Bulgasari (lost South Korean monster film; 1962)

The alleged movie poster.

Status: Lost

Bulgasari (Korean: 불가사리) is a 1962 Korean dark fantasy-action monster film directed by Kim Myeong-Jae and starred Choi Moo-ryong, Um Aing-ran and Gang Mi-ae. It was the first time special effects were used in a Korean film making it Korea’s first science-fiction monster film.^[1]

Summary

During the later years of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), a talented martial artist is murdered. His anger and resentment make him be born again as Bulgasari, a monster that grinds and eats up iron. The monster takes his revenge on the traitors responsible for his death.

Reception/Availability

Before the film was released, critics unanimously wrote negative reviews about the film. People in the 1960s thought historical films were the only spectacles worth watching, and this movie was treated as childish and trashy. Such a review can be found on the cultural section of the Chosun Illbo newspaper on December 7th, 1962.^[2]

The film is considered lost during the Korean War. It is listed on the List of lost films on the World Heritage Encyclopedia.^[3] The image of the Bulgasari creature accompanying the review is the only known still from the movie to exist, although the image later reappeared in various posters said to be the originals. The image from the article was reused, mirrored, and modified, which leads some to believe the marketing materials that resurfaced on the internet are fanmade.