‘Mr Vampire’ in Korean version
This is a Korean take on Exorcism…some nostalgia familiarity to the good old Hong Kong movie, Mr Vampire. Watched this because of reviews.I grew up watching Hong Kong horror drama involving exorcism, spirit and zombie. So I was pleasantly surprised by this movie which is based on Korean culture also has some similar elements such as rituals, calling spirit, Feng Shui, ancestors’ grave shifting, exorcism etc. It even had a darker urban legend as the back story about what Japanese Yin-Yang master done to Korean Feng Shui by breaking Korea into two countries. And there was a subtle theme of how a country and people survived this ordeal (war), trauma stays with them.
Brief plot without reviewing much, is about one veteran (a Feng Shui master), a funeral director and two new practitioners (a Sharman and her disciple), these four came together because of their client’s ancestor grave mystery and uncovered a darker past. Facing life danger situation, they will have to use their expertise to fight the unknown.
Brilliant writing, good pacing, good acting.
If you like this type of drama, this is definitely worth the watch.
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Slow Burn At Its Best
If you're out for a horror movie with plenty of jump scares, look elsewhere.Unlike your typical horror movie, supernatural beings don't get "accidentally" summoned by a bunch of irresponsible drunken teenagers, there's no cringey "I'll be back" dialogues, no jump scares, no slamming furniture, flying objects and creaky floorboards, no adrenaline inducing score to keep you at the edge of your seat; just a clever blend of cultural folklore, metaphysics, pacing and build up.
Divided into six different acts, "Exhuma" tells the story of a shaman and a geomancer, who are recruited to help a rich family conduct an exhumation of their ancestral grave.
Act 1, introduces the audience to the leads, who they are, what they do, and slowly reel the audience in by placing an unpredictable twist at the end of each act, making the audience wonder and hunger for more. Just when you think that you're right, you couldn't be more wrong.
There are, however, some obvious loopholes in the film, which might have been cut for time ("Exhuma" has a runtime of 134mins) but those loopholes seem like forgettable side quests, that doesn't really affect the main storyline.
Everything is meticulously calculated, everyone knows very well what they are doing, everyone knows what they are getting into.... except the audience.
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Just wow
i didnt go into this expecting much so it's nice to say i was pleasently suprised by how well done this was and how engaging it is. from the acting to the plot to all the suprises and twists, it kept my attention the whole 2 hours (hard to do). i loved every part of it. definitely reccommend저는 이 영화에서 큰 기대를 하지 않았기 때문에 기분 좋게 놀랐다고 말할 수 있어서 좋습니다. 매우 훌륭하고 매력적입니다. 연기부터 줄거리, 모든 놀라움과 반전에 이르기까지 모든 것이 훌륭했습니다. 2시간 내내 저의 주의를 끌었습니다(하기 힘든 일). 저는 모든 부분이 마음에 들었습니다. 저는 이 영화를 꼭 추천합니다
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This review may contain spoilers
YOU SAW THE STILLS TOO HUH????
Decided to wath this because i was baited by that plane photo. I also happen to love both leads, esp LDH, seeing him all tatted up was just the icing on the cake.Anyway,
If you spook easily, you have heart issues or anything related to these, please stay away.
The story was fantastic, well brought out, and you could follow it without having to pause and do the distant stare into an unseen camera because you cannot figure out what the hell is going on.
I actually got a little scared during the rituals and did a little google search to see if viewers were somewhat protected because apparently the chants were real.
I could relate to some of the context because where am from, weird things do happen if your deceased hates his resting place. I'm generally not superstitious but some things I do respect despite having no knowledge whatsoever, that being said, please watch this movie with an open mind...you'd enjoy it more.
KGE could shaman me anytime, girl worked that role I almost believed it. Also...WHO DID HER HAIR????????????? I LOVE YOUUUUUU.
WHO IN THE FUCKING HELL FINDS A GIANT ASS COFFIN SHOVED INTO THE EARTH WRAPPED IN BARBED WIRE AND THINKS...hmmm...let's pull it out. mf even had someone buried on top of him for crying out loud.
AHJUSSI!!!! SOMETHINGS WE DON'T DO EVEN FOR THE PLOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The ending was spectacular, and ending the giant samurai with blood drenched wood was so girly-boss of the geomancer... I do have a question though? Why did was he bleeding towards the end????
Is there part 2????????
Unpopular opinion... hearing the Monks name should have been the first sign to get the hell out ...fuck 500 million...wait no 500 million could have me vibing with the ghost....butttttt.
P.S
WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING WEIRD, A WEIRD FOREST WITH WEIRD PLANTS AND WEIRD FOXES AND A WEIRD SNAKE WITH A HUMAN HEAD....YOU DIDN'T SEE SHIT, TURN AROUND AND WALK YOUR ASS BACK HOME.
Thank you for reading my rant...sorry my review..
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This review may contain spoilers
very chilling, good story
I enjoyed this!It’s very spiritual which I enjoy. The overall vibe and tone was so chilling. It set the environment well. The last few chapters were a bit confusing as things were getting revealed but that is bc I am a westerner, so I had to do some pausing to look up things for context. Which I found enriching. I actually learned a bit of history bc of this. But I liked the story. Knowing the context behind some of the stuff puts the puzzle pieces together.
Regardless of that still a solid horror/thriller. Not overtly scary per se but had decent jump scares. The vibes were so creepy, that was scary enough. I found myself invested in the mystery and the characters despite there not being a ton of backstory on them. But i found that was okay. Some of the interactions, flashbacks, etc told me everything I needed to know.
Would recommend!
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Between the living and the dead
Exhuma is an explosive mixture of south korean folklore and mythicism. It effectively evokes the universal dread and mystery regarding the afterlife.Our group of leading characters are the perfect bridge between the spiritual and supernatural, never quite here or there, always between the two worlds. Great atmosphere, never looses the steam, with memorable moments.
But then it reaches the mid point of the film. This is a strong story, but the uneasiness and tension goes away, and never quite reaches the same high as the first half.
This film is ambitious and creative. The cinematography outstanding and visually delivering the eerie emotions you are supposed to feel in every scene. It helps that the effects are mostly practical as well, which it's marvelous to watch nowadays.
Horror film fans will be satisfied but this story is more of a mix of genres. There are no traditional jump scares but very well crafted world building and character development that will immerse you in the film experience.
I do recommend watching this film without knowing anything about the story or the characters for a bigger impact.
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A good watch but might not be for everyone!
If you are a fan of reflective horror, then this movie might be your cup of tea.The movie is visually stunning that blends super natural elements along with history and culture of Korea. Set in modern korea against the backdrop of shamanistic rituals, the movie explores themes of family curses and national trauma through a slow-burning yet emotionally charged narrative.
The attention to detail had me impressed. It is pretty clear that the director had done intense research into Feng Shui and Shamanism to add authenticity. The slow pacing and build up along with amazing cinematic shots were an added plus. With big stars in the leading roles, none can be critiqued about the emotions they conveyed through acting.
Now on the other side, I did find the pacing to be off a bit sometimes. Secondly, this movie definitely isn't a scary one if that is what you are looking for. There are intense moments but definitely not scary ones. Finally, I really didn't connect with Kim Go-eun and Lee Do Hyun characters as much as I did with Choi Min Shik's character for some reason.
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I kept praying time would go slower so it doesn't end XD
I love everything about it from the outstanding cinematography to the perfectly "balanced" plot, it doesn't bore you with giving too much information and background story just enough to understand everything, and keeps you excited throughout the whole movie. I prefer these types of horror movies with eerie and gut-churning scenes with an interesting plot over movies with repetitive jumpscares and meaningless plots. The emotions the cast conveyed with their brilliant acting made me drown in the movie as if I were watching a real-life event live.Sadly I had to watch this at home I wish they displayed it at where I live I would 100% go watch this at a cinema.
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WOW JUST WOW for me.
Acting on point. KIM GO EUN proved her skills once again and LEE DO HYUN what can I say, he was casted for a reason!Other cast members were great as well.
In conclusion, give it a go if you're contemplating whether to watch or not.
The storyline is good and easy to understand if you pay attention.
It's MYSTERIOUS> HORROR.
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scary
best korean horor story that i was, thank for the producer showing me this movie?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Was this review helpful to you?
Boring & overhyped
Bc of the cast and teaser I was so hype for it and has so much expectation but in fact it was so boring. They tried so hard to make a complex nonsense story to be scary but trust me it wasn't. Everything can easily scare me but I watched it in middle of a night and nothing moved in me. The story was not something new so we expect a good storyline to make the audience excited. All the 2hours my face was like ?. It doesn't worth the hype. The only positive point of tje movie was the acting.Was this review helpful to you?
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"Star-Studded Letdown: The Plot Twist"
It was the 1st time watching korean movie in india that to you know the actors like kim go eun and lee do hyun oppa will select good story, so i had a hope.When i was watching the movie in threate, i felt nothing like if you are fan horror genre may be you can guess what is going on but as kdrama fan i can't understand movie properly that to from pre climax i was struggling a lot what is going on!
The good in this movie was BGM and cinematography should get an award and actors did a fantastic job too. The story and plot disappointed me badly .
Special mentions about kim go eun deserves a award for doing a shaman role infront of original shaman ?. As usual our lee do hyun oppa did nyc job. But our girl stoles the shows with her unique personality in the movie.
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