EDIT by David:





-

tree and a half's original post:

The Wailing is a hodgepodge of grisly horror and slapstick comedy. I started out loving it, but by about halfway, as the comedy fades, it was just starting to wear me out. The lead is a talented comedian, but the laughs are soon gagged by the tragic events of the story. *B-*

Probably one of the best Korean horror films I have ever seen, although I don't watch many of these kind of films. I loved the dark/dread filled atmosphere and surprisingly the comedic bits work even better. It's not necessarily scary, but their are quite a few creepy scenes that will definitely stick with you for a while.

This has a great atmosphere and keeps you guessing. The movie makes you question what/who is evil for most of its two and half hours running time. The ending is terrifying and brilliantly handled, one which leave you satisfied. The comic relief in the film is great as well. The minor complaints here is obviously a very large film time, where some of the parts could have been left off in the editing room. Some of the character motivations do seem like script toying around but they do work in grand scheme of things.

8/10.

A series of brutal, perhaps ritualistic murders beset a small South Korean town, and a local investigator (Kwak Do-won) suspects a stoic Japanese traveler (Jun Kunimura) is involved. The Wailing fuses several sub-genres and tones, including police procedural, supernatural horror, and a certain farcical mischief. It is well-crafted from a technical perspective, with many eerie, elegant shot compositions and a handful of exciting set pieces, and it is hard not to become at least modestly involved in the story's various ambiguities and knots. Yet. Yet. I ultimately found the film frustrating. It does not earn its absurd length of over two-and-a-half hours. The careening tonal shifts, particularly the lapses into buffoonery of the Keystone Cops variety, are grating for the first hour. And the ending is convoluted and unsatisfying.

C+

***1/2 / ***** (B-)

I like the way comedy is (for some reason) a vital part of more recent Korean horror fare. It made Gwoemul a great experience on a rather been there one that story. The first half of Goksung has a similar kind of vibe. It mixes comedy with horror. And it's a part I was nearly bored with. The comedy side was OK, if a bit too farcical compared to the killings that were going around. But at a midway point the movie goes all in. Comedy is toned down completely and the mythology starts to unravel. And I found it a very interesting up until the end which I found to be very satisfying. It stays true to Asian movie horror culture - demons and evil are there to stay no matter how hard you fight them.

I really liked the first half of this movie, the gruesome horror mixing well with the bumbling oaf comedic beats like only the Koreans can do. Then he killed a dog though. And yeah, I know that the dog was the devil, but still .. Fuck that noise. Impossible to feel any positive emotions towards him or his family for the rest of the film. The ending is very blah too. Still, I give the movie big points for its ambition and at least coming close to the stars it shot for.

B-