Exhuma

"The vicious emerges."

2024 2h 14m KO

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 836

MysteryHorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After tracing the origin of a disturbing supernatural affliction to a wealthy family's ancestral gravesite, a team of paranormal experts relocates the remains—and soon discovers what happens to those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.

“The vicious emerges.”

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Cast

Choi Min-sik
Kim Sang-duk
Kim Go-eun
Lee Hwa-rim
Yoo Hai-jin
Ko Young-geun
Lee Do-hyun
Yoon Bong-gil
Kim Jae-chul
Park Ji-yong
Jeon Jin-gi
Park Geun-hyeon
Kim Sun-young
Oh Gwang-sim
Kim Ji-an
Park Ja-hye

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jang Jae-hyun
Writers: Jang Jae-hyun
Languages: Korean, Japanese, English
Countries: 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

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Korean, Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, shot by Lee Mo-gae. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Kim Tae-seong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jeong Byeong-jin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Choi Min-sik and Kim Go-eun and Yoo Hai-jin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The vicious emerges.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt27802490 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jang Jae-hyun directs. Lee Mo-gae behind the camera. Kim Tae-seong scores. Jeong Byeong-jin cuts. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean, Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 2 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Korean, Japanese, English.
3Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, shot by Lee Mo-gae. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Kim Tae-seong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jeong Byeong-jin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Choi Min-sik and Kim Go-eun and Yoo Hai-jin carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The vicious emerges.".
8IMDB entry: tt27802490 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 16 themes, including "ritual", "coffin", "exorcism", "curse".

The technical file

Cinematography: Lee Mo-gae
Original score: Kim Tae-seong
Editing: Jeong Byeong-jin
Production design: Seo Sung-kyung
Costume design: Choi Yoon-sun
Makeup / hair: Lee Eun-ju
Runtime: 134 min · 2h 14m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $97,974,828
Original language: KO
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Exhuma (2024)

Also by

Jang Jae-hyun

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-20
★ 7/10
"Kim" (Choi Min-sik) is what they call a geomancer. He advises people on the best places for them to bury their loved ones. It's all about feng shui. Woebetide anyone who gets it wrong for a disgruntled ancestor can come back and visit retribution on anyone who mucks that process up - just ask the grandchild who though he would retain grandma's false teeth as as souvenir! Anyway, the wealthy "Park" (Kim Jae-cheol) and his family appear to have a secret that he and the more spiritual pairing of "Hwarim" (Kim Go-eun) and "Bong Gil" (Lee Do-hyun) might be able to help with. Even as far away as in the United States, his family are being tormented by a spirit. They are all led to a remote grave atop a hill that is marked simply by a plain gravestone with no name, just some seemingly random numbers. The buried man was of some importance so the fact that his grave was not ideally placed (only 65/100 on the best plot to have scale) arouses suspicion. They proceed to exhume the uniquely carved juniper coffin and decide to cremate it, but it's considered unlucky to do this in wet weather so leaving it respectfully dressed, plan to complete the process in the morning. This is their first mistake for overnight it falls prey to an inquisitive member of their team who releases an even more menacing entity bent on revenge on all those who left him at 65%! That is just the start of their woes, though. Returning to the grave for a ritual, they discover an even larger, chain-wrapped, box buried vertically - and one with no name, neither! It's now we head straight into "Mummy" mode and the adventure really does pick up. Can they identify this leviathan of menace and terror and thwart it's centuries-old battle plan? I did quite enjoy this. It taps into a fascinating mix of mysticism and legend whilst adding a dose of modern day cynical exploitation (they get paid over $500,000 for their relocation "fee") and as the story moves along you wouldn't want to be a chicken - or a pig, either! The largely dark and wet scenarios work well with the sparing usual of visual effects and a strong ensemble performance that keeps the story of dreams and nightmares moving along well for 2¼ hours of well made and at times quite scary ancient horror.
Chris Sawin2024-04-06
★ 6/10
Bloody memorable sequences aside, Exhuma is worth the watch but would have benefitted from more efficient pacing and a little less emphasis on being so hungry after dealing with the dead for a living. Full review: https://bit.ly/GraveRot
MovieGuys2024-05-07
★ 7/10
Exhuma has a predictably Eastern horror flavour, as might be expected from a South Korean production. That said, many of the horror elements expanded upon in this film, cross cultural boundaries, resulting in an, at times, chillingly ghoulish experience. Scenes of the dead resurrected, as evil spirits and ghouls, are not to be underestimated in their scare potential. They are well done, with a strong sense of realism, creating an atmosphere of creeping dread. Where this film might be a difficult one for Western audiences, is in some of the Eastern, if not Korean, cultural and religious/supernatural nuances of the film. I for one, found it a a challenge at times, to gain a cohesive understanding, of the overall story, for this reason. In summary, a great deal of scare potential on offer, with what is a familiar but at the same time, uniquely Eastern tale, of evil, from beyond the grave. You might struggle with certain aspects of the film, if you are from the West, but its certainly well worth the effort.