The Wailing has been in my watchlist for several years and I think the main thing holding me back is its imposing running time. At almost two-and-a-half hours, that's a lot of Korean horror to sit through.
And indeed it is a long and convoluted film, with a story that starts out like a zombie and contagion film, and then ends up closer to a demon and possession film. I think. Honestly, I was pretty confused by it all, and it took reading several write-ups after watching for it to finally click and make sense.
A cop in a small Korean village finds himself dealing with sickness, murders, and madness amongst the townsfolk. Many suspect a Japanese stranger living on the outskirts of town may be to blame for it all, and it becomes personal when the cop's young daughter falls ill.
Kwak Do-won is really good as the cop, who is the unlikeliest of heroes because he's pretty cowardly, and not that smart. Kim Hwan-hee, the young actress playing his daughter, is also impressive. It's probably one of the best kid-in-a-horror-movie performances I've ever seen.
I watched The Wailing on Netflix, but it is also available on multiple platforms, including Kanopy, Hoopla, and the Criterion channel.
1 comment:
Had no clue this even existed. Glad you liked it, run time aside.
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