Exhuma: Don’t Go Digging Up Coffins

Summary

South Korean shamen/undertakers run into trouble when they accidentally release an ancient evil spirt.

I thought for the most part this was an incredibly well done horror film. The mythology and world building were on point, in tandem to this the film went out of its way to set up an atmosphere and sense of foreboding dread rather than just rely on cheap and easy jump scares which I liked.

I thought the cast all did a great job, particularly Kim Go-eun as a shaman that is one of the main forces facing down the spirit in the latter half of the film. I found the characters easy to root for and wanted them to end the film okay, it is rare in a film these days to not end up hating the characters by the end of it, but hey this wasn’t a Hollywood production.

The central evil spirit that is unleashed is genuinely menacing and has a strong historical backstory which makes it more interesting than just another bog standard evil nun demon or some sort of possessed kids toy. The main introductory scene when Go-eun’s character first faces off against the evil is truly chilling.

My one complaint of the film would be that it was paced badly, there was far too many scenes that just could easily have been cut out and the film would have been better for it. For example there were a lot of scenes of the cast eating, and I can understand why they were there it was to show them as human and get us to see them interact more so that we further believed them and the world, however, by having lots of these sort of scenes it made the film stretch on and on which is a shame as there is a good film here it just needs the fat trimmed a little.

Overall, a refreshingly new horror film.

4/5

Pros.

Go-eun

The tension and atmosphere

It is beautifully shot

The villain is menacing

Cons.

The pacing is off

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Kill Boksoon: Doing It All

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Gil Bok-Soon, played by Jeon Do-yeon, must juggle both the responsibilities of raising a teenager whilst also being an assassin.

I thought this film had a lot going for it. It completely nails its tones fliting perfectly between humorous and deadly serious, whilst also managing to deliver a number of great fight scenes that were both visceral as well as incredibly well choreographed.

Moreover, I also really enjoyed the world and the characters, though it may feel slightly small when compared to something similar like the world of John Wick, this film does have a lot going on beneath the surface. Whether it is the focus on single mothers, or LGBTQ+ issues within South Korea there is quite a bit of sub-text and deeper meaning to unpack.

A lot of this deeper meaning is the reason why the film is on for so long, as it goes out of its way to explore its characters. This proves to be a double edged sword as the exploration is appreciated, but it also makes the film a slog to get through.

In addition, this film is a shameless John Wick clone there is no way around that, but I have to say of the litany of films in that area this is the best.

Overall, an interesting film that is more funny than it has any right to be.

3.5/5

Pros.

The well-balanced tone

The fights

The story and the characters

It is fun to watch

Cons.

It has pacing issues

It is a John Wick clone

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The Call: Who Lived In Your House Before You

The Call is a South Korean thriller film directed by Lee Chung-hyun. The plot revolves around two girls who live in the same house decades apart and who communicate with each other through a phone line. Through these conversations they manage to change the past and the future, however it comes with a cost

This film has one of the strangest tones I have ever seen, I don’t know if this is a feature of South Korean cinema and if it is then this comes down to my own ignorance, but I think it is just poorly done. There are moments in this film that are clearly trying to be scary and menacing, however, moments later their will be a joke, or a quirky line and it will destroy any of the tension in the scene.

The performances are okay, again nothing to write home about. They are believable enough, yet they don’t have any standout moments, in the history of horror/thriller movie protagonists they are just yet another forgettable face.

The film as a whole seems a little overfamiliar as well. Clearly, this film has been inspired by Japanese horror hits of the last 20 years though it can’t hope to replicate their eeriness. The film is based on a British, Puerto Rican film called The Caller, and that film also seems derivative.

Overall, the tonal inconsistencies ruin this film and stop it from ever being scary.

Pros.

It has a few scary moments.

Cons.

These are ruined by an inconsistent tone

The leads are forgettable

It does not make any sense

It feels overly familiar

1/5

Reviewed by Luke