The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion

"Everything changed after they appeared."

2018 2h 6m KO

🙌

7.9

BANGER

★7.9TMDB · 810

ActionDramaScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ja-yoon is a high school student who struggles with memory loss after she endured some unknown trauma during her childhood. While trying to uncover the truth, she is unwittingly dragged into a world of crime and finds herself on a journey that will awaken many secrets hidden deep within.

“Everything changed after they appeared.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kim Da-mi
Ja-yoon
Cho Min-soo
Dr. Baek
Park Hee-soon
Choi
Choi Woo-shik
Nobleman
Go Min-si
Myung-hee
Choi Jung-woo
Mr. Koo
Oh Mi-hee
Mrs. Koo
Kim Byeong-ok
Chief Do

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Park Hoon-jung
Writers: Park Hoon-jung
Languages: Japanese, English, Korean
Countries: Hong Kong, South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, English, Korean.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, South Korea.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Witch Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Park Hoon-jung, shot by Teo Lee. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mowg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kim Chang-ju shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Park Hoon-jung directs. Teo Lee behind the camera. Mowg scores. Kim Chang-ju cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Hong Kong, South Korea. Dialogue in Japanese, English, Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.
2Released 8 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, English, Korean.
4International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, South Korea.
5Part of the "The Witch Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Park Hoon-jung, shot by Teo Lee. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Mowg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Kim Chang-ju shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Kim Da-mi and Cho Min-soo and Park Hee-soon carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Everything changed after they appeared.".
11IMDB entry: tt8574252 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 16 themes, including "amnesia", "experiment", "difficult childhood", "supernatural".
13Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Teo Lee
Original score: Mowg
Editing: Kim Chang-ju
Production design: Cho Hwa-sung
Costume design: Cho Sang-kyung
Makeup / hair: Kim Hyun-jung
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,500,000
Box office: $24,340,302
Return: 443% of budget
Original language: KO
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (2018)

Part of

The Witch Collection

In a world where organizations are in a race to develop ultimate warriors, scientists delve too deep into cloning and gene manipulation. Failures and successes can be hard to deal with.

Also by

Park Hoon-jung

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한2025-05-29
★ 10/10
Sharp, Simple, and Solid «마녀» («The Witch 1: The Subversion») is a 2018 Korean film that sticks to what Korean storytelling does best—build around the human first, and then let the plot follow. It’s a familiar formula, but when done right, it works. And in this case, it definitely worked. The opening was dark and brutal. A failed secret government experiment. Standard sci-fi setup. But instead of staying in that lane, the film quickly shifts gears and zeroes in on the life of the main character. This shift is exactly where the difference lies. A lot of Western productions would’ve stayed focused on the government or the science. Here, it becomes personal—and that’s where it hits harder. The action isn’t loud or showy. It’s paced just right. It fits within the story and doesn’t try to outshine it. When the fights start, they feel grounded. Even with the superpowers in play, they didn’t go over the top. No unnecessary flips, no overacting. Just enough to make sense for the story and the characters. One thing I really appreciated: the fights didn’t turn into full-on conversations. That’s a habit a lot of Asian productions fall into—talking too much in the middle of battle. This one kept it tight. Minimal dialogue during combat, but everything said still mattered. It respected the viewer’s time. Set design, props, locations—solid all around. Nothing felt out of place or rushed. You can tell they paid attention to detail and didn’t cut corners. And the story? It’s not just about powers or conspiracies. It’s about control. About what happens when someone is stripped of their choices and made into something for someone else’s benefit. And how that person decides to take that power back. It’s clean, clear, and had no unnecessary extras. Just a good, well-made film that stayed true to its direction. Easy 10 for me.

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