Exhuma (2024)
Exhuma blends supernatural horror, folklore and history into a chilling yet uneven thriller that keeps you hooked until the end.
I didn’t really know what to expect going into Exhuma but man, it was fun. This is one of those horror films that has an eerie, slow-burn setup before flipping everything on its head. Directed by Jang Jae-hyun, the film combines supernatural horror with Korean shamanistic rituals, family curses and a dose of historical tension. It’s creepy, unsettling and at times, unexpectedly action-packed, but not without its flaws.
The story kicks off with a wealthy Korean-American family dealing with a strange curse on their newborn. Enter our team of spiritual experts: Hwa-rim, a skilled shaman (played by Kim Go-eun), her apprentice Bong-gil, a no-nonsense geomancer (Choi Min-sik) and a mortician who knows a thing or two about the dead. They travel to Korea to exhume an ancestor’s grave, only to realize they’ve dug up something far more dangerous; a restless spirit with ties to Korea’s painful history with Japan. It starts off as a ghost story but turns into something much bigger, with folklore, rituals, and a battle between spiritual forces.
What I really liked about Exhuma was its atmosphere. It doesn’t rely on cheap jumpscares but builds tension through rituals, eerie landscapes, and unsettling moments like when a snake with a human head slithers out of the grave (yeah, that one stuck with me). The performances are fantastic, especially Kim Go-eun as the shaman and Choi Min-sik, who brings a grounded presence to the chaos. The cinematography and sound design also does a great job of making you feel like you’re right there, trapped in this ghostly, cursed world.
But the film does have its issues. The pacing is a bit all over the place, starting slow and atmospheric, then suddenly shifting into an almost action-packed supernatural showdown. The historical themes about Korean-Japanese tensions are interesting and add depth but at times, they overshadow the horror itself. At 135 minutes, it also feels longer than it needs to be, with a few scenes that could have been tightened up.
Smash Hit Score: 7.8/10
Exhuma is a unique, eerie and engaging horror film that blends tradition with supernatural chills. It’s not quite on the level of The Wailing but it has plenty of spooky moments and a fascinating cultural backdrop that makes it stand out.
