The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes

Year: 2005

Runtime: 108 mins

Language: Korean

Director: Kim Yong-gyun

HorrorThrillerMysteryHorror the undead and monster classicsIntense violence and sexual transgression

One size kills all A woman who finds a pair of pink high heels on a subway platform soon realizes that jealousy, greed, and death follow them wherever they go.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen The Red Shoes yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline – The Red Shoes (2005)

Trace every key event in The Red Shoes (2005) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Sun-jae finds the cursed pink shoes in the subway

Sun-jae leaves her husband and moves into an old apartment with her daughter. In a subway car, she discovers a pair of bright pink high heels that will set off a sinister chain of events. The moment she pockets them, a sense of unease begins to follow her.

Subway car
2

The shoes awaken an obsession and visions

Back at home, Sun-jae becomes increasingly fixated on the shoes. Her appetite, envy, and greed grow as disturbing visions haunt her. The shoes begin guiding her choices in dangerous directions.

Sun-jae's apartment
3

Mi-hee dies after taking the shoes

Sun-jae's friend Mi-hee succumbs after wearing the shoes, triggering hysteria and theft within their circle. Sun-jae desperately tries to dispose of the cursed footwear, but it keeps returning to Tae-su. The haunting spreads to their close friends and family.

Mi-hee's home
4

The shoes return to Tae-su and intensify the danger

Tae-su becomes another victim of the shoes’ pull, and Sun-jae struggles to keep the relic hidden. The paranoia among Sun-jae, Tae-su, and their circle escalates as possessions and sabotage mount. The eerie hold of the shoes tightens around the family.

Sun-jae's apartment
5

In-cheol joins to uncover the mystery

Sun-jae’s new boyfriend In-cheol teams up with her to investigate the shoes’ origin. They uncover a deadly rule: whoever wears the shoes will die with their feet chopped off. The investigation pushes Sun-jae toward dangerous revelations about her past and present.

Sun-jae's apartment / city
6

The old basement woman reveals Sun-jae's true identity

An old basement-dwelling woman identifies Sun-jae as Oki, sowing confusion about who she really is. The revelation ties the haunting to a long-buried past she does not fully remember. Sun-jae begins to fear that her fate mirrors the dancer’s tragedy.

Basement
7

Oki's jealousy and Keiko’s pink shoes (flashback)

In a wartime flashback, Oki the servant covets the dancer Keiko and arranges the theft of her pink shoes. Jealousy fuels Oki’s scheme as she wields power over Keiko's life. The shoes become a symbol of obsession and murder that transcends generations.

1940s (Japanese occupation era) Keiko's world (dance world)
8

Keiko’s murder and the ghost's revenge

Keiko is murdered by Oki after a confrontation, and her ghost returns to exact revenge on Oki and the man involved. The past returns to haunt the present through the shoes. The old woman’s warning echoes across time.

1940s Keiko's gravesite/backstage
9

Return the shoes to Keiko to end the haunting

Sun-jae travels to Keiko’s gravesite and returns the pink shoes, hoping to break the curse. The act seems to calm the restless spirit, but Sun-jae’s own lineage remains unresolved. The restitution ties the living to the dead and signals the deeper truth.

Keiko's gravesite
10

In-cheol learns Sun-jae killed her husband

In-cheol confronts Sun-jae with the truth that she killed her husband, straining their relationship. Sun-jae hurries home as Tae-su’s safety becomes urgent, highlighting how the shoes’ influence endangers the innocent. The search for truth edges toward a fatal confrontation.

City / Sun-jae's home
11

Climax at the subway tracks

Sun-jae chases Tae-su to the subway tracks, attempting to kill her in a desperate bid to end the hauntings. At the last moment, Sun-jae saves Tae-su, but Tae-su vanishes into the labyrinth of the city. Keiko's ghost confronts Sun-jae with the cost of her acts.

Climax Subway station tracks
12

Revelation of reincarnation and the final cycle

Keiko reveals that Sun-jae is the reincarnation of Oki, explaining the old woman’s fear back in the basement. The scene shifts to a 1944 rehearsal where Keiko dances in the pink shoes, underscoring the cycle of murder and revenge. The final shot shows Tae-su practicing in her mother’s room, and a post-credits moment hints Tae-su inheriting the shoes in a park.

1944 (flashback) Past and present (dance world, park)

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:13

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Red Shoes

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