'Ghost Grave Digger' - Korean movie about haunted tragedy causes a stir

"Exhuma: Tomb Raider" created a box office fever in both Korea and Vietnam thanks to the dramatic story about the curse surrounding an ancient tomb.

Released in Vietnamese theaters on March 15, the film attracted a large audience from early screenings, earning VND60 billion, according to Box Office - an independent box office monitoring unit. Globally, Exhuma is the highest-grossing Korean film of the year so far, with a revenue of more than USD62 million.

Returning after 5 years since Svaha: The Sixth Finger - a hit film in 2019, director Jang Jae Hyun continues to pursue the supernatural theme. The story begins with Mr. Park Ji Yong - the eldest son of a wealthy family - seeking help from two shamans Hwa Rim (Kim Go Eun) and Bong Gil (Lee Do Hyun) because his son, the youngest descendant of the family, is in danger. The two shamans believe that the strange thing comes from the family's ancestral grave. With a generous salary, they team up with feng shui master Kim Sang Deok (Choi Min Sik) and funeral expert Yong Geun (Yoo Hae Jin) to go to a remote mountainous area near the Korean-North Korean border to excavate the grave.

During the process of bringing the coffin up, an entity is released and attacks the family members. After cremating the coffin, they think the evil force has been stopped, but mysterious events occur one after another. The more they investigate, the more they realize that the hidden plot actually stems from a feud hundreds of years ago. At this time, another powerful evil spirit is rising, forcing the four to confront the threat to the survival of their own loved ones.

Scene of Kim Sang Deok (Choi Min Sik) and Yong Geun (Yoo Hae Jin) exploring the ancient tomb before excavating it. Photo: Showbox/ Pinetown Production

The main attraction of the script lies in the horror elements interwoven with detective and historical elements. The exorcism genre is popular in Hollywood, but has not been focused on by Korean cinema as much as action and psychological comedy films. With the strength of spiritual themes, Jang Jae Hyun leads the audience into the work divided into many chapters. The mysterious atmosphere is built from the beginning of the film with scenes of excavating ancient tombs, shamans performing ceremonies, thereby briefly introducing the background of the characters.

Without overusing jumpscare, the film delves into religious details to convince viewers to believe in the story. One of the most impressive scenes in the film is when shaman Hwa Rim (Kim Go Eun) performs an exorcism while digging up a grave. Dressed in traditional attire, to the sound of drums, Hwa Rim performs a sword dance around the sacrificial offerings. The director takes close-ups of her face dyed red with animal blood, or her actions of slashing the pig carcass.

Kim Go Eun (right) impresses with her role as shaman Hwa Rim. Photo: Showbox/ Pinetown Production

Unlike European and American works, Exhuma is imbued with Asian characteristics thanks to the integration of the concepts of the five elements. The process of excavating graves and the belief that choosing a bad plot of land can affect prosperity are explained in detail through the dialogue of feng shui master Kim Sang Deok. In the film, a group of shamans convince the homeowner not to cremate the coffin on a rainy day, believing that the soul will not be reincarnated.

With a duration of more than two hours, the film does not create a feeling of being long-winded thanks to the arrangement of the climax. In the first half, the script leans towards spiritual - horror when the darkness covers the Park family. In the second half, when the main villain appears, the film turns to detective color. The characters search for clues from centuries ago about the origin of this evil force. From here, the film connects to the event of Japan's occupation of the Korean peninsula in the early 20th century, with many metaphorical details.

Among the cast, veteran star Choi Min Sik stands out with his deep acting. He deeply immerses himself in the role to portray a feng shui master, from the act of tasting the grave soil to the pained eyes before the incident. In the last third of the film, Choi Min Sik is given all the "space" to act in the scene of confronting the evil spirit. Kim Go Eun is also a highlight with her calm, cold acting. Her character is thoroughly explained about her origin as a shaman, in addition to her relationship with her fellow disciple Bong Gil.

Choi Min Sik shows off his veteran actor experience as a feng shui master. Photo: Showbox/ Pinetown Production

In climax scenes, the director uses sounds from percussion and drums to promote a sense of urgency and danger. The work also scores with static camera angles with many intentions, such as the scene of an ancient tomb lying alone, behind which is a gray forest.

Towards the end, the film reveals flaws due to its abrupt ending. According to the Korea Herald, the work exposes many problems but does not completely resolve them. The story is divided into two parts with two villains but lacks connection, making the overall script like two separate episodes. The film also has some negative points in the special effects - such as the foxes in the forest, and the overuse of dark frames.

Duong Chung (According to Vnexpress.net)

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