouse takes place throughout the film, constantly keeping the viewer guessing and leading up to an interesting twist at the end. It’s decent stuff and helps keep the events taking place on screen feeling fresh.

A sinister antagonist

Many stalking-based, voyeuristic horror movies are guilty of being repetitive. Placing far too much focus on the victim and not enough on the antagonist. Unlocked does a fantastic job of avoiding this issue. Instead placing much of the focus on the antagonist. We are not just watching a woman having her life ruined, we are watching the person who does it, too.

“Im Si-wan is fantastic here, seamlessly switching from amiable and friendly young man to a genuinely sinister and unsettling person hell-bent on causing havoc.”

Our antagonist here is not faceless; he has a backstory and a developed personality, allowing us to engage in the story from multiple angles. Im Si-wan is fantastic here, seamlessly switching from amiable and friendly young man to a genuinely sinister and unsettling person hell-bent on causing havoc for our protagonist. Obviously the desire to have a high-profile actor in this role likely lead to more character development, but it genuinely works really well.

It’s a great way of doing this type of horror. Scenes featuring our antagonist are actually interesting and watching him plotting and carefully laying out his plans is fascinating. It adds tons to the story and helps to keep you engaged. Unlocked is a long movie, as well, but, despite this, it doesn’t feel its length. Likely due to the focus placed on a number of character’s stories, including that of the antagonist.

Occasionally ridiculous

It does have to be said, however, that Unlocked sometimes steps into the realms of farce. Some of the things our antagonist does are literally ridiculous. Far exceeding any level of realism and often simply highly unlikely. The way he manages to manipulate people around him as well as the way he manages to interfere with Lee Na Mi’s life can be a bit silly.

Along with this, the movie is guilty of a number of plot holes. Our antagonist’s motivations don’t make a huge amount of sense. Especially when you think of everything in context and when you consider some of the things that happen, as well as how some of the characters react, it only becomes more and more unlikely. It’s easy to forgive because the movie is enjoyable but it does bear mention.

Acting and direction are great

Acting is fantastic throughout. Chun Woo-hee, as Lee Na Mi, is great. She manages to bring a decent amount of personality to a character that is rather lacking. Lee Na Mi is a poorly developed character but Chun Woo-hee makes her very likeable, adding plenty of levity to the story with her strong comedic timing. A cast of side characters all perform their roles admirably, adding plenty of nuance to the story.

“Telling a traditional tale of stalking brought bang up-to-date with a heavy social media leaning, the excellent acting and compelling plot keep this one chugging along.”

The standout performance here, however, is the aforementioned Im Si-wan as the antagonist Oh Jun Yeong. Able to effortlessly switch between dorky nice guy and sinister villain, Im Si-wan does a brilliant job of bringing his interesting character to life.

Learning that Si-wan typically plays nice guys in drama or comedy movies, I am somewhat reminded of Elijah Wood’s tremendous turn as the antagonist in Maniac. Sometimes the actors who play nice guys are the best choice for villains. An argument could be made here that Si-wan is a bit too good looking. It’s hard to buy into him being viewed as a creep. He does a decent job, though, regardless.

Kim Tae-joon’s direction is great. Unlocked is well paced and the story progression keeps you engaged. It never lingers too long on any one element, keen to switch things up frequently keeping the story fresh. I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the earlier shots in the movie, feeling them to be a bit on the cheesy side, but they disappeared quickly, transforming to a more traditional style of shooting.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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