The 2024 Korean Horror film Exuma, shows us how to bury our dear departed the Feng Shui way. Space, in the country, is at a premium however and not everyone can afford the “perfect” resting place. This means that those with more money than morals get the pick of ever decreasing resting places.
The Story
Business is good for the exhumation trade. Geomancer’s and Buddhist priests help the recently, and not so recently, bereaved. There are two ghosts at the start of the film. An old lady spirit who is hungry since her grandson stole her false teeth. The other family have a ghost targeting firstborns. A new baby’s health hangs on a thread.
noun: geomancy
- 1.the art of placing or arranging buildings or other sites auspiciously.
- 2.divination from configurations seen in a handful of earth thrown on the ground, or by interpreting lines or textures on the ground.
- Also known as Feng Shui.
The Geomancer and Buddhists team up to help the latter group. They are, as one character points out, “filthy rich.” Exhumation is the order of the day. Without this, the baby may die.
A little background
Korea, like other Asian countries, has a rich culture full of spirits. Good and bad. Like the Japanese, Korean’s believe that foxes are harbingers of mischief and evil. These creatures are not to be trusted.
Also, like other Asian countries, Korea believe that the afterlife is important. How we treat our deceased ancestors affects our day to day existence. Therefore it makes perfect sense that Feng Shui should be important when placing our ancestors remains in their last “home.”
For those not in the know, Feng Shui came across the pond, to America at least, as early as the 1980’s.
In Exuma Geomancy is the order of the dead’s history, resting place and divination. There is something rotten in the burial place of the rich family. The exhumation releases an ancient demon.
Even the foxes are scared of this one.
The Main Cast
Choi Min-sik is Kim Sang-deok. Geomancer extraordinaire. *I have been a fan of this actor since The Quiet Family (1998). His bona fides include the iconic Oldboy and I Saw the Devil.
Kim Go-eun is Lee Hwa-rim.
Lee Do-hyun is Yoon Bongo-gil.
Yoo Hae-jin is Go Yeong-geun. A Christian who walks the fine line of inborn cultural beliefs and his Christianity.
Hong Seo-jun is President Kim.
it works
Writer/Director Jang Jae-hyun gives us an atmospheric and disturbing look at burials, demons, cultural beliefs and evil in the dirt (of the grave). Exuma is more than just Feng Shui, demons and gallons of gore.
It is about suspense and a brilliant build up of dread. The ancient evil unleashed upon the world is pretty darned impressive. As is the body count. A number of innocent and not so innocent victims are dispatched by the headless killer.
Korean cinema have the best visceral blood effects in the world. Their fake blood along with their stunning visuals, are top notch. The scene where Hwa-rim is dancing with bloodstains around her mouth are truly disturbing. As they are meant to be.
Exuma is K-Horror surpassed. No other Asian horror cinema can come close to this over two hour epic.
The Verdict
Despite my undisciplined raves about Exuma, I can only give it a ranking of 4 stars. Despite the sheer unbridled and unashamed showmanship of the film, I had to watch it three times to catch the whole story.
*Although this is not necessarily a bad thing. I had to watch A Tale of Two Sisters repeatedly and still had to rely on my daughter to understand the thing fully.* **ATOTS is another K-Horror win.**
Exuma is streaming on AMC +.
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