Movie ‘EXHUMA(Pamyo)’ Review Part 2(Spoiler Alert)

Movie ‘EXHUMA(Pamyo)’ Review Part 2(Spoiler Alert)

The movie "EXHUMA" can be divided into two main parts. The first part deals with the beginning of the exhumation, and the second part introduces "something truly terrifying." The plot of the first part was detailed in the previous post, so I highly recommend reading that before proceeding with this one.

 

Movie 'EXHUMA (Pamyo)' Review (Spoiler Alert)

 

In this post, I will cover the plot of the second part. As it contains spoilers and the ending, I advise you to read it after watching the movie.

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Beyond the spirits, "something truly terrifying has emerged."  

A geomancer seeking land, a shaman appeasing vengeful spirits, a mortician observing rituals, and a shaman chanting incantations.

Part 4: Dongti (Disturbance of the Dead)

On the day of the exhumation of Ji-yong’s father’s grave, buried in the worst of the worst sites, a worker named Chang-min discovered a Japanese yokai, a Nureonna, crawling out of the ground and struck it dead with a shovel. (Refer to Part 1 for details.) Following this incident, Chang-min began suffering from illness, hallucinations, and auditory delusions. Visits to the hospital proved futile. Hearing the news, Sang-deok visited Chang-min’s home, where he told Sang-deok, "It seems I've disturbed the dead. Please find that snake and perform a ritual."

A massive coffin buried vertically, traces of secret burial

At Chang-min's request, Sang-deok returned to the cemetery to inspect the ground. During this process, he discovered the corpse of the Nureonna, a snake with the head of a young woman, and was horrified. But that was not the only shock. Near the Nureonna's body was another coffin, seemingly waiting for Sang-deok. Even more astonishing was the manner in which this massive coffin was buried—vertically. Sang-deok hurriedly contacted Young-geun, Hwarim, and Bong-gil.

 

The coffin, bound with chains and sharp spikes to prevent anyone from opening it, prompted Hwarim to warn the group not to touch it. However, Sang-deok insisted they could not leave it as it was and ultimately had the coffin moved to the nearby Boguksa Temple. Sensing the ominous nature of the vertically buried coffin, Hwarim scattered glutinous rice and amulets around the temporary resting place to create a protective barrier.

Boguksa Temple, shrouded in ominous energy

 

Meanwhile, upon hearing about the additional coffin, Ji-yong’s aunt rushed to Boguksa(Temple). Sang-deok pressed her to reveal what she was hiding: why Ji-yong’s father, a traitor during the Japanese occupation, was interred in a vertical coffin and who the geomancer Gi Soon-ae was. Ji-yong’s aunt explained that Gi Soon-ae, also known as Murayama Junji, was the top Japanese feng shui master of the time and not Korean. She couldn't understand why Murayama, known as the Fox Onmyoji, would have guided her father, who was loyal to Japan, to be buried there. Then she left, asking them to handle it.

 

Sang-deok and Young-geun decided to rest for the night and cremate the coffin at dawn. However, still feeling uneasy, Hwarim called the shaman Oh Gwang-sim to inquire about Gi Soon-ae. The true identity of Gi Soon-ae was the Fox Onmyoji, Murayama Junji—a name Hwarim had encountered before. Recalling the Fox Onmyoji’s mastery not only in geomancy but also in rituals and sorcery, Hwarim shuddered with anxiety.

 

Part 5: Will-o'-the-Wisp

Someone took my liver. Who took my liver? Where are my clothes? Where are my clothes?

Late into the night, Bong-gil, who had fallen asleep, starts to experience sleep paralysis. "Someone took my liver. Who took my liver? Where are my clothes? Where are my clothes?" The incomprehensible muttering comes from the blood-drenched spirit of Boguksa Temple's caretaker, Lee Jong-gu. Bong-gil swiftly frees himself from the paralysis and begins to search for the cause of Jong-gu’s transformation into a spirit.

 

Fortunately, the storage where the coffin is kept is securely closed, but the putrid smell of spirits pervades the entire temple. While inspecting the area, Bong-gil hears a loud noise coming from a nearby livestock pen and heads in that direction. There, he discovers the "terrifying entity" indiscriminately devouring pig livers.

Terrifying entity - escaped through the roof, evading the protective barrier around the coffin.

 

Hastily returning to Boguksa Temple, Bong-gil wakes up Hwarim, who had been sleeping in the car. Hwarim heads straight to the storage, noticing signs that something had escaped through the roof, evading the protective barrier around the coffin. He sends Bong-gil to wake the others and begins to inspect the area, finding a samurai helmet outside the storage. At that moment, the identity of the "terrifying entity" appears—an Oni. When the Oni asks, "Are you human?" Hwarim, terrified, responds that he is not human but a loyal servant. The Oni then asks if Hwarim has prepared ayu fish and melons, to which Hwarim, in a desperate attempt to appease the Oni, responds that he will present the ayu fish.

 

However, realizing that Hwarim is human, the Oni tries to attack him. Bong-gil rushes to save Hwarim but is fatally wounded in the process. The Oni's target shifts back to Hwarim, who stumbles backward. As the Oni approaches, it notices the stone pagoda behind Hwarim and starts chanting a Buddhist scripture, transforming into a will-o'-the-wisp. The will-o'-the-wisp soars into the sky and roams fiercely. Sang-deok and Young-geun, arriving hastily, witness this bizarre scene. As they stand entranced by the will-o'-the-wisp, the Oni suddenly vanishes.

 

Part 6: Iron Stake

"a general who guarded that place, a daimyo who decapitated ten thousand enemy soldiers."

Bong-gil, who suffered a fatal injury, is taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. Though his life is no longer in danger, he remains unconscious with no sign of improvement. Devastated by his inability to protect Bong-gil, Hwarim explains to Sang-deok that an Oni is a spirit fundamentally different from typical Korean ghosts. Korean ghosts target only those they hold grudges against, but Japanese ghosts indiscriminately kill anyone they come across, regardless of any grudge. Hwarim further adds that specifically, an Oni is an indomitable spirit that attaches to objects and cannot be exorcised.

 

To better understand the nature of the Oni, Hwarim, together with shamans Oh Gwang-sim and Park Ja-hye, performs a traditional exorcism ritual in Bong-gil’s hospital room. The spirit possessing Bong-gil reveals itself during the ritual, reciting the numbers "383417 1283289" inscribed on the tombstone in Japanese. It then describes the Oni as "a general who guarded that place, a daimyo who decapitated ten thousand enemy soldiers." Horrified by the spirit's words, Hwarim abruptly ends the ritual. Gwang-sim warns Hwarim that Japanese ghosts kill indiscriminately and advises him to stay away, before leaving the room.

 

'383417 1283289' They successfully draw out the Oni

Meanwhile, Sang-deok gets a hint from looking at a map of South Korea with a tiger motif hanging in the hospital. He combines the numbers "383417 1283289" from the tombstone with Ji-yong’s dying words, "The fox broke the tiger's waist," and realizes that the Oni’s coffin, buried in the cursed site, was located at the tiger’s waist. He concludes that an iron stake must be buried there. Immediately gathering the grave robbers’ equipment from Boguksa Temple, Sang-deok heads back to the ancestral mountain. While digging, he discovers the Oni lying dormant underground and hastily retreats.

 

Sang-deok convinces the group that removing the iron stake might defeat the Oni and save Bong-gil. Hwarim agrees, stating that although the Oni cannot be destroyed, it can be temporarily summoned. They prepare for a final confrontation to remove the iron stake. To lure out the Oni, Hwarim scatters ayu fish from the grave site to a nearby large tree and waits for the witching hour (1-3 AM) when spirits are most active. They successfully draw out the Oni, and while Hwarim buys time, Sang-deok and Young-geun frantically search for the iron stake.

The Buddhist scriptures inscribed on Sang-deok’s body prove ineffective in stopping the Oni.

 

Despite their efforts, they cannot find the iron stake. Meanwhile, the Oni realizes Hwarim has deceived it. As it attempts to attack Hwarim, the protective presence of her grandmother’s spirit angers the Oni, causing it to transform back into a will-o'-the-wisp and re-enter the grave site. The Buddhist scriptures inscribed on Sang-deok’s body prove ineffective in stopping the Oni. Hwarim desperately throws rice chaff at the Oni to ward it off, but this only provokes it further. The Oni then begins to strangle Hwarim and Young-geun.

 

At that moment, Hwarim glimpses the Oni’s past. She sees the Fox Onmyoji, Murayama Junji, thrust a great sword into the decapitated body of the Oni, connecting its head and body, and burying it at the waist of the "tiger" (Korea) instead of its intended resting place. The iron stake was the Oni itself. Sang-deok, recalling the principles of yin and yang and the five elements, uses a blood-soaked wooden stake to defeat the flaming iron stake, the Oni. With the Oni’s destruction, Bong-gil is healed, and Sang-deok, Hwarim, and Young-geun return to their peaceful lives.

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There are so many memorable scenes that even splitting the plot summary into two parts made it quite lengthy. Despite its 134-minute runtime, the fast-paced storyline and the actors' outstanding performances make the time fly by. Additionally, I highly recommend watching "EXHUMA" in the theater. The scenes in the first half featuring Hwarim’s possessed Dae-sal-gut ritual and the latter half where the Oni transforms into a will-o'-the-wisp are truly spectacular.

 

In the next post, I plan to delve into the real reasons why I decided to write this review of "EXHUMA." Specifically, I'll explore the hidden secrets throughout the film! From the names of the characters to the significance of the animals such as the fox, tiger, snake, and pig featured in the movie. I look forward to sharing these diverse stories with you in the next installment. Thank you.