Mini-Review: MC Mong (feat. Kang Ho-dong and Whale)–“Horror Show”

Happy Halloweeeeeen!


No time for a proper review since it’s Halloween, so I’ll just leave you with one of my favorite ~spooky~ Kpop songs. It’s from 2009, so kind of a blast from the past! And I lied, it’s not spooky at all—but it is a parody of many spooky movies. (Don’t know why I can’t seem to find an official version of the video with higher quality. Oh well.)

Anyway, I freakin’ love this song and music video.

The song is catchy as hell, especially that chorus, and even has its own dance remix at the end (and what a memorable dance!). The video is a great parody of horror films with classic elements like Psycho’s shower scene, the creepy head-spinning from The Exorcist, the little ghost boy from The Grudge, the TV girl from The Ring, the axe scene from The Shining, and elements from Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as the girls from the Korean movie A Tale of Two Sisters, which I haven’t seen but looks really scary.

I also love that MC Mong calls himself “Dr. Monkenstein.” Hysterical.

MC Mong, Kang Ho-dong, and singer Whale.
Of course, because of two of the participants, this song is retroactively plagued by controversy. In 2010, MC Mong was investigated for draft dodging, allegedly delaying his mandatory military enlistment on purpose (teeth pulling was involved?)—see this article for more. In 2011, MC and comedian Kang Ho-dong, who was also in the video, was involved in a tax-evasion scandal.

Since then, both have been missing from the entertainment industry, either due to temporary bans (MC Mong) or retirement (Kang Ho-dong). Though as to the latter, apparently Ho-dong has sorted everything out and returned to Star King as of…two days ago, wow.

As I know very little about the guys or their separate scandals, I don’t feel I can comment on those elements, though obviously alleged draft dodging and tax evasion are serious issues. All I can say is that as entertainers, MC Mong and Kang Ho-dong are top-notch and have been sorely missed in their absence. I hope that one day after he serves his sentence, MC Mong can also return to the entertainment world. I suppose Psy has done a lot to fill MC Mong’s shoes on the comedy music front, though, and that helps.

Nice costume, sir.
Boyfriend’s one-liner:
“That was funnier than any of the past three Scary Movies.” (Ooh, burn.)

Thanks for reading! Have fun trick-or-treating. And for those caught in Hurricane Sandy, please stay safe!