Exhuma (Korean: 파묘) is a 2024 South Korean horror film written and directed by Jang Jae-hyun, and starring Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Do-hyun. The film includes mystery and occult elements, and follows the process of excavating an ominous grave, which unleashes dreadful consequences buried underneath.[3]
Renowned Korean shaman Hwa-rim and her protégé, Bong-gil are enlisted by a wealthy real estate developer Korean American family to identify the mysterious illness of the family's newborn son. Hwa-rim uncovers the curse to be a "Grave's Call", a vengeful ancestor's spirit haunting them. The family's patriarch, Park Ji-Yong, entrusts them to relocate the grave to appease the ancestor, his grandfather. Hwa-rim enlists colleagues, a Feng shui master Kim Sang-deok and a mortician Yeong-geun with a promise of huge payday, especially Sang-deok who's in need of money to pay his daughter's wedding.
Sang-deok specializes in selling burial locations for the wealthy, while Yeong-geun owns a funeral home. During their first encounter with Ji-yong, Sang-deok becomes wary when Ji-yong insists on cremating the grave, which is located in a remote mountain near the North Korean border. Sang-deok backs out, sensing sinister energy but Ji-yong convinces him to reconsider by doubling the payout for the job. However, Hwa-rim convinces them she can perform a ritual while the grave is dug to avoid the curse. Ji-yong tells them about a famous monk named 'Gisune' who in order to assuage grave robbers, provided the grave location for his grandfather.
Hwa-rim and Bong-gil perform the ritual, and the excavation proceeds smoothly. But when cleaning up, one of the gravediggers severs the head of a human-headed snake, which triggers a bad omen and rain. Yeong-geun insists on cremating the coffin once the rain stops so they store it at a nearby ward. The local custodian, hearing rumors of a treasure in the tomb, greedily opens the coffin and thus accidentally releases the vengeful entity inside, Ji-yong's grandfather. The entity targets his bloodline, killing Ji-yong's parents and Ji-yong himself. The grandfather, revealed to be a Japanese collaborator during the Korean occupation era, is tormented by his improper burial. Sang-deok cremates the coffin before the entity can kill the baby, abolishing the curse.
Months later, Yeong-geun informs Sang-deok about a gravedigger who becomes disturbed after killing the snake. He revisits the gravesite and discovers the head of the "snake" along with a second burial site for a seven-foot-long standing coffin. He enlists Hwa-rim, Bong-gil, and Yeong-geun to dispose of the coffin. The four excavate it and rest at a temple, where Hwa-rim learns about Gisune, who turns out to be a powerful Japanese shaman named Murayama Junji who has the moniker of The Fox. That night, Bong-gil witnesses an oni killing the temple priest and the local pig farmer along with his pigs. Hwa-rim and Bong-gil find the coffin ripped from the inside and Hwa-rim is ambushed by the oni who is revealed to be a samurai. Bong-gil gets injured and possessed, and the others witness the oni turn into a ball of fire flying back to the mountain.
Hwa-rim investigates the oni's origin through the possessed Bong-gil. Sang-deok returns to the grave and finds the samurai dormant on the coordinates written on the grandfather's tombstone. It is revealed that during Japanese occupation of Korea, the Imperial Japan ordered their shamans to put multiple large iron spiritual spikes throughout the country to disrupt the country's life force so they could easily rule over the occupied Korea. He discovers that the supposed grave robbers were Korean patriots attempting to unearth and remove these spiritual spikes in Korea and the Samurai oni is actually the guardian spirit that was tasked by Gisune to protect one of the spikes. Sang-deok, Hwa-rim, and Yeong-geun devise a plan to unearth the relic when the creature rises after midnight. Hwa-rim will distract the samurai while the others dig the grave. A vision reveals The Fox embedding a katana inside a decapitated samurai's body, turning the samurai into a tsukumogami and Ji-yong's grandfather's grave serving as a cover for the relic. Sang-deok realizes that the samural himself is the iron spike and since he is represented fire in Feng Sui, he must be vanquished by the element of water and wood. Sang-deok then uses the wooden pick axe drenched in his own blood to successfully vanquish the samurai spirit. Injured, he faints but later regains consciousness at a hospital with the others by his bedside. A few months later the group attends Sang-deok's daughter's wedding.
The film produced by Showbox and Pinetown Production in association with MCMC, is directed by Jang Jae-hyun, who is known for making occult films.[15]
Principal photography began in October 2022,[16] and filming ended in March 2023.[17] The director in an interview disclosed that the film used a large number of real scenes and real props for filming, tried not to use studios and avoided using CG effects in post-production. In his own words, "I tried to actually film the background and objects, avoiding CG whenever possible. We took the photos as painstakingly as possible without building a set, and for things like ghost photos, the actual actors wore makeup for 6 hours and then took blurry photos on purpose."[18]
The film includes scenes that are critical of the Japanese occupation of Korea, with the unearthing of the curse being linked to the unearthing of Korea's past.[31][32]
Box office
The film was released on February 22, 2024, on 2,086 screens.[33] On its opening day, the film finished in first place at the South Korean box office with 336,114 admissions and a gross of US$2,369,404,[34] breaking the highest opening score for a film released in 2024 in South Korea so far.[35] The film topped the South Korean weekend box office in its opening weekend, grossing US$14,455,880 from 1,963,577 admissions.[36] On February 25, the fourth day of its release, the film exceeded 2 million admissions,[31] and on February 28, the seventh day, it crossed 3 million admissions.[37] On March 2, the 10th day it surpassed 5 million viewers.[38] On March 10, it became the highest performing Korean occult film with 8 million viewers.[39]Exhuma on March 24 became the first Korean film of 2024 to surpass 10 million in ticket sales, on its 32nd day in theaters, according to Showbox.[40][41]
The film has grossed $97,602,124 worldwide as per Box Office Mojo.[1] It has recorded more than 2.23 million moviegoers in Vietnam as of March 31, and became the most successful Korean Film there, beating record of 2.15 million of 6/45 a 2022 comedy film. It is also the most successful Korean film in Indonesia, recording 2.3 million admissions by March 31.[42]
Critical response
Exhuma was received well by critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 93% and an average rating of 7.6/10, based on 40 reviews.[43]
Lee Yoon-seo writing for The Korea Herald praised the performance of the cast writing, "the veteran cast puts in a strong performance to add to the immersive experience" and stated that "Exhuma consists of Jang's careful efforts to deliver super-realistic, detailed scenes depicting Korean shamanism - such as the traditional process of exhumation and "gut" rituals held to appease wandering spirits". Lee felt that these "are so realistically portrayed, that the film achieves a new level of horror". Concluding it that "however, despite the fine acting and attention to detail, Exhuma stumbles in unfolding its plot."[44]
Critics of Cine21 gave the movie generally favorable reviews. Lee Yong-cheol rated the movie 4 out of 5 stars, writing that it is a well-made genre movie with great meaning.[45]
Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting rated the film 4/5 and called it, "A fun horror with a lot on its mind." Navarro wrote, "Jae-hyun Jang combines introspective cultural and historical themes with creepy, gory, and atmospheric horror thrills in an exciting way."[46]
Accolades
Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
^Choi Na-young (November 29, 2023). '파묘' 최민식∙김고은∙유해진∙이도현, 오컬트로 만났다..내년 2월 개봉 [공식] ['Breakfast' Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Do-hyun meet through the occult... to be released in February next year [Official]]. OSEN [ko] (in Korean). Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via Naver.
^Kim Seo-yoon (February 2, 2024). "최민식 '뉴스룸'→김고은 '요정재형' 출격...'파묘' 본격 홍보" [Choi Min-sik's 'Newsroom' → Kim Go-eun appears in 'Fairy Jaehyung'... Full-fledged promotion of 'Divorce Myo']. Ten Asia (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^Kim Na-ra (January 31, 2024). '파묘' 최민식의 스크린 귀환...연기 레전드의 '파격 도전' [Choi Min-sik's return to the big screen in 'Damn Tomb'... An acting legend's 'unconventional challenge']. ize Asia (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^Kang Hyo-jin (August 12, 2022). [단독]'대세' 이도현, '파묘'로 스크린 데뷔...최민식·김고은과 '특급 캐스팅' 완성[종합] [[Exclusive] 'Trend' Lee Do-hyeon, debut on the screen with 'Pamyo'... Completion of 'Express Casting' with Choi Min-sik and Kim Go-eun [General]]. SpoTV News (in Korean). Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via Naver.
^ abPark Jin-young (September 27, 2022). [단독] '공조2' 대박 낸 유해진, '파묘' 합류...'믿보' 라인업 완성 [[Exclusive] Yoo Hai-jin, who hit the jackpot in 'Confidential Cooperation 2', joins 'Pamyo'... Completed the line-up of 'Believe]. Joy News 24 (in Korean). Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^Jeong Han-byeol (January 25, 2024). 온몸에 문신...이도현, '파묘' 속 강렬 비주얼 [Tattoos all over my body... Lee Do-hyun, powerful visuals in 'Graveyard']. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^Ko Seung-ah (February 29, 2024). '파묘' 김재철, 의뢰인 박지용으로 강렬 열연...섬뜩한 얼굴 [Kim Jae-cheol in 'Breaking the Grave' gives a powerful performance as the client Park Ji-yong... creepy face]. News 1 (in Korean). Retrieved February 29, 2024 – via Naver.
^Jeon Hyeong-hwa (June 8, 2021). [단독]'검은 사제들'→'사바하'→'파묘', 장재현 오컬트월드에 최민식 합류 [종합] [[Exclusive] 'Black Priests' → 'Sabaha' → 'Expulsion', Choi Min-sik joins Jang Jae-hyun's Occult World [Comprehensive]]. Star News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^Kang Hyo-jin (August 12, 2022). [단독]'대세' 이도현, '파묘'로 스크린 데뷔...최민식·김고은과 '특급 캐스팅' 완성[종합] [[Exclusive] Lee Do-hyun, a popular figure, debuts on the big screen with 'Breakfast'... 'Special casting' completed with Choi Min-sik and Kim Go-eun [Comprehensive]]. SPOTV News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^Kim Beom-seok (October 6, 2022). 김고은, 부국제 '영웅의 밤' 참석→신작 '파묘' 크랭크 인 [Kim Go-eun attends the Vice International 'Heroes' Night' → Cranks in new work 'Breakfast']. Newsen (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^Eunho Lee (March 28, 2023). '카지노' 최민식 "저는 저대로 살 뿐이에요" [쿠키인터뷰] ['Casino' Choi Min-sik "I just live the way I am" [Cookie Interview]]. Kuki News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^Lee Woo-bin (January 12, 2024). [인터뷰] 전작들의 장점만 가져왔다, <파묘> 장재현 감독 [[Interview] Director Jang Jae-hyun of 'Breakfast' brought only the strengths of previous works]. Cine21 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^"Exhuma". Berlinale. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
^Kim Bo-ra (January 23, 2024). '파묘' 2월 22일 개봉 확정...최민식→이도현 미스터리 분위기 [공식] ['Pamyo' confirmed to be released on February 22nd... Choi Min-sik → Lee Do-hyun Mystery Atmosphere [Official]]. OSEN [ko] (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
^Lee Jin-wook (February 23, 2024). '파묘' 첫날 33만 관객 1위...'서울의 봄'도 넘었다 ['Pamyo' ranked first with 330,000 viewers on the first day... 'Spring in Seoul' has passed]. CBS Nocut News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
^Bae Hyo-joo (February 28, 2024). '파묘' 7일째 300만 돌파..벌써 손익분기점 다 왔다[박스오피스] ['Breakdown' surpasses 3 million in 7 days... Already at break-even point [Box Office]]. Newsen (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
^Lee Min-ji (March 2, 2024). 미친 속도 '파묘' 500만 관객 돌파, 소름 유발 스페셜 포스터 [Crazy Speed 'Bamyo' exceeds 5 million viewers, goosebumps-inducing special poster]. Newsen (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
^Lee, Woo-bin (February 28, 2024). [리뷰] '파묘', 미신과 사기 따위는 안중에도 없는 진짜 전문가 영화 [[Review] 'Exhuma', a real professional film that doesn't even care about superstition and fraud]. Cine21 (in Korean).
^Lee, Seung-hoon (May 7, 2024). '무빙'→'서울의 봄' 대상..'파묘'는 4관왕 [제60회 백상예술대상][종합] ['Moving' → 'Seoul Spring' Grand Prize..'Buried Grave' wins 4 awards [60th Baeksang Arts Awards] [Comprehensive]] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via Naver.
^Hwang, So-young (April 8, 2024). 60회 맞은 '백상예술대상' TV·영화·연극 후보 공개 [60th 'Baeksang Arts Awards' TV, Film and Theater Candidates Revealed] (in Korean). JTBC News. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Naver.
