Exhuma – Movie Review (4/5)

EXHUMA is a Korean Occult Horror-Thriller (org. title: Pamyo), and it gets both brutally violent and very dark. Also, there is a supernatural element in this character-driven story. Read our full Exhuma movie review here!

EXHUMA is a new horror, thriller, and mystery movie from South Korea (org. title: Pamyo). The plot of this occult horror-thriller gets exceedingly violent the closer they get to solving the mystery at the heart of it all. In fact, parts of this movie reminded me of the brilliantly brutal Project Wolf Hunting.

I’m confident you’ll understand this comparison when the main (plot and volume) villain appears. Also, I found myself enjoying the supernatural parts of this occult story. There is no shying away from anything, so make sure you’re ready for where this is going. The runtime is 2 hours and 14 minutes.

Continue reading our Exhuma movie review below. In theaters beginning March 15, 2024.

A wealthy family battles the occult

Okay, let’s be fair, the wealthy do not battle the occult at all. Instead, they pay other people to take on the battle. In return, those who have the gift of dealing with occult issues take a hefty paycheck. In the case of Exhuma, they most certainly also deserve it.

This movie begins when we meet the renowned shaman Hwa-rim (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé, Bong Gil (LEE Do-hyun). They have been hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family to solve an occult problem; A disturbing supernatural illness of unknown origin is affecting the first-born child of each generation.

However, enough is enough, so they want it to end for good. And they will pay whatever it takes!

ALSO READ

Our review of another Korean shaman genre movie, The Wailing >

This is more than the shaman, Hwa-rim, can handle on her own, so she partners with the knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin). He always works with the most revered geomancer in the country, Kim Sang-deok (CHOI Min-sik), who has a bad feeling from the beginning.

In fact, there are things he does not want to do, which forces the remaining “occult fighters” to opt for alternative solutions. Once they believe everything is okay, we’re only halfway through the runtime of the movie, and Kim Sang-deok still has a bad feeling. That’s when it all gets really brutal and deadly!

A lot of gravedigging

The title of Exhuma refers to the exhuming of bodies from their burial place. This is one of the weapons used to fight the occult and supernatural problems. Unfortunately, it also seems to awaken something nobody saw coming.

That strange affliction that only strikes the first-born of each generation is tied to a long-hidden family grave. They decide to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately, but they all have a strange feeling about it all.

They’re about to discover what happens when you mess with the wrong grave.

Having Choi Min-sik, who starred in the iconic Park Chan-wook movie Oldboy (2003) and Kim Jee-woon‘s I Saw the Devil (2010), play the old and wiser geomancer is perfect casting. Actually, all the main characters are portrayed by amazing South Korean talent. It’s a true treat!

Watch Exhuma in theaters only!

Jang Jae-hyun is the writer and director of this horror mystery. If you’re a fan of South Korean genre movies, you may know some of the previous movies by Jang Jae-hyun. The movie that came out just before this one was the 2019 movie Svaha: The Sixth Finger (org. title Sabaha) which we’ve reviewed here >

In classic South Korean movie-making style, the runtime clocks in at over two hours. For Exhuma (org. title: Pamyo) it’s at 2 hours and 14 minutes. That might sound long, but when you’ve got a story that can carry this runtime, it’s no problem.

As is often the case, I had no real idea what to expect from this South Korean genre movie, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It’s one crazy roller coaster ride where you will be fearing what’s in the shadows or reflections most of the time. In other words, it’s a real treat for horror fans!

Exhuma is opening in theaters in Los Angeles on March 15, 2024. The following week, on March 22, it will be in theaters across North America.

Details

Director: Jang Jae-Hyun
Script: Jang Jae-hyun
Cast: Choi Min-Sik, Kim Go-Eun, Yoo Hai-Jin, Lee Do-Hyun