Yoga Hakwon

Women in Horror Month Day 2: Yoga Hakwon (Amazon) - directed by Yun Jae-yeon

The first rule of Yoga Hakwon: don't talk about Yoga Hakwon. Actually, that's the fifth rule. Rules 1-4 have to do with conduct during the week-long intensive yoga class, no outside contact for the week (no cell phones!?!), no eating outside of meal time, no showering with an hour post-session, and no mirrors. Breaking the rules can have deadly consequences.

Yoga Hakwon is easily recognized as a commentary on the shallowness of obsession with fame and outer beauty (in case you are in danger of missing it, the protagonist's boyfriend is doing a documentary on a filmmaker whose last work was called "Shadows of Youth"). This does not detract, though, perhaps even augments, the dread atmosphere that is a hallmark of many K-horror films. Black water and bloody faces one minute and beautiful yoga students at a pajama party the next makes for an unsettling 90 minutes. CW: It's South Korean horror, so...some light body horror (yes, it's a spectrum.)