Bong Joon Ho’s The Host celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a 4K restoration that brings the acclaimed creature feature to US theaters.
Magnolia Pictures will release the 4K restoration of The Host in theaters nationwide on November 20, and the release features an exclusive conversation with the Oscar®-winning filmmaker.
The film follows “Gang-du (Song Kang-ho), who works at a food stand on the banks of the Han River. Dozing on the job, he is awakened by his daughter, Hyun-seo (Ko A-sung), who is angry with him for missing a teacher-parent meeting at school. As Gang-du heads to the riverbank with a delivery, he notices a large crowd gathered, taking pictures and talking about something hanging from the Han River Bridge.
“The otherwise idyllic landscape suddenly descends into bedlam when a terrifying creature climbs onto the riverbank and begins crushing and devouring people. Gang-du and his daughter run for their lives, but the creature suddenly grabs Hyun-seo and disappears back into the water.
“The government announces that the monstrous creature is apparently the Host of an unidentified virus. Having feared the worst, Gang-du is stunned when he receives a phone call from his daughter. She is frightened—but very much alive. Determined to rescue her, Gang-du soon makes plans to infiltrate the forbidden zone near the Han River and save his daughter from the clutches of the horrifying Host.“
The 2006 genre-bender features state-of-the-art special effects from Weta Workshop (King Kong, The Lord of the Rings) and The Orphanage (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sin City), gripping spectacle, and a deeply emotional story.
The filmmaker recently teased his desire to return to the realm of horror after his upcoming animated film, Ally.
Bong Joon Ho, who wrote and directed The Host, reflects on the film in the announcement video below.
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