When you go to sleep at night, a pretty dream catcher hanging so nicely above your bed, you only look forward to a night of peaceful dreams and happiness. But what if the dream catcher's power was reversed, and only nightmares were fed into your now restless slumber?
Don't let your nightmares consume you, dear reader...
My Yankee Angel introduced me to this video, and honestly, I was absolutely taken by it. Upon first seeing the video that is Chase Me by Dreamcatcher, I couldn't help that think it felt a little reminiscent of The Shining (1980), directed by Stanley Kubrick. I hadn't actually seen the film at that point - I have now, however, and GAWD IT'S GORGEOUS! - but I could definitely see a few similarities. Above all, though, I was taken by how beautiful this video was, how captivating it is, and how it makes me feel as a viewer, too.
From what I know, this is the first release from Dreamcatcher, in name and lineup. Previously known as Minx, the group changed their name and made their re-debut this January, and had added two brand new members in November 2016. Chase Me is the lead song in their Nightmare single-album release, and honestly, it's glorious. Ever since my dear Angel sent it to me, I told myself that I would review it, no matter what.
It's been a month or less since I first saw it, and now that predia week is over and done with, and I am free as a bird until essays throw themselves at me... It's about damn time I finally sat down to review it! I am totally ready for this sweet nightmare to begin!
The question is, are you?
You might want to sleep with one eye open tonight...
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Well, doesn't this place look... homey.
Hope you've got a gun lying your pillow, mate >o>
Shouldn't that be room 237? Or does the number 808 have a specific meaning in Korea?
wELP, I'm out! See ya later, man, was good knowin' ya! -high tails it-
Okay, this is a glorious shot, and -GASP- it's slightly tilted!
Okay, that's some flawless camera work, there. Makes my heart race ♡♡♡
... Wait, did their dresses change?
Y'all can pull on that door as hard as you like, hun, it's not gonna open.
Also, you're screwed. She's onto you.
I keep thinking she's dressed like a Nurse. She's not. She has a beret, not a Nurses cap XD
Also, is that a skull behind her on the painting? Lovely xD
Okay, this got a little bit sexy ;D Hey, babeh! How you doin'?
For the sake of familiarity, I'm calling you Jack. Jack, question; did you not learn from Fatal Frame that carrying a camera around a haunted place is not the wisest of choices?
In fact, walking into a Hotel teeming with spirits isn't a good idea, either. Y'all know what happened in The Shining, right!?
A bit off-kilter, and it's glorious!
Is there anything straight about this MV? As in, the shots, you pervs :p
Also, damn, that blue is intense!
Okay, whoever did this lighting, I love thee. It's weird, but it works.
We going all detective on your ass! He's looking for 7 dead girls, now where are the bodies!?
They look a little like those Dreamcatcher lasses... hmm... Naaaaah, that'd be too weird, right? o3o
Jack: "She needs a new chin..."
Her chin is fine, ya jerk!
Yeah, tbh, the intensity of these camera shakes makes me feel a bit queasy too, Jack. Urgh.
Goodness me, she's pretty! I'm getting some Wednesday Addams vibes, too!
... Well, if you didn't feel sick before, maybe you do, now. This is disorientating as fuck.
God damn, that dress change edit was FLAWLESS! Give whoever edited this some candy and a raise!
I kinda want this to be my favourite scene.
I kinda want every scene to be my favourite scene, though/
... Okay, how the fuck did you get in here!? o-O
Play fuckin' Ib, and see how you like paintings jumping out at you suddenly! Arrrgh!
Jack: "... The fuck was that?"
A malicious patining. DESTROY THE PAINTINGS!
Your reflection has a life of its own, Jack...
Smash the Windows and Mirrors!
I love whoever did this lighting. Bravo!
Hello, twinnies. What a nice reference you're giving us :3
Fun Fact: Kubrick liked Duality. It's why he used mirrors, and why he liked using Twins. It's unsettling to see the same thing twice, innit?
Jack: "God damn, now I wanna watch the Cramp Twins."
...shit, now I do, too!
Not gonna lie, this kind of just looks like a bunch of candles around a salad to me.
Welp, Dreamcatcher are doing a human sacrifice. We're upping this PG rating to R!
Mmmm, Human Salad! My favourite! :D
Wait, she was a doll!? What is this Black Magic they are doing? HISS!!!
Well, now matter how they do it, they look damn good when summoning their demons and ghosts! Humana Humana!
Jack: "My lord, is this Mahogany? It's bloody beautiful, I say, absolutely gorgeous!"
Dang, that is a nice slab of a wood door! You, my good sir, are a fine door connoisseur!
"It's not the best door I've seen..."
Well, what'd you know!? Are you a connoisseur of doors, too!?
These ghosts aren't very hospitable, are they?
Well, that's just mean! Let the man have his damn rest, he's been up all night chasing you!
Holy shit, this looks like a painting! The beautiful contrast between red and blue is absolutely wonderful, too. Damn.
Seriously, though, he looks like he's been painted into this, and I am intrigued.
God damn, she really is pretty.
... And her pillow is floating. Either she's trying to creep Jack out, or she's sending him come-hither eyes.
Speaking of eyes... That poor little bear! Why are they so cruel!?
ARGH!
Jack: "Not me eyes!"
They're still there, thank god! You didn't grow skin over them, Jacky boy!
Oi, you! What are ye doing to that there number plate, missy!?
I love the choreography scenes. They're pretty damn amazing, and so on-point.
Yep. Now they are all room 808. Fuck. This. Shit.
Okay, I've not seen one of these kinds of TV's in years, like, since I was a kid.
... Oh, good Lord, I am OLD! D8
I love how dark this MV's become. Maybe his sanity is going?
His videos definitely make him look crazy, that's for sure. Is it all in his head?
But what his videos don't show, his memories will show...
... Nah, he still looks a little weird backing away from nothing on tape.
Why does this scene remind me of that book from Hocus Pocus (1993)?
Ah, it's a peeping tom! I wonder what she's looking at...?
Well, that makes sense, actually... xD
Okay, forget her in the reflection, it's Jack who looks hella creepy. Yikes!
Oh, hey! EVIDENCE! >8D
Maybe he's not nuts, after all.
Hey, hey! Where do you think you're going!? Give the guy his sanity back!
Well, it looks like Dreamcatcher are leaving a body behind. Also, this shot is darn pretty.
Fetus position!
o-O JACK! No, don't give in to the Hotel! Don't give in to its darkness!!!
Are these his visions, or...?
Also, damn, they were... different, tearing up bears and holding seances and shit.
"Shhh, don't let anyone know, but... we're witches~"
Such pretty lighting. Such a pretty girl!
Jack: "MAHOGANNNY!!!"
I HAD TO!
... Well, someone had a bit of an obsession with these 7 girls, didn't they?
And then we just have some pretty scenes to watch. It's like a damn pretty dream.
The days before seances and bringing dolls to life, they were innocent, sweet girls who partook in pillow fights and happiness.
Whatever went wrong?
Unless...
You killed 'em, didn't ya, Jack? DIDN'T YA D8<
Jack: "They did not sell me... the true Mahogany door..."
Le GASP!
This isn't the end of the Nightmare. Not yet...~
How far do you think you can chase them, before this Nightmare consumes you completely?
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Well, isn't this a fun video? So bright and happy, and fluffy as heck! I mean, I would never dream of having a nightmare over this lovely little production! :D
Sarcasm aside, this video, in all its dark and enticing glory, is a downright beautiful creation. Each and every shot is gorgeous, the camerawork is divine in my eyes, and the choreography is damn fun to watch, and so fluid and on-point. It's absolute perfection from beginning to end, and its horror-like topic only manages to intrigue me more.
Seriously, if you want me to get into Korean Pop - or, just get me to pay attention to one or two Music Videos - then find ones with a horror theme, or one that is highly action-packed. If it has a movie-like quality, I will fall in love, because those kinds of videos are inspiring and highly entertaining to watch, and you can see the effort put into them. I mean, just look at Chase Me; so much effort and inspiration was thrown at this, and it has really paid off with this stunning end product.
I do think that this is a gorgeous music video, and so far, it's one of the best I have seen for the beginning of 2017. It's appropriately dark, the tone is set right from the beginning and stays consistent throughout, and it feels disorientating and uninviting at points, which only enhances the quality of the PV even more. It's a video that actually makes me feel like I need to look away, because it's pretty unnerving at points where the editing is so cut so fast and jagged, that the motion and pace gets to you as a viewer. You feel as unnerved as the guy investigating the hotel / B&B, probably a little bit confused, and very much dazed. Heck, sometimes I feel a little bit ill, that's how powerful the editing is for me. It's glorious, in a twisted kinda way.
There is so much to appreciate about this video, aesthetic wise. I mean, it looks like a movie, with incredible lighting that fits every scene, cuts and edits that feel dark and disorientating (as I have said), and costumes that seem innocent and sweet, but only help to add an element of nope to the mix. I mean, when you see innocence in a horror, it's unsettling, because you wonder what's going to happen to that innocence, or what happened. It brings up questions, this video; why did these girls disappear? How? Are they dead? Are their spirits malicious, or just playful? Is it all in his head, and what does he hope to achieve? Is he somehow related to the girls? What made these girls who they are?
It's fun to question these things, but the video feels pretty open to your interpretation. Personally, I don't know where I stand with Chase Me, yet, however, I like to think the guy is maybe a little bit insane, or that he himself killed the girls, but has forgotten, so is leading a case where he tries to find out what happened to them all. Obviously, this video has an open ending, and I look forward to the outcome in a following video and song. This can go so many ways, so of course, I anticipate the true outcome, and for my own questions to be answered. For now, however, it will be just as fun to anticipate what can (and will) be.
Other aspects about this video I really adored were just, in general, how much scenes of this music video seemed to look like a a painting. The detective / investigator character especially seemed almost unreal at times, his face looking almost like it had been sculpted or painted. In a way, it could be that he himself is an otherworldly being, tied to the Hotel and a case left cold. Actually, that could also be why the hotel is filled with paintings of Skulls; no one who is there is alive any more, not even the paintings themselves are filled with 'living' people. Everything is possibly dead.
See, it's fun to think about and come up with these things, and now the idea he himself is dead is my favourite conclusion for this MV!
Chase Me is amazing to watch. Yes, I feel a bit queasy at times when viewing it, but I think that because I feel such a way, the video itself is being effective in what it needs to deliver. The shots are amazing, with so many off-kilter and dutch angles being used throughout, and a constantly swaying camera. We get some straight shots, too, and they work well when showing us everything from the investigators angle, but I can't deny that my favourites are the dutch angles and moving camera shots. They are fun, and they make the video that little bit more disturbing.
Heck, even the ending scene, where the girls are having a pillow fight and a music box is playing in the background, is unnerving as heck. It's so jarring against the rest of this video... but that is why it fits in so well with it, too. A sweet, blissful scene to show us what once was.
I think that Chase Me is so well done, and a fine nod to classic horror and what makes a film scary. The use of various editing techniques, changing the colour tones of the video, its use of shadows and darkness, dutch angles, fast pacing and flickering lights, up-close shots, disappearing girls and bringing spirits closer with swift, sudden edits is amazing, and I love that throughout this entire video, I still don't know the exact story, or why it is this way. It's ambiguous, and I have so many questions I want answering, but at the same time, I don't want them answered. It's fun to play the guessing game, and to make up my own tale as I go along.
Beautiful and glorious, this is absolutely amazing in my eyes, and I hope that I watch the sequel to this To Be Continued... music video. For now, however, I will simply enjoy Chase Me, and try to figure out what it all means, and whose story we're really being told.
If you have ghosts of the past that haunt you, it might be in your best interests to leave them be. You never know,;they just might chase you back.
Sweet dreams, dear readers. Don't let the poltergeists bite.
Much Love and Goodnight,
Chiima~
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