The Wrath is an Excellent Addition to Shudder's September Content
The Wrath (Yeo-gok-seong) is a South Korean horror film directed by Young-sun Yoo and stars Hong-il Choi, Young hee Seo, Na-Eun Son. In the household of Lee Gyeong-jin, a high-ranking official of Joseon Kingdom, three sons die from an unidentified horror. A woman pregnant with a child of the third son soon learns of the evil spirit that haunts the house.
First off, let me say that I do enjoy Asian cinema, particularly Korean horror. The Wailing and I Saw The Devil were two films that introduced me to the genre, and the more I can check out the better! Thanks to Shudder, I was able to discover another one in The Wrath. Without spoiling anything, let’s get down to the basics of this film.
This is definitely a period piece, and one that is actually pretty accurate to the times, including the folklore, costumes, the way the hierarchy of the familial system and government was, everything pretty much captured the essence of the time period. The costumes were gorgeous, the ‘humble’ folk wearing drab, monotone colors so as not to stand out, the nobles wearing brightly colored robes and expensive silks to show that they were important. The cinematography is beautiful, each shot capturing the gorgeous sets and the finer details of each room in the home of Lee Greong-jin. The cast is superb and magnetic, I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. As for the horror aspects of the film? There definitely were a good number of kills and gore, each one is a combination of practical effects and CGI, but is not overbearing for the viewer.
As for the story of the film and how it unfolded, this is probably its one biggest flaw. You don’t truly get to understand the curse that this family is experiencing until the end of the second act, and this is not a quickly paced movie. It’s most definitely a slow burn that will need a lot of attention to catch all the little things. But, once the movie finds its footing, the story is both tragic and horrifying. You have a hard time feeling bad for the evil spirit, or even liking some of the characters by the end, and the twist had me floored.
When compared to other Asian horror films or shows, this one is definitely a welcome entry into the genre. It has some interesting sound effects, music, a great cast, some really good kills, and a ghost that is genuinely creepy. It had me jumping a few times and I think it’s a great film to watch if you’re a huge fan of the genre. Check it out when you can!
You can catch The Wrath for yourself streaming tomorrow on Shudder!
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