Okay, boys and girls, it’s Day 2 of the 31 Days of Horror. Up today is the South Korean movie The Wailing(2016), from director Hong-ja Na (Chaser, The Yellow Sea). The movie follows policeman Jong-goo (Do-won Kwak) in the small village of Goksung as he encounters a series of bizarre and grisly crimes. Things seemed to be tied to the arrival of a Japanese stranger (Jun Kunimura), and during Jong-goo’s investigation he also encounters a mysterious woman (Woo-hee Chun). A mysterious illness seems to be spreading in the village, and soon afflicts Jong-goo’s daughter, Hyo-jin (Hwan-hee Kim). Jong-goo turns to a local shaman for help, and finds he’s up against an evil he could not have expected.
The director does a good job at holding your interest throughout the film, even though at 156 minutes it feels like it gets a bit long in the tooth. Fortunately, there are enough twists and turns to keep you watching, with the various bloody crimes getting increasingly more bizarre. The cast is pretty good, and Kwak (The Man from Nowhere, Asura: The City of Madness) really gives Jong-goo a nice character arc as he goes from bumbling cop to determined father wanting to protect his daughter. It has a good creepy atmosphere, and a couple of little scares, with the ending delivering a nice little twist all its own. It’s an ambitious film, combining horror with touches of comedy and family drama, wrapped up in a mystery thriller. Well worth your time. Now showing on Netflix. The movie is in Korean with English subtitles, so you need to pay attention so you don’t get lost. 9/10 stars
