There’s nothing quite like the thrill of watching a great horror movie for the first time. The classics seize your attention from the opening frame and refuse let go until the credits roll.
Writer-director Jae-hyun Jang’s horror-mystery Exhuma establishes a thrilling tone right out the gates. And for the first 15-minutes, I sat there believing I was watching the year’s first horror classic. Exhuma delivers the twisted and unhinged experience horror lovers crave as it plunges viewers into a world of violence, mysticism, and supernatural chaos.
Renowned shaman Lee Hwa-rim’s (Kim Go-eun) work bridges the divide between science and superstition. If some poor soul is struggling with a paranormal problem, odds are Hwa-rim has a solution. So when an ultra-wealthy family reaches out to Hwa-rim for help, she does what any self-respecting business woman would do: milk them for all they’re worth..
Hwa-rim reaches out to another expert in the supernatural, a veteran geomancer named Sang-duk (Choi Min-sik). Sang-duk specializes in using feng-shui to locate the ideal location to bury the dead so their spirits may rest in peace.
Hwa-rim and Sang-duk’s desire to cash in on a massive pay-day clouds their judgement. So despite Sang-duk’s reservations about taking on such a dangerous case, they can’t pass up the lucrative payout.
The job goes awry — of course — and an unfortunate slip-up unleashes a powerful supernatural force into the world of the living. Hwa-rim and Sang-duk must now put a powerful malevolent entity back to rest before it wreaks havoc on the living.
At a glance, Hwa-rim, Sang-duk and their crew seem like grifters preying on desperate families. And here’s what I love about the film: even though these people can be money-hungry sharks, they aren’t total charlatans. They may lie to clients to raise their fees, but they’re also great at their jobs quelling supernatural threats. Both things are true.
They’re predatory saviors who blur the line between heroism and exploitation. And this moral morass makes for some intriguingly-flawed protagonists.
Kim is a joy to watch as a badass shaman. She’s tough as nails and has the icy personality of someone who’s looked poltergeists in the eye and laughed in their translucent faces.
But I have a real soft spot for Choi’s turn as Sang-duk. He comes across like a hard-drinking, chain-smoking detective straight out of a classic noir. He’s the type of guy who knows his job will kill him one day, but can’t afford to quit.
Even though Sang-duk makes a living scamming desperate people, there’s a valiant heart buried somewhere deep in his chest. He’s like a modern day Sam Spade with a dash of John Constantine.
Exhuma’s “creepy vibes” aren’t for the faint of heart. Its ominous cadences will send chills down your spine long before any ghouls and ghosts show up. Early on, the film stirred up the same feelings I experience watching The Shining’s opening moments, as the Torrance family ascends the Colorado mountains towards the Overlook Hotel.
Jang knows how to set the stage for some major scares and there’s a palpable sense of dread running throughout the entire film. But Exhuma is one of those films where the buildup and tension are more satisfying than the big reveals.
Exhuma masterfully builds and sustains tension during unassuming moments, but when it’s time to rock you with a climactic scare the film fails to deliver. The most shocking sequences feel underwhelming. The film’s most audacious swings don’t come close to matching the nerve-shredding highs of films like The Conjuring, Hereditary, and Talk to Me.
Don’t get me wrong, this film will scare plenty of folks senseless. But if Jang added a couple innovative sequences that truly take your breath away, Exhuma would be in the conversation for horror movie of the year.
If you love scary movies then you don’t want to miss out on Exhuma. It’s a gripping horror-mystery featuring two strong lead performances. Its haunting cinematography and eerie score are enough to make your heartbeat race. And Exhuma’s unsettling tone and gruesome visuals will prime your brain for nightmare mode.
At times throughout the film I felt like I might be watching cinema’s next horror classic. While Exhuma doesn’t clear that high bar, it’s still wickedly fun and worth your time.
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