Lim Yoon-a leads genre-bending 'Pretty Crazy' from hitmaker behind 'Exit'

'Exit' stars Cho Jung-seok and Lim Yoon-a clash in a summer box office battle

Lim Yoon-a (left) and Ahn Bo-hyun in "Pretty Crazy" (CJ ENM)

Never mind red flags — picture the girl next door turning into a demon at night.

In "Pretty Crazy," Lim Yoon-a takes on a dual persona in this genre-blending summer entry from the team behind "Exit."

"Pretty Crazy" centers on Gil-goo (Ahn Bo-hyun), who falls for Seon-ji (Lim Yoon-a), a new tenant living one floor below. But the budding romance takes a sharp turn when Gil-goo discovers that Seon-ji transforms into a demon each night. Her father soon ropes Gil-goo into the part-time job of protecting her after dark.

Backing the film is Film R&K, known for producing consistent summer hits such as "Exit," "Escape from Mogadishu" and "Smugglers," as well as last year’s "I, the Executioner."

The film reunites Lim with director Lee Sang-geun, following their successful collaboration on "Exit," which drew more than 9.4 million moviegoers during its theatrical run. Lim, an actor as well as a member of K-pop group Girls' Generation, cited their past work together as a key reason she returned.

“I had so many good memories from working on ‘Exit,'” Lim said during a press conference held Wednesday in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu. “I remember thinking how happy I’d be if I ever got to work with this team again, and then the director offered me such a lovable character that I gladly agreed to join the project.”

Lim Yoon-a (left) and Ahn Bo-hyun pose for a photo during a press conference held in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Wednesday. (Yonhap)

Director Lee also reflected on what drove him to make "Pretty Crazy."

“When thinking about what to present as my second film, I felt that since my previous work had a large-scale setup, this time I wanted to create a project that dives deeper into characters and the human experience,” he said.

Lim detailed the physical and stylistic changes she underwent to portray Seon-ji’s split nature.

“I wanted there to be a clear visual distinction at a glance,” she said. “Daytime Seon-ji has a pure, clean and girlish image, so I adjusted my hairstyle, wardrobe and even voice tone to reflect that.”

She continued, “For the demonic version of Seonji, I paid attention to every detail from head to toe. While the daytime version has straight hair, the demonic Seon-ji has a curly hairstyle with bold elements. I even got nail art and wore colored contact lenses to show a completely different look. I also tried to differentiate my voice tone, facial expressions and even the way I laughed.”

Ahn Bo-hyun (left) and Lim Yoon-a starring in "Pretty Crazy" (CJ ENM)

"Pretty Crazy" opens in theaters Aug. 13, shortly following the release of "My Daughter is a Zombie," led by Cho Jung-seok, Lim's "Exit" co-star, now returning as her box office competition.

“I can’t believe it’s already been six years since ‘Exit.’ Back then, Cho and I were partners, so it feels meaningful to greet audiences this summer through different films, side by side,” Lim said. “‘My Daughter is a Zombie’ opens first, and I hope that crowds will continue to pack the theaters with ‘Pretty Crazy’ right after it.”