Written & directed by Na Hong-jin

The words epic and horror seem wrong when it comes to dramaturgy. Typically, this genre, which I’m not mainly a fan of, is supposed to deliver short, sharp shocks, not a slow-burn drama that unfolds over two and a half hours. But that’s not just the horror movie rule that this South Korean thriller of possession, crime, folklore and zombies breaks. In the hands of director Na Hong-jin, “The Wailing” is a unique film: sweet and sad, silly and horrible, convincingly strange and comfortably familiar.

The elegant cinematography and visual sense only make the hidden aspects seem more raw – which left me without a firm idea of what to believe. “The Wailing” hedges its bets on what kind of demon, ghost or zombie awaits us in the shadows. But at some point, I realized that the final answer was all of these things simultaneously! Knowing a little about the historical issues between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, I found the analogy between the Japanese character and history fascinating. Gradually, it began to feel less like a linear scary story than a ritualistic invocation of the Antichrist. However, one thing is sure: in the end, the lesson of this production is that it is terrible to see the devil, but it is much worse when the devil sees you.

Credits: 20th Century Fox