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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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a spectacular drag that is less scary and more political than i signed up for
i feel like i just wasted 134 minutes of my life.seriously. what the fuck was that? the pacing was slow as heck. the recent slew of korean shows i've watched have led me to entertain the notion that korean shows conflate drag with artistry. no, a dragged-out, slow motion shot of a woman raising her head is not particularly thought-provoking. look, i know sometimes it's about flair, it's about atmosphere, but there's a chasm between style and extreme boredom. just don't. overdo. it.
and honestly, the visuals were fine (but too dark -- we're approaching GOT season 8 ep 3 levels of dark here), but atmospheric? sure, it was a little eerie, but it was never really scary. i don't know about other regions, but it sure was marketed as chilling/scary/thrilling over here, and frankly, it just wasn't.
i'll give props where it's due: the acting was great. i haven't seen kim go eun disappoint once, and this movie is no exception. lee dohyun feels a little out of his depth as bong-gil here to be honest, but maybe that's more on his character. which brings me to another glaring complaint: where is the characterization? i'm 134 minutes in and out, and none the wiser about who any of these people are. we're limited by runtime, of course, so if there's have a good plot here, i'll forgive a plot-centric movie for less-than-satisfactory characterization. but do we?
the plot is... bad. first we have a standalone case that is fairly uninspired, but serves as an introduction to the system, so that's fine. then we go back to the opening scene's baby sickness and dive into our main arc. i'm sorry, but it took forever to get to the brunt of it. it felt like i spent a full hour of nothing to just get to the exhuming, which was, to its credit, the best part of the entire movie. there was some actual anticipation and apprehension as to what might happen. waiting for the consequences to hit consisted of 100% of the entire show's tension. then the show just... derailed from there. look, i'm not going to touch on the ramifications of the atrocities inflicted by imperial japan, but as a member of the international audience, i question the decision to bring all that into this. while we're being political, i'll venture to point out the implications of transplanting the japanese shogun into a vessel that justifies a faceless evil with a complete lack of nuance. i'm not korean, and i don't have to enjoy this. all things considered, it's also a pretty forced patriotic twist and i'm just tired of the nationalist call-to-arms in my shows, boss. outside of the shoehorned historical politics, the film also loses its suspense and drive once the shogun's involvement is revealed. it's just one traditionally korean-themed oni fight.
bottom line: i want my 134 minutes back.
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Compelling film that was more a supernatural mystery than a horror
Excellent horror film. Exhuming and moving graves is not something that would yield a good result for obvious reasons but this practice is taken to another level in this compelling horror flick. First they exhume a grave which leads to a vile spirit being awakened then there it is discovered to be a double internment which leads to something more sinister than an entity that was once human wrecking havoc on those most connected to it.The movie opens up a bigger conspiracy with the Japanese sumarai’s spirit being at the center of the evil that’s been unleashed but thankfully the story is kept tight and focused on what these characters do which is bury the dead and in some cases vanquish evil spirits. I enjoyed the characters working as a team, immediately informing the group when something new was learned about the case they were working on. Even better there were no unfortunate mishaps ie a character getting into an accident and dying or left in a coma, that prevented new information from being shared.
And though the characters took on this case, despite deep reservations, for the money. There was not a sense of greed , that no matter the risk they would do it. They were just doing their job which would not only pay well but save a baby.
If you’re looking for a traditional horror movie. This isn’t it. There is some creepiness and a little bit of gore. But this is mostly an intriguing mystery that delves deep into the supernatural. The acting was great. And though it wasn’t made clear why the curse on the Park family only seemed to be affecting the grandson’s baby, it was still a very good story. This is definitely a movie I’d repeatedly watch.
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Creepy exorcisms among South Korean graves.
Exhuma recklessly throws a bunch of disjointed horror genres into one pot and somehow manages to cook up a deliciously creepy thriller with a lot to say.Choi Min Sik (Oldboy) leads us down a dark and macabre path through South Korea’s complicated history. A team of paranormal experts accidentally unleash terrifying forces after excavating a sinister grave of a wealthy family. Whoops! What follows is a strange and unpredictable journey about all the ghosts left behind by Korea’s traumatic relationship with Japan.
Director Jang Jae Hyun packs Exhuma with every kind of horror imaginable. It shouldn’t hold together as well as it does, but somehow the film is fresher and more powerful than expected. All the worldbuilding, all the rituals, and all the supernatural mysteries are held together by the cultural and historical context. Trauma is certainly nothing new to horror films, but Exhuma cuts deeper than most.
Choi Min Sik as the leader of the group is, of course, gripping and really sells the suspense when it becomes clear that they have taken on darker and more powerful forces than they thought. But it is still Kim Go Eun who steals the film thanks to a startling sequence early on that loudly proclaims the film’s formal intentions. The rest of the film doesn’t quite manage to reach that level, but comes close several times.
The opening is strong and loaded with eerie atmosphere and mystery, all the conventional genre tropes are in top form. But with a running time of 134 minutes, the film is a bit too long and would have benefited from a stronger middle point. A few more scissors in the editing room would have helped, because once the tension escalates we get a sensational finale where Jae Hyun has once again saved a surprise for the audience. Nothing can prepare you for where Exhuma goes, but no spoilers here!
Exhuma is an ambitious and exciting excavation of Korea’s past. The cinematography is as impressive as it is terrifying, the entire ensemble cast gives it their all, and the script never stops expanding the scope. At the same time, there is a fascinating thematic thread that lifts the film a step above its competitors.
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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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Confusing and poorly explained, with abrupt transitions and unclear relationships.
Confusing and poorly explained, jumping between different elements of folklore and shamanism without cohesion. Many key relationships and plot points are left unclear, making it hard to follow the story. Despite a promising premise, the film relies too much on audience interpretation, leaving viewers with too many unanswered questions. The transitions between supernatural elements are abrupt and disjointed, leading to a lack of suspense and engagement. Overall, the plot's lack of clarity and coherence made the movie a frustrating watch.Was this review helpful to you?
The acting is solid (that cast, am I right?) but the writing could have used a bit more work. I'm also not sure I loved the "style" they chose to portray the evil/supernatural elements —it felt a bit cheap at times. I’d need a spoiler tag to elaborate further on that.
Maybe I just expected too much after reading some reviews, but "Exhuma" is still enjoyable on a basic level, especially if you know a bit about Korean history.
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Boring
What a waste of time. After Svaha, which was great, I had great expectations of the author, but this was almost as bad as The Priests. I guess Svaha was good by accident.Once again we have some weird syncretism of christian, buddhist and shamanist elements here, except there is no moral.
The camerawork and acting were both good, but what can be done if the story sucks?
The only thing I learned from this movie is that for koreans japanese are the scariest thing ever. For all the haughty nationalist yapping korean cinema has been releasing recently, they really do have inferiority complex, don't they? Here they blame japan for splitting korea into north and south, which was accomplished just by burying one samurai dude near the border. Who knows what would happen if japanese buried two dudes, or three, or three hundred?
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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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A Not So Scary Horror Film
Exhuma is a South Korean horror film that draws inspiration from Mudang or Korean shamanism and feng shui, and the atrocities committed by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation in World War 2. It follows a team of shamans and feng shui burial experts as they unearth a cursed grave that bears a secret darker than anything they have ever imagined. I can't really say much about the plot as it would be a spoiler so I'm going to stop right here. But this I will say, it doesn't deserve the praise it got.Sure, the story is creative from a writing standpoint and it is intriguing as it is based on the superstitious beliefs of the Korean people. But it is not the least bit scary, at least not to me. The acting is nothing special, so I don't understand the multiple acting awards it received. Not to mention it could've benifitted from a shorter runtime. This was at least 30 minutes too long.
And my biggest beef with the movie is the unrealistic first scene where the leads are on a plane to California to meet their client. I believe that scene only serves to throw shade at the Japanese and introduce their anti-Japan propaganda. Yes, Japan did occupy and colonize Korea, and the Japanese committed all sorts of war crimes there. I know that because my country suffered from the same crimes and so did other Asian countries like China. I understand they want to make a movie about the common superstitious belief that Japan cursed their land somehow, but there are plenty of ways to go about it. They certainly didn't need to shoehorn that scene in the beginning.
All in all, this was an entertaining film with a unique plot. But that's about it. South Korea has produced better horror flicks in the past. It's a shame that they've followed in Hollywood's footsteps and become obsessed with inserting political agendas in their movies instead of focusing on making good films. I find their later movies utterly lacking and to think I used to be a huge fan of Korean cinema.
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Intrigante e vale muito a pena!
Fiquei impressionada com a forma como o filme mistura suspense, terror e folclore de maneira tão intensa. A forma como o filme aborda rituais xamânicos e elementos culturais coreanos é fascinante e assustadora ao mesmo tempo.O que mais me chamou atenção foi o clima de tensão constante, construído com uma direção impecável e atuações fortes, principalmente do Choi Min-sik, que rouba a cena como o mestre de feng shui. É o tipo de filme que te prende do início ao fim, com reviravoltas e sustos na medida certa.
Além de que o filme não é tão assustador assim, então dá para aproveitar e assistir de boa.
Um dos destaques foi a cinematografia. Cada cena é cuidadosamente construída para intensificar o desconforto e o mistério, com ângulos fechados e iluminação sombria que refletem o peso da trama. As cores usadas — predominantemente tons escuros e terrosos — dão um ar místico e claustrofóbico, enquanto os cenários, como florestas densas e antigos túmulos, acrescentam autenticidade e um senso de perigo iminente.
O ritmo do filme é bem equilibrado, alternando entre momentos de ação e introspecção, permitindo que os personagens se desenvolvam e que a trama se aprofunde. Embora tenha alguns trechos que poderiam ser mais ágeis, a sensação de mistério nunca é perdida.
Se você, como eu, gosta de um terror que mistura tradição cultural, uma boa história e uma execução técnica impecável, Exhuma é perfeito para isso. Dê uma chance, pois não vai se decepcionar!
Brazil, Rio. 26 Dec, 2024.
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