EXHUMA (2024)
Label: Well Go USA
Region Code:
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 134 Minutes 14 Seconds
Audio: Korean Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1), English DTS-HD MA 2.0, 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Jang Jae-Hyun
Cast: Choi Min-Sik, Kim Go-Eun, Lee Do-Hyun, Yoo Hai-Jin
In the South Korean supernatural thriller Exhuma (2024) Korean shaman Lee Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and her protégé, Yoon Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy family to investigate the mysterious illness that has befallen the family's newborn son, determining that the illness is caused by a vengeful spirit of the family's grandfather that is haunting them. She in turn enlists a Feng Shui expert named Kim Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik, Oldboy) and his mortician colleague named Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin) to move the remains of that ancestor from his grave located in the North Korean mountain, in hopes of lifting the curse. Upon arriving Sang-deok detects the presence of the evil spirit in the soil of the land, and attempts to back away from the job until the family's patriarch Ji-Yong (Kim Jae-cheol) double his rate, and since his daughter is about to get married he needs the money he proceeds.
The assembled team successfully exhumes the ancestral remains, with Hwa-rim performing a ritual to ward of the evil spirit during the uncovering of the coffin, all of which seems to be undone when one of the gravediggers discovers a human-headed snake at the burial site and beheads it with his shovel. At the facility where the coffin is being held before cremation a greedy employee opens the coffin after hearing legends of buried treasure hidden within it, unleashing the evil spirit of the grandfather, who sets it's sights in his living descendants with deadly results.
Exhuma is another interesting South Korean ghost story, this one exploring elements of Korean shamanism and folklore that to be frank was a bit over my head at first, it took a bit for me to put the pieces together, but it's quite a fascinating watch, and once I started wrapping my head around "geomancers" and the Feng Shui of burial sites I found myself quite into it all.
There's exploration of the grandfather's past and why he was improperly buried in such a odd place atop a mountain on the border of North and South Korea, and how an improper burial can lead to sinister spirits being unleashed. An interesting turn occurs when it is discovered that the grandfather was a Japanese sympathizer during WWII, which leads tot he discovery of another seven-foot coffin buried at the mountaintop burial site of the coffin they've just exhumed, and how that has connections to a Japanese shaman, finding out that within the mysterious second coffin is a seven-foot samurai ghoul who is at some point unleashed, and more supernatural carnage ensues.
This one is a bit of a slow-burn, it takes a bit to get going but the slow-build pays off and the supernatural happenings are quite well done, this is a very visually striking flick, and I especially liked how the ghoul they unearth turns into a fireball at certain points. Easily one of my favorite 2024 watches I cannot recommend this one enough, definitely seek this one out ASAP.
Audio/Video: Exhuma (2024) arrives on Blu-ray from Well Go USA in 1080p HD framed in 2.39:1 widescreen. The digital shot film looks sharp and well-textured, plenty of fine detail in the close-ups, and while I did think some of the darker scenes struggled a bit and where a tad murky at times overall the image looks quite leasing. It should be noted that the film is also released by Well Go USA on 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision (HDR10). Audio comes by way of Korean Dolby Atmos (True HD 7.1) and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, as well as English-dubbed DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 with optional English subtitles. The Atmos track is nicely atmospheric, especially during the moments of supernatural menace kick in.
The only extras are a brief 4-min Making of; the 2-min Trailer; and 5-min of Well Go USA Trailers. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single0sided wrap, plus a Slipcover with the same artwork.
Special Features:
- Making of (3:38)
- Trailer (1:48)
- Well Go USA Trailers: Alienoid: Return to the Future, Noryang: Deadly Sea, Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman (5:27)
Buy it!
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