Exhuma
Summary
Mike Flanaganis arguably among this multiplication ’s most influential revulsion director , with a string of Netflix success and widely sleep together film under his belt . So , when theFall of the House of Usherfilmmaker score a Letterboxd tilt of his best-loved movies of 2024 ( so far ) , it provides a engrossing insight into what moves and inspires him . While his leaning of favorites only contains four movies to date , Flanagan has include a phonograph recording - breaking South Korean repulsion film that ’s been make waves across Asia .
As amodern horror passkey , Mike Flanagan ’s recommendation when it come to other entries in the music genre is difficult to disregard . BeyondFall of the House of Usher , the 46 - twelvemonth - former has also behind the hit seriesThe Haunting of Hill HouseandMidnight Mass , as well as movies likeDoctor Sleep . Other films that made Flanagan ’s list of his favourite moving-picture show of 2024 ( so far ) include Alex Garland ’s dystopian thriller , Civil War , Luca Guadagnino ’s romantic sport dramatic play , Challengers , and another supernatural horror , The First Omen . However , it is the South Korean entranceway that is perhaps the most interesting .
After departing from Netflix to Amazon , Mike Flanagan is presently slated to helm four coming horror projects including a new Exorcist film .
Why Mike Flanagan Counts South Korean Horror Exhuma As A Top 2024 Movie
The Director Praises Its “Smart Writing, Good Performances” And “Terrific Effects”
Exhumais a psychological horror starringOldboyactor , Choi Min - sik , andKim Go - eun , who is know for her function in super acid - dramas . The motion picture tells the story of a team of elect extrasensory specialists ( Choi , Kim , andSweet Home ’s Lee Do - hyun ) whose expertise is call for by a affluent family who have been the subject of raise up recent supernatural result . The team decipher these effect to the family ’s transmissible grave website , and upon relocating the corpse , they excavate more than they bargained for .
Exhumais available to well out on Apple TV+ , AMC+ , and Shudder .
Exhumadraws its influence from Korean history and supernatural lore , delve into deep national traumas and shamanist practices to secern its gripping , mind - bow story . Flanagan’sLetterboxdreview ofExhumais brief , but it expresses what has made the Korean film such a success . He write :
Custom image made by Nick Bayer
I really dig up this ( see what I did there )
OLDBOY ’s Choi Min - Sik lead the cast in this ambitious Korean horror film about exhuming the incorrect grave accent , and the macabre consequences . What seems like a straight forward-moving twist on an exorcism / monomania movie has more up its arm , though , and was much big in scope than I anticipated . Smart writing , good performances , and some terrifying effect elevate this spook story into something far more modern and original than I expect .
Recommended .
When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country’s most revered geomancer (CHOI Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction’s origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground.
Exhumais not the first Korean movie to make the filmmaker ’s twelvemonth - end dearie . Flanagan ’s unspoilt of 2023 listing includes Celine Song ’s amorous drama , Past Lives , and the dramatic infotainment about North Korea , Beyond Utopia . However , establish his horror background , his recognition ofExhumais particularly exciting .
Mike Flanagan ’s top film of 2024 ( so far )
Poster
Film
Letterboxd military rank
Rotten Tomatoes score
Civil War
3.6
81 %
Challengers
4.0
89 %
The First Omen
3.4
82 %
92 %
Exhuma Is Already Breaking Korean Cinema Records
It’s Also The Most Successful Korean Film In Vietnam And Indonesia
Although its receipt in Western state has been more restrained than it should be , Exhumahas been a huge smash in South Korea and across Asia . It ’s presently the highest - gross Korean film of 2024and the sixth highest - grossing domesticated picture in South Korean history , beating out bothTrain To BusanandParasite . It has also quickly become the most successful Korean moving-picture show in both Vietnam and Indonesia .
The flick ’s author and director , Jang Jae - hyun , masterfully tissue a narrative that flux vivid suspense with aroused moments .
Exhuma ’s success can be for the most part attributed to its unequaled blend of traditional Korean ethnical and diachronic ingredient with modern horror aesthesia . The movie ’s writer and director , Jang Jae - hyun , masterfully weaves a narrative that combines intense suspense with emotional moments . The haunting account by Kim Tae - seong , whose credits let in some of Korea ’s most popular movie and Kdramas , such asThe Roundup,1987 : When the Day Comes , Sky Castle , andGyeongseong Creature , add additional depth to the film ’s chilling visuals . Critics have praisedExhumafor its ability to twine ethnical and historical commentary with repugnance , making it both thrilling and thought - provoking .
Filmmaker Mike Flanagan has become synonymous with top - pass repulsion projects , but some of his movies and tv set shows deliver better panic than others .
Exhuma Deserves To Be Horror’s Next International Breakout Hit
This Is Korean Horror At Its Best
Korean revulsion has a strong repute in international circles for bring on high - quality and atmospherically rich films that do n’t rely on the usual image of jumping - scares and whatchamacallit that often plague other movies within the literary genre . In both television set and picture , Korean revulsion oftentimes merge big concepts into its storytelling , adding depth to the often disturbing narration and visuals . Whether it ’s more legal action - pack films likeTrain to Busan , dull - sunburn repulsion likeThe Wailing , or intense psychological thrillers likeI Saw the Devil , Korean repulsion delivers captivating stories with broad international appeal .
Exhumais the perfect blend of all the element there are to love about Korean repugnance . It aid to know a little about Korea ’s modern history to make the most of your experience watch out the film , but it ’s not necessary . That ’s what ’s so enceinte about Korean horror movies likeExhuma . There are multiple layers to it , do it an particular watch regardless of your knowledge or background – even if you ’re not a revulsion expert likeMike Flanagan .
Sources : Letterboxd
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Cast
When a renowned shaman ( KIM Go - Eun ) and her protégé ( Lee Do - hyun ) are hired by a affluent , puzzling family , they begin investigating the cause of a worrisome supernatural unwellness that bear on only the first - born children of each generation . With the service of a intimate funeral director ( YOO Hai - jin ) and the country ’s most revered geomancer ( CHOI Min - sik ) , they soon trace the affliction ’s origin to a long - obliterate family grave located on sacred ground .
