It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when social commentary became a prerequisite in horror cinema, a thin glaze of redemption above the gorefest the industry has become. Luckily, while Western filmmakers flounder at this faux-morality, such unabashed fright-fests as 2003’s “A Tale of Two Sisters” verify Asia’s commitment to quality horror; how unfortunate that it sees the release of “Death Bell,” a film that is firmly rooted in the tired Hollywood traditions of torture porn and dead teenagers despite its unique Korean setting.

Recently shown as s UW Film Committee feature at Memorial Union last Saturday, Nov. 21, “Death Bell” witnesses a class of elite prep-school students under the tutelage of Hwang Chan-wook (Lee Beom-soo, “Descendants of Hon Gild Dong”) as they fall prey to mysterious ghosts, who then challenge them with – get this – arithmetic problems in order to save their classmates from various deathtraps. Presumably, this is an allegory for the extreme pressure and competition that defines Asian academics, but beyond this social commentary “Death Bell” succumbs heavily to genre conventions: victims that continually wander into darkness alone, protagonists that repeatedly solve riddles moments too late, and pale, long-haired girls that enjoy materializing behind people’s backs. Even the deathtraps themselves needlessly crib from the “Saw” series, eventually turning each murder into simple torture montages amidst the central plot. For an industry that pioneered modern horror, it’s sad to witness such lack of creative ambition.

And yet, for its clich? mechanics, the film’s attempts at character development are somewhat more successful, thanks to the strong casting. Beom-soo, despite his comedy background, shows no hint of mirth in his ruthless persona, easily dominating the latter half of the film with manic and violent outbursts more frightening than any of the antagonists the film conjures; Nam Gyu-Ri’s heroine, though less memorable, similarly displays at least some amount of individuality (compared to the throng of damsels-in-distress that comprise a bulk of the class).

“Death Bell,” despite its premise, fails to impress any viewer even remotely familiar with the “Saw” franchise, and its attempts to rationalize its hour-long massacre of schoolchildren falls hopelessly flat. For most audiences overseas, it can provide low-rent (in this case, free) entertainment for less discriminating tastes, but for fans of the genre, surely there is more tasteful fare elsewhere.

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2 1/2 out of 5 stars