“Exhuma” (Korean: 파묘) is a 2024 South Korean supernatural horror movie crafted by writer and director Jang Jae-hyun. The stellar cast includes Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Do-hyun. Infused with elements of mystery and the occult, the storyline delves into the unsettling excavation of a foreboding grave, triggering a cascade of terrifying consequences lurking beneath.
Premiering in the Forum section of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on February 16, 2024, Exhuma made its theatrical debut in South Korea on February 22, distributed by Showbox. The film swiftly ascended to the top spot at the South Korean box office upon release, amassing an impressive 336,114 admissions, marking the most successful opening for a Korean film in 2024 at that time. With a global box office earnings of US$95 million, Exhuma clinched the title of the highest-grossing film of 2024 in South Korea. Furthermore, it secured the 6th position on the List of highest-grossing films in South Korea based on domestic earnings, and the 16th spot based on domestic admissions, as per the Korean Film Council.”
CHARACTERS
- Choi Min-sik portrays Kim Sang-deok, a feng shui master.
- Kim Go-eun embodies Lee Hwa-rim, a shaman.
- Yoo Hae-jin takes on the role of Yeong-geun, an undertaker.
- Lee Do-hyun stars as Yoon Bong-gil, another shaman.
- Kim Jae-cheol appears as Park Ji-yong, one of Hwa-rim’s clients.
- Kim Sun-young plays Oh Gwang-shim, a shaman.
- Kim Ji-an features as Park Ja-hye, a junior shaman.
STORYLINE
Esteemed Korean shaman Hwa-rim, portrayed by Kim Go-eun, and her apprentice, Bong-gil, played by Lee Do-hyun, are summoned by a wealthy Korean American family to diagnose the mysterious ailment afflicting their newborn. Hwa-rim identifies the affliction as a “Grave’s Call,” a malevolent ancestral spirit seeking revenge. The family patriarch, Park Ji-Yong, tasks them with relocating the grave to appease his grandfather’s restless spirit. To aid in the endeavor, Hwa-rim enlists the help of Feng shui master Kim Sang-deok, played by Choi Min-sik, and mortician Yeong-geun, portrayed by Yoo Hae-jin.
Despite Sang-deok’s reservations about the remote mountain location near the North Korean border and Ji-yong’s insistence on cremation, Hwa-rim persuades the group to proceed with the excavation while she performs protective rituals. However, tragedy strikes when a grave-digger accidentally severs the head of a human-headed snake, triggering ominous signs and rainfall. As they seek shelter, a local custodian, driven by rumors of treasure, unwittingly releases the vengeful spirit, leading to a series of fatal encounters targeting Ji-yong’s lineage. Sang-deok ultimately cremates the coffin, breaking the curse and sparing the newborn’s life.
Months later, a disturbed gravedigger’s revelation prompts another expedition to a double burial site, where they encounter a ghoul. Further investigation uncovers a Japanese military relic embedded within the creature, revealing a sinister history of Korean patriots attempting to thwart Japanese conquests. Employing their collective expertise, the group devises a plan to confront the samurai ghoul, culminating in Sang-deok’s strategic intervention using his feng-shui knowledge to vanquish the creature and restore peace.
