[magazine kave]=Choi Jae-hyuk, reporter
Deep in the mountains, a black van slowly approaches a fog-laden graveyard. It looks more like a ghost hunter's work vehicle than a hearse. Kim Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik), a geomancer who reads the energy of the land, Go Young-geun (Yoo Hae-jin), a cold and shrewd undertaker, Lee Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun), a young and bold shaman, and Yoon Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun), Hwa-rim's disciple and sorcerer. The four have gathered here due to a lucrative request that flew in from Los Angeles, USA. There are stories of an inexplicable 'grave wind' being passed down in a wealthy real estate family. A baby that cries day and night from birth, a father who collapsed for unknown reasons and is lying in the hospital, and an eldest son who has already given up on life. The client, Park Ji-yong (Kim Jae-cheol), claims that all this misfortune is due to the ancestral grave site and asks for it to be resolved at any cost.
From the first scene in the LA hospital, the film creates a strange atmosphere. Under the fluorescent lights, an incredibly quiet hospital room. Hwa-rim approaches the baby, whistles, and recites a sutra while looking into the child's eyes. The conclusion she reaches after that brief gaze is simple. "The ancestors are causing trouble because they don't like the grave site." The moment this rough talk and occult sense burst forth simultaneously, the audience is already drawn into the unique world of director Jang Jae-hyun. It's as if they warp from a chilly LA hospital straight to a mountain shaman's house.
The moment the ground is dug, history begins to breathe
Hwa-rim and Bong-gil return to Korea and begin the full-fledged 'grave robbery project' with Sang-deok and Young-geun. Sang-deok tastes the soil, feels the wind, and examines the grain of the trees to assess the grave's location. It's as if a wine sommelier is reading the terroir. Trees that remain green even in the dead of winter, unusually damp ground surrounding the area, and a burial mound that is excessively deep. To Sang-deok's eyes, this grave does not appear to be a place made to 'save a person' from the start, but rather a place created with the intent to trap something. Hwa-rim also senses an ominous feeling that "things will escalate the moment we touch this place," but with a hefty deposit already exchanged, no one can back down. It's the fate of freelancers, so to speak.
From the moment the shovel goes in and the burial mound collapses, the film's horror gains warmth. Strange water flowing from the coffin, hair that does not seem human, and a massive wooden coffin wrapped in barbed wire. Sang-deok and his party gradually realize that they are not simply disturbing an ancestral grave, but rather touching something that someone has intentionally 'sealed away.' This first grave robbery scene is a sequence that makes the audience feel the dust, sweat, and breath on their skin. It is an experience that is the exact opposite of ASMR, sending chills through sound alone.
However, the real problem comes next. Even after the grave is dug up, the misfortune of the Park Ji-yong family does not stop, and bizarre incidents seem to erupt around the group. Strange deaths of family members, the mysterious death of a worker who helped, and inexplicable omens. Sang-deok and Hwa-rim sense that "something entirely different" is moving and begin to trace a 'kind of iron stake' embedded in the middle of the Baekdudaegan mountain range through additional investigations. It’s like clearing a quest in a mystery game only to have a hidden boss appear.
The place they arrive at is a small temple, Bokuksa, and a nearby mountain village. On the surface, it appears to be a peaceful countryside, but as hidden secrets of a coffin, old maps, and traces of the independence movement are revealed one by one, the story expands further across the past and present, intertwining national history and personal history. The being that lay dormant in the coffin is no longer a simple vengeful spirit. It is a 'Japanese-style monster,' close to an oni, intertwined with the violence of war and colonization, iron stake faith, and bloody slaughter. At night, this being breaks its seal and bursts forth, ravaging the barn and village, standing at the intersection of monster movies and folk horror. It’s a bizarre genre hybrid, as if Godzilla suddenly appeared in a mountain village in Jeolla Province.
In this process, the combination of Sang-deok, Young-geun, Hwa-rim, and Bong-gil establishes itself as a kind of 'Korean Ghostbusters.' Instead of proton beams, they use rituals and sutras; instead of traps, they employ geomancy and funeral rites; and instead of a firehouse headquarters, they hold meetings inside the van. Prayer and sorcery mix together, leading them toward the final ritual against the oni. The sutra tattoos on Hwa-rim and Bong-gil's bodies, the oni's flesh igniting in front of the stupa, and the massive fireball cutting through the sky like a will-o'-the-wisp. The film reaches the pinnacle of horror and spectacle here. However, what the four lose and gain as a result is best confirmed directly in the theater. Some scenes in the conclusion have the power to redefine the meaning of the entire work, so if explained in advance, it would be a spoiler alert level of disappointment.
The completion of the occult trilogy, the miracle of '10 million'
Director Jang Jae-hyun seems to have reached a destination with the completion of his three-part occult series. If 'The Priests' localized Western horror through Catholic exorcism, and 'Svaha' posed philosophical questions based on new religions and Buddhist myths, 'The Grave Robbery' thoroughly foregrounds Korean shamanism, geomancy, and grave culture. Thanks to this, even though the genre is occult, the distance felt by the audience is much closer. It feels as if phrases that one might have heard at a relative's funeral and stories about pro-Japanese descendants and good burial sites have entered the film directly. Like an old photo album found in a grandmother's wardrobe, it feels both unfamiliar and somehow familiar.
Genre-wise, this film is closer to an occult adventure than a horror movie. While genuinely chilling scenes appear several times, the overall tone is more about tension and curiosity, occasionally punctuated by laughter. Young-geun awkwardly sitting at the shaman's ritual as an elder (like a vegetarian dragged into a meat restaurant), Sang-deok and Young-geun bickering over the consulting fee (it feels like exorcists calculating with Excel rather than accountants), and the strange chemistry between Hwa-rim and Bong-gil, who are half 'salespeople' and half 'priestly relationship.' This everyday humor is necessary for the subsequent horror to stand out more clearly. The switching between comedy and horror is as precise as a dance game's step change.
The ensemble of the four actors is the film's greatest strength. Choi Min-sik, who plays Kim Sang-deok, coolly mixes warmth, stubbornness, and the guilt of the times into the character of an experienced geomancer. When he mutters, "I can tell what has happened to this land" while tasting a handful of soil, it feels like more than just a profession. It’s as chilling as a wine expert saying, "This vineyard was bombed during World War II" after taking a sip. Yoo Hae-jin's Go Young-geun is an undertaker with a 200% sense of reality. He is money-driven, cautious in the face of danger, yet throws himself into the fray at the last moment while pretending to be indifferent. He takes on the role of conveying the heavy themes of shamanism and funerals to the audience without burden. He feels less like comic relief in a horror movie and more like the owner of a funeral home in our neighborhood.
Kim Go-eun's Lee Hwa-rim is the most vivid face of this film. The setting of a young shaman dressed in flashy padding and a hood is already fresh. A shaman performing rituals in North Face instead of traditional hanbok. She speaks frankly, mixing in curses during the ritual, and is bold enough to walk out immediately if she feels uncomfortable over the consulting fee. However, after facing the oni, the scene where she collapses under the guilt of not being able to protect Bong-gil reveals another side of her. The complex expression that combines awkward laughter, tears, fear, and responsibility prevents this character from being consumed as a simple 'girl crush shaman.' Lee Do-hyun, who plays Yoon Bong-gil, delicately captures the face of a disciple who possesses innocence, shallow fear, and loyalty to his master. In scenes where he throws himself into danger and spews Japanese while possessed, he always feels close to a human weakness. Like Frodo carrying the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings, the youngest in the shaman community absorbs all the fear with his body. Thanks to that weakness, the sacrifices and choices in the climax resonate more profoundly.
1,191 million viewers for the occult, a revolution in the genre
It is noteworthy that 'The Grave Robbery' achieved record-breaking success at the box office. After its release in February 2024, it drew audiences through word of mouth, surpassing 10 million viewers in just 32 days, becoming the first 10 million film of the year. It is the 32nd film overall and the 23rd Korean film to reach 10 million, and the first record in the traditional sense of the occult/horror genre. Ultimately, it recorded approximately 11.91 million viewers and a revenue of around 110 billion won, claiming the top spot at the box office for the first half of the year. It demonstrated new possibilities for Korean commercial cinema by breaking genre boundaries and attracting middle-aged audiences. It’s a miracle akin to an indie band suddenly topping the Melon chart.
Looking at the details of the direction, one can understand why director Jang Jae-hyun has earned the nickname 'master of the occult.' He hides playful codes throughout, such as the numbers on the license plate representing Liberation Day (0815) and Independence Day (0301), and the names of key characters taken from actual independence activists. This is not just a simple Easter egg but a work that engraves the sentiment of 'cleansing pro-Japanese remnants' visually and linguistically throughout the film. It’s a movie where hidden picture finding is possible, like Ready Player One. The symbolism of pulling out the iron stakes embedded by Japan and reviving the energy of our land expands the fight against the oni from mere monster extermination to historical and emotional revenge. The cinematic alchemy that turns exorcism into an independence movement.
More interesting because it is not perfect
Of course, this bold attempt does not resonate perfectly with everyone. As the film progresses into the second half, the simultaneous outpouring of Japanese monsters, symbols of the independence movement, Baekdudaegan, and numerical codes can feel excessive. In particular, the final confrontation with the oni, while spectacular, seems to differ from the subtle horror and realistic everyday life built up in the first half. It feels like suddenly transitioning from a neighborhood ghost story to the final battle of Avengers: Endgame. The desire to summarize the horror's conclusion with historical significance can feel somewhat explanatory and heavy.
Another point of contention is the 'use of shamanism.' This film clearly portrays shamanism as a technique for dealing with spirits and a positive aspect of Korea's unique spiritual culture. At the same time, it does not hide the commercial and mercenary aspects of shamans. Thanks to that balance, shamanism does not appear as a mystical fantasy but as a profession in this land. It’s like Doctor Strange being a wizard while also being a doctor who collects bills. However, for audiences who feel uncomfortable with shamanism itself, the repeated scenes of rituals and possession in this film's worldview may feel somewhat burdensome.
For those who want to confirm the current state of Korean genre films, 'The Grave Robbery' is a kind of essential work. It shows how the occult and mystery, historical codes, and commercialism can coexist within a single film, revealing both its limits and possibilities. For audiences who already enjoyed 'The Priests' and 'Svaha,' it will be interesting to see how director Jang Jae-hyun attempted to take the strengths of his previous works and address their weaknesses in this third film. It’s like enjoying the retrieval of plot threads from Phase 1 while watching Marvel Phase 3.
Secondly, it is suitable for those who want to enter the horror genre but find traditional horror still daunting. While there are a few lingering scenes, the film does not solely focus on horror. Following the chemistry of the four characters, the world of geomancy and funerals, and historical symbolism, one finds that the running time ends before they know it. It particularly suits audiences who say, "I don’t want something too scary, but I also don’t want something that’s just light." It’s like a ride that’s perfect for someone who wants to go on a roller coaster but is afraid of a free fall.
Finally, I would recommend 'The Grave Robbery' to those who want to re-examine the relationship between our land, history, ancestors, and descendants within the framework of genre films. After watching this film, the scenery may look a little different when passing by a graveyard, walking a mountain path, or visiting an old temple. It makes one ponder what is buried beneath the land we stand on and what memories are hidden there. That question is likely the true aftertaste that 'The Grave Robbery' leaves behind, more enduring than any ghost. Like an archaeologist excavating a site, we uncover the layers of forgotten history through this film. And in that process, what we may encounter is not a ghost, but perhaps our own reflection.
