(Following Interview①) As ‘Midnight Horror Stories’ has been running for five years, it seems that running out of material is one of the challenges faced by the production team. However, PD Im shook his head, saying, “We receive a lot of stories.”
“I’ve seen so many that I can’t even remember all the stories. It’s about the amount of a book every 1-2 weeks. After reading ghost stories of 700-800 pages, even those who can’t see ghosts might start to see them. Haha. There are legendary stories like ‘Salmokji’, but there are also many similar stories. We receive a lot of stories about sleep paralysis, but it’s difficult to air those, which is quite frustrating. When you read them, many of our viewers write better stories than most horror movies. Since I started directing this, I can’t watch the horror movies I used to enjoy. There’s nothing that surpasses the episodes our viewers send us.”
Although ‘Midnight Horror Stories’ has received a lot of praise from fans, there have also been criticisms. One of the points of contention was the use of AI images while introducing stories in Season 4, which aired last year. Perhaps the introduction of AI was a bit premature. Viewers complained that it “breaks immersion.”
PD Im cautiously stated, “In fact, I didn’t use AI because I liked it.” He continued, “Due to the pressure of production costs, we had no choice. It was something we had to include to make the show.”
“There were viewers who even came to my personal SNS to insult my family. There were also malicious comments like ‘Is the PD’s intelligence low?’ I felt that the viewers’ dissatisfaction and disappointment were quite significant. I’m actually someone who prefers manual work. When directing other documentaries, I even wrote on paper and used stencils. If I had the money, the last thing I would want to introduce is AI. I want to use actors for reenactments. The non-verbal signals that a person shows cannot be captured by AI. If the budget were sufficient, I would want to do it as delicately as possible by hand. But the broadcasting industry is not in that situation. Even if the quality is unsatisfactory, we have no choice but to suppress it.”
Since viewers were disappointed in the last season, PD Im said he has been considering new attempts for Season 5. PD Im said, “My nickname is ‘Simbeoji’ (Father of ‘Midnight Horror Stories’) and Kim Soo-hyun PD, who has been with us since Season 1, is nicknamed ‘Simgomo’ (Aunt of ‘Midnight Horror Stories’). The two siblings have been brainstorming a lot. I said, ‘Since I got criticized for trying to save money, let’s spend money recklessly this time. If the production costs go over, then I’ll get scolded by the director. Let’s spend freely this time,’” he joked.
He continued, “Simgomo, PD Kim Soo-hyun said that it was good when she went on a field experience with Kim Ah-young before. So, let’s go to a place we haven’t been to. Let’s go overseas. I heard there’s a famous ghost spot in Japan. There’s PD Park Sun-young, who directed the legendary story from last season, ‘What You Must Take With You’. The two aces visited a place selected by CNN as the worst location. A Japanese person reported it, and they went with that informant,” raising expectations.
When asked if there are many foreign informants, PD Im replied, “Of course, we receive a lot from expatriates, and surprisingly, we also get contacts from foreigners. It seems that foreigners watch this program too. I want to make more attempts to inform overseas viewers through YouTube and OTT, but the resources required are many, and there’s no money. It’s really disappointing that we don’t have the capacity to pay attention due to manpower shortages and production cost issues.”
It’s rare for a program like ‘Midnight Horror Stories’ to receive such affection from viewers, classified as legacy media. Considering the interest of horror enthusiasts and the MZ generation, the position of ‘Midnight Horror Stories’ within MBC is quite solid. However, PD Im indirectly stated, “It’s not like that.”
“Being a leader of an organization without resources is really tough,” PD Im expressed his difficulties, saying, “I have a lot I want to give to the team members who always work hard. I love ‘Midnight Horror Stories’ itself, so even if there are other good conditions, I refuse to do it, but I feel sorry that I can’t give them anything. We shoot all episodes in one day. It’s an inhuman schedule. We do this every week. I use my own salary and personal funds to buy meals and coffee for the production team, but… there are many times when I can’t immerse myself in directing due to the difficulties.”
The biggest problem PD Im is struggling with is the low viewership ratings. It’s also disappointing that the success achieved on YouTube or OTT is not significantly reflected in the internal evaluations of the broadcasting company MBC.
PD Im said, “I take pride in the love from viewers, but it’s disappointing that the ratings are below expectations,” adding, “The achievements on platforms like YouTube are hard to be recognized as ‘visible achievements’ within the organization. Due to broadcasting regulations, we can’t raise the level any higher, and even if we move the airing time earlier, the competition for content is fierce, so it won’t be easy.”
He continued, “In fact, I feel regret about the Sunday night airing. There must be reasons for the scheduling, but I wonder how it would have been if it were on a different day. If the ratings were high, we would receive more support and production costs, so it’s a big regret. The ratings will be an important report card that determines whether to produce the next season, so I hope many people will watch the live broadcast.”
PD Im said, “In fact, I feel embarrassed to ask for viewers to watch the live broadcast,” adding, “Thanks to those who watch multiple times on YouTube and OTT, I gain strength. Without them, there wouldn’t be a next season. If you want less scary content, I will adjust accordingly. I hope more people who haven’t watched ‘Midnight Horror Stories’ will watch it.”
He also did not forget to express heartfelt gratitude towards the cast, who are as important as the viewers.
PD Im said, “The cast members are very affectionate and are more like ‘program partners’ than just participants. Kim Gu-ra, Kim Sook, and Heo Anna memorize the entire script and work hard for the program,” expressing his gratitude. He added, “If I were a star PD or a successful PD, I would do something for them, but I feel sorry that I can’t do anything.”
PD Im also said, “Although it won’t be visible on the broadcast, we record a 1-hour show in about 2 and a half hours. This is an incredible speed. It wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of the cast. Thanks to that, we can quickly shoot and edit high-quality content. I’m really grateful. Kim Ho-young and Kim Ah-young, who joined this season, are also doing really well. You can look forward to it,” he hinted.
Finally, PD Im mentioned that there is a guest he really wants to invite this season.
“I heard that a movie based on one of our episodes, ‘Salmokji’, is being made. I think it would be great if actress Kim Hye-yoon, the lead, could appear. I’ve been trying to contact her in various ways, but it hasn’t been realized yet.”
