Exhumation

Exhuma (2024 : Movie Review:

Korean cinema is definitely redefining the horror genre for modern cinema lovers. Jang Jae-hyun's Exhuma is another fine example of it. The film has turned out to be a huge hit at the box office, and I don't wonder. Such new and intense attempts at story-telling deserve audiences' support. I am glad that Korean audiences and critics gave Exhuma what it deserved. Na Hong-jin's "The Wailing" received universal acclaim, and it remains the best horror flick in recent times, not just in Korean cinema but all over the world. Exhuma isn't that good, but certainly close to it, and believe me, it's an achievement in itself in today's time.

Renowned Korean shaman Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and her protégé, Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun), are called by a wealthy Korean American family to identify the mysterious illness of the family's newborn son, who is struggling in the hospital. Hwa-rim uncovers the curse to be a 'Grave's Call', a vengeful ancestor's spirit haunting them. The family's patriarch, Park Ji-Yong, entrusts them to relocate the grave to appease the ancestor, his grandfather. Hwa-rim enlists colleagues, a Feng shui master, Kim Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik), and a mortician, Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin). The coffin is opened by mistake, and the soul is freed from it to take the lives of other family members. After burning that coffin, the team finds an even more vicious soul, which was buried at the same place and is guarding the place. It's neither human nor animal, and it can't be eliminated. Will the team be able to get a hold of this new Japanese soul/monster who is fighting a war for the land?

Exhuma is a little long if we have to consider the overall grip of the narrative. I would have liked it to be 120 minutes instead of 130 minutes. Those 10 minutes felt over. Rest, no complaints about the screenplay. It's chilling, terrifying, and damn intriguing. You don't get to see those ghostly faces again and again; you see them only two or three times, but they do scare the hell outta you. That's one reason to love Korean cinema. They don't overdo supernatural stuff and keep it to a minimum so that we value them more. Seeing the same monster again and again reduces the fear factor. Exhuma has enough surprises, such as folk horror, family curses, land issues, haunting supernatural stuff, etc. The dialogues could have been better, I guess. The whole idea of the monster, the killing, and revenge could have been more brutal verbally. They missed that chance. Rest, it's a superb narrative in a new-age horror zone.

I am not very familiar with the Korean actors and their previous works, so I'll only speak about this film in particular. Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Do-hyun looked fantastic in their roles. Kim Sun-young, Kim Jae-cheol, and Kim Ji-an did pretty well in the supporting roles. In horror movies, the most important part is those frightening expressions, which were captured by these people in the film. There are no various shades, but one zone-horror. That's too difficult sometimes and too easy sometimes for some people. Exhuma's did everything they could with their characters, even though it takes time to get to the pickup point.

Horror movies are very much dependent on the sound design that helps build up the atmosphere and devilish scare around you. Exhuma has been blessed with a perfect score and sound design for the horror genre. That continuous background score in the last 15 minutes gets on your nerves, and there are some moments that get too loud to shake you from inside. The film has been blessed by another powerful aspect, and that's its terrific cinematography. Those cut-to scenes, blackouts, and shaking frames tell you what the real horror motion picture means. Just don't blink in those intense and terrifying moments. The locations of the mountains, old mansion, grave, and gorge are beautiful. Jang Jae-hyun has done a commendable job as a director. He has a solid grip on the whole narrative, and he doesn't really let you go out of that shaman and burial world. A few flawed and slow moments could have been avoided, but they don't hurt much to the overall viewing experience. As a whole, Exhuma is a chilling and phenomenal horror flick in new-age filmmaking that borrows old formulas only to redevelop them for modern audiences. If you are looking for a real horror thriller, then this one's the latest version of it.

RATING - 6/10*

Exhuma was a movie I was looking forward to seeing and had avoided learning anything about before I saw it.

I was mainly hopeful because of the cast.

It starts pretty strongly with a feeling of class from the acting to the production values.

The story wasn't clear at first but then I got my hopes up as the first grave is dug up.

However this part of the story seems to be wrapped up quite quickly with the cremation scene and it then delves into Korean and Japanese history with strong anti Japanese feeling.

Now I'm not familiar with the history of these countries to a great extent so maybe a bit of this stuff wasn't for me as an Englishman.

But I completely understood it, It was just an unexpected turn of the story and then the film devolves into some weird thriller full of special effects (admittedly well done) that would fit into more of a comic book style horror.

It's incredibly disjointed.

If anyone compares this film favourably with The Wailing, ignore them. The wailing is far far superior.

This film is worth a watch but don't expect a classic horror movie.

Shamanistic rituals, curses, folklore, history, feng shui, omens, grave digging, ghosts, demonic beings and a built in sequel to the original story. This film has it all.

The initial plot of this film revolves around a group of spiritualists trying to save a baby from a curse that is plaguing the first born sons of a prosperous bloodline. This could be a stand alone storyline but just when you think the story has come full circle, we are introduced to a follow-up storyline that delves deeper into causation. It is quite a ride.

The film was a bit muddled for me as a lay person simply because I lack knowledge regarding some of it's Korean cultural and spiritualistic aspects. I would've liked things to have been slowed down a bit and better explained but the film is already a bit long. I would've liked it to been two movies so that would've been ample time to dive deeper and provide better insight for me.

That being said, the atmosphere is well constructed, dark and really compliments the story. It felt really foreboding at times. The actors were all well seasoned and the effects were immersive and captivating.

I really enjoyed it so if you like Asian horror, you should definitely check it out.

"Exhuma" emerges as a bold tapestry of horror, weaving together an array of tropes that challenge the boundaries of the genre. Its narrative is a complex interplay of classic horror elements, grave digging, psychological twists, demon hunting, and unexpected comedy, creating a cinematic experience that is as unsettling as it is innovative. The overlay of the history of the Japanese occupation adds a layer of moral complexity. While some cultural symbolism may be lost on international audiences, the film's deliberate pacing cultivates a tension that transcends cultural barriers, culminating in a climax that is both disorienting and impactful. "Exhuma" may not prioritize narrative clarity, but it compensates with a visceral journey through the macabre, leaving viewers with a lingering sense of unease and contemplation long after the credits roll. The film's commitment to a slow-burn approach rewards patient viewers with a thought-provoking exploration of horror that refuses to be confined by conventional expectations.

Disturbing, eerie, and tense, the first half of Exhuma is an explosive mixture of south korean folklore and mythicism. It effectively evokes the universal dread and mystery regarding the afterlife, and what we, people still living and walking on this earth, can and should do with regards to that. The spiritual and supernatural bridge dangling between the two worlds. It works excellently as a paranormal occult horror film. Great atmosphere, never looses the steam, with fairly memorable moments.

But then it reaches the mid point of the film, something happens that made me not exactly sure about how I feel about this film as whole. To be clear: I still did like it a lot and it is nonetheless a strong film, but the aforementioned uneasiness and tension quickly goes away, and never quite reaches the same high as the previous half. It is a reveal/decision that I do appreciate: it is ambitious, creative, and is a big swing that we do not often see in a south Korean film. Also helps that practical effects accompanying it are simply amazing. However, the tonal shift/jarring nature of it kinda turned me off. I do recommend going into the film completely blind!

Kinda torn between 3.5 and 4 stars. It the film carried the strengths of the first two acts to the third act, and kept the film more consistent, it easily would've been4 stars and maybe 4.5. Again, still a great film and I highly recommend this to anyone interested in horror films with uniquely korean/asian DNA embedded to it.