Shudder Secrets: Exhuma

There’s just something about contemporary Korean horror movies. Films like The Wailing, Train to Busan, A Tale of Two Sisters, and I Saw the Devil, all feel epic in scope and execution. You can count Exhuma in that mix, Shudder’s latest film, which, so far, is South Korea’s highest-grossing film of 2024 following its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

Directed and written by Jang Jae-hyun, the film clocks in at over two hours, and yet, despite the long runtime, it’s a totally engrossing feature. It includes bad omens, shamans, visually dazzling rituals, and a killer samurai. It’s definitely one of Shudder’s most distinct films so far this year, and with any luck, it’ll find an audience outside of the Korean market once it hits the horror streaming service.

Exhuma’s Curses and Lore

While Exhuma’s plot does become quite involved and intricate, the film initially starts with a simple premise. A wealthy Korean family enlists a renowned shaman, Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun), and her mentee, Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun), to protect the family’s newborn son from a vengeful spirit. Eventually, Hwa-rim blames the family’s woes on a curse called “Grave’s Call.” In other words, she believes an angry ancestor’s spirit harms the family and wants the newborn dead, as well as the other family members.

The family’s patriarch entrusts the group to relocate the coffin in order to appease the ancestor, so it leaves the family alone. Hwa-rim eventually discovers that it’s the grandfather tormenting the family. She also enlists the help of Kim Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik) and mortician Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin) as part of the process.

The first half of the film feels like its own movie, centered around the curse and the family’s struggles to protect the newborn. The first 90 minutes contain plenty of tense scenes, especially once the violent spirit seeks vengeance against its descendants. Besides that, the first half has some eye-popping rituals. Go-eun’s performance as Hwa-rim is arresting and, other than some of the practical effects, the film’s biggest strength. She commands every scene she’s in, and her rituals provide a visual feast that’s utterly mesmerizing.

Exhuma’s Vengeful Samurai

Exhuma’s second half shifts from the wealthy family’s woes and haunting to a much more detailed, layered, and sometimes difficult-to-follow plot. The ritual of relocating the grandfather’s coffin and eventually cremating it goes totally awry. It turns out the more menacing force is that of Japanese samurai who has totally imperialist vibes. He fully believes that Korea should belong to Japan. He’ll murder anyone who gets in his way. This includes Hwa-rim and her helpers. In fact, he’s referred to as a battle god at one point. Oh, and he turns into a ball of fire with ease. He’s a pretty awesome big bad.

The samurai, which is rarely shown at first, is a menacing presence, especially once fully revealed. The figure is initially teased when they unearth its seven-foot coffin. When the creature is shown, it’s spine-tingling, a towering figure of murder. It also has the power to possess various characters, so they do its bidding. When it flees their body, they yack up black blood. This film certainly doesn’t skimp on the horror elements.

Ample time is given to fleshing out the samurai’s backstory and lore. This includes a powerful Japanese shaman, Gisune, known as the Fox, whose story is interwoven with the samurai’s. A lot of this backstory becomes convoluted, but you really don’t need to understand it to enjoy the movie.

Exhuma is an incredibly layered, visually engrossing, and stunning film. It also contains a knock-out performance by Go-eun as the lead shaman who has the skills to battle an ancient evil. Though the film may appear long for American audiences, it never drags. There’s plenty of action, horror sequences, and rich character development.

Exhuma haunts Shudder starting June 14. Keep updated on the streaming services latest releases by following my Shudder Secrets column.