The Guest (2018)

Good but shy of Great

On the positive side are the three main characters and their shared shattered backgrounds from their childhoods. Over several episodes they are brought back together and their shared pasts are unlayered through a series of satisfying reveals. The support acting was well done and other overall production values high.

On the bad side the antagonist was so powerful - as we learn through slow reveals - that we wondered how they planned to defeat him. This is the main flaw in the show - a structural problem is that the main characters and we the audience never understand the how and why the big bad can be defeated. In an early episode it's said they will exorcise him/it when they catch him/it. At times they behave like impulsive middle schoolers talking about catching the bad guy with no clear idea what they'll do with him should that happen. There are scenes where they rush towards the big bad, especially true for the taxi driver, Hwa Pyung, with absolutely no expressed plan how to get through bodyguards or other obstacles or what happens when they 'catch' him.

One common problem with media centered on exorcism is that they contain exorcism scenes in which the priest or shaman endlessly chants some holy words that fail over and over and over until they work - or not. This show has the same flaw in that we (and the main characters) never learn (until they very end) what MacGuffin - thing or rule or process - will defeat the big bad evil spirit, and in fact as the episodes progress it becomes obvious that the big bad, Park Il-Do, is seriously powerful and far stronger than we were given to believe in early episodes.

And because of this structural flaw the close had to - literally - reveal a Deus Ex Machina. Notice the prayer the priest uses at the very end in the water. He calls upon God directly, and God delivers. And the last scene where the three are reunited is as pure DEM as it gets given where we last saw Hwa-Pyung.

Despite the serious structural flaw the good (main character arcs, relationships, story arc) out weighs the bad for at least one watch through.

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Great story but too many holes

Ok, so first I watched a lot of ghost, spirit, horrors movies/tv shows. The story is original and it tied the 3 main characters pretty well.
First episode set the drama in a gore/horror atmosphere that won’t last. Other episodes until 9, were pretty slow to me and repetitive.

When I watch a movie/tv show, I’m pretty picky about the characters. The story can be simple, not elaborated, revisited, it won’t bother me as long as characters have some depth. In this drama, the characters communicate 80% of the time by yelling. I find that emotions aren’t right ..... Hwa-Pyung and the inspector are just 2 angry people acting recklessly and doing whatever they want, when they actually don’t have any power to stop possession or to stop Park Il Do! The only one who actually shows diverse emotions is the priest, Choi Yoon. And during all this screaming .... it seems they are all alone in public places as no one reacts or does wayyy too late. There are also some inconsistencies in the story that made me sigh a little. Episode 1, Hwa-Pyung can see ghosts before being possessed, yet every single time he explained his link with Park Il Do, he says he’s like this since he was possessed.

I’m at episode 10, skipped some episodes as some are very slow and yet I still can follow the storyline.
There is more mystery around the priest and evolution in his character, this is why you’ll keep watching it. I hope it will get better and better as I had high expectations for this drama, and so far it didn’t meet them

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I truly enjoyed this drama. I finished it in about a week, and each episode left me eager for the next one. This drama is what The Ghost Detective tried and failed to be: an excellent thriller/horror. The tension was never lost, because the threat of Sohn was ever present, even if he himself was not, hounding the protagonists while they searched for a way to destroy him. There were new threats each episode, as Sohn sent various demons after the main leads in order to impede their progress. The plot twists, all except for one (which I shall touch upon), were excellent. The story kept me on my toes.

*spoilers below*

If this drama had one flaw, it is that it tried to be too clever. The big mystery that the protagonists were trying to figure out was who Sohn was possessing. Was it Matthew's brother, Sang Hyun? Was it Father Yang? Was it Hwa Pyung's father or his grandfather? Was it the politician, Park Hong Joo? Was it Hwa Pyung all along? Honestly, the options that I had held out for was either Sang Hyun, Hong Joo, or Hwa Pyung himself. I especially hoped it would be Hwa Pyung, because they kept hinting that Sohn had been hiding inside him all along, biding his time. Which made the final episode rather disappointing, because it turns out...*dramatic pause*...it was the grandfather all along, and Hwa Pyung never was actually possessed. Uh...? Okay?

The final episode was actually a big disappointment after all of the excellence that came before it. It was extremely badly paced, with nearly 20 minutes of the grandfather/Sohn monologuing and ret-conning almost all of what we were led to believe since episode one. Then there was the chase from Hwa Pyung's house to the beach, a distance which should take maybe 40-50 minutes because the beach can clearly be seen from the house, but gauging by the how the sun is high in the sky at the start, and it is full night when they reach the beach, takes more than 6 hours. I liked the last 20 minutes of the episode, but the first 2/3 of the episode was just really, really bad.

If it had been up to me, the last episode would have gone thus:

Hwa Pyung brings his grandfather home from the hospital, and all seems to be well. Then, Hwa Pyung feels the pain in his right eye again, and he realizes that Sohn did not die. Sohn temporarily takes control of Hwa Pyung's body and forces Hwa Pyung to kill his own grandfather. Hwa Pyung regains control and manages to carve the containment symbols into his own skin. Matthew and Gil Young arrive to find him like that. Matthew attempts to exorcise Sohn from Hwa Pyung, but partway through the exorcism, Matthew suffers excruciating pain (due to the curse), and Sohn breaks free and attacks. Gil Young tries to stop him, but Sohn has inhuman strength and knocks her away. Hwa Pyung barely manages to resurface before Sohn kills Matthew, and flees down towards the beach.

From here, the episode plays out the way they wrote it, though, my final complaint is that it would've been nice if they had clarified that Matthew's curse disappeared when Sohn died, rather than just showing that he's fine a year later.

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Overall an easy watch (almost too easy) and not frightening at all if you're into horror and thriller. The gore is at a medium amount, and much of it is censored. Some of the acting from the minor characters is incredibly stale and overdone. Plus, there's a lot of filler dialogue that may have you falling asleep.

The main male lead is quirky, comical, and the actor who plays him does an amazing job at bringing his character to life. The young priest appears to have no emotions (verbally and physically) and barely moves his neck and limbs, making his character unrealistic and lacklustre. (Could be interpreted as stoic.) The female lead is strong, and she has a masculine beauty that is enthralling to watch, however, her character is far too stubborn and avoids believing the truths that are right in front of her, only for a plot device (to continuously create an uneasy dynamic between her and the male leads).

Rarely any jump scares, but the few that are there are incredibly successful. The cinematography is visually pleasing and consistent, but sometimes the shaky cam is too noticeable and appears cheap. In general, it's fun to watch, but it could have been executed and written much better.

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okay,so even though i haven't finished watching this drama but still i thought it was important to write a review on it.first of all the story-it was awesome.I usually don't watch all the episodes of a drama in one go.but this story was so interesting that as i had finished watching one episode i was curious about the next episode or what happens next.it had basically everything i wanted-horror,suspense,flirting,bromance etc. now the only thing i want is a happy ending (if not possible a satisfying ending or an ending that makes sense)

acting-acting wise i thought every actor did their best. no one seemed stiff.even the child actors nailed it.chemistry wise the main three actors were good. i loved how their relationship gets better as the story goes on .

music-well,i usually tend to concentrate on the drama instead of music or ost. but the osts of this drama made it easier for me to feel the horror,suspense etc.so,i loved it.

rewatch value-definitely,i will watch it again. since the episodes are still airing so after all the episodes are aired i will watch it again. but can't tell about the third or fourth time because i usually don't watch a drama more than twice unless i am carving for the moments.

overall-i am not a regular horror watcher.but i still gave it a try and i am glad that i did. so ,if you still don't know if you should watch it or not definitely give it a shot.i believe you won't be disappointed.

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Gripping

Wasn't until the very last few episodes that I realised who the demon was in. So many possibilities and the writer did well to conceal it whilst taking us through multiple possessions and torment.
It is quite a scary story at times with mild gore... tbh I prefer horrors that are psychologically frightening, relying on atmosphere and tension, as opposed to gallons of blood and guts.
Loved the cast and most characters.
Sometimes a few of the smaller support characters were a bit overacted. I also found the constant doubts toward one another's advice and thoughts, by the main 3, a bit irritating at times (mostly further into series, when ecperiences should have taught them better). Plus, they individually went into situations, alone, when anyone in their right mind would have held off.
I liked the soundtrack too and found a scene in the last ep quite moving.
As there was often a lot going on in terms of a shifting demon and its side stories, I think it would also make a decent rewatch, which I might one day, with a friend :~)

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How am I going to start writing review of this drama? I seriously do not know. It took me more than half an hour to come up with some ideas.

Firstly, the story does not at all fall into the category of typical horror genre. I was bit aversive at the beginning about whether to start it or not; however, I do not regret at all because it is ravishingly well made. This is the first time I am watching any drama genre which has given a completely different message using horror-thriller concept. Maintaining an aberrant concept with spirits/ghosts/any supernatural being to portray an underlying perfidiousness of mankind expresses perfect erudition of the writers.

One harbinger, one priest and a detective - are the three unfortunate people- relatively of same age are the three main characters of this drama. Through thick and thin and utter turmoil they fought with the unknown iniquitous power which has the ultimate target to make the entire human race its sycophant. During the time of atrocity, corruption or belligerence or in general during the weakest time of a human, when their morality dwindles, integrity shaken and corruption becomes rampant that’s when this invisible being becomes supremely powerful. Thus it possesses people claiming it would chew his/her heart, making them torpid and would take full control of their soul. The portrayal is rather a complex one enough to give the viewers harrowing feeling yet the charm of the story is simply ineluctable. Although many macabre scenes may produce nausea but it is a kind of masterpiece that has one prime message to deliver.

Upon hearing quite a number of dialogues regarding pinpointing at the facinorous characteristics of human, I became quite doubtful about what they want to depict. It is not at all an usual one. Never have I seen any dramas of this genre possessing deep edification. Everything became clear when the writers' thoughts have been expressed as an epilogue at the end of the finale episode. Following is what they said, “The guest tried to look at the problems in our society through another perspective. All bad things eventually start from the heart of people, and this is what we wanted to depict. They say humans are the most frightening beings. Just like the viewers called Yun Hwa Pyung “Yun Peace”, we hope all viewers find peace of mind”.

Apparently, though all the episodes are petrifying but if can be concentrated past the horror scenes, viewer can find the vehemence the writers depicted on the dark psychology of humans. As they have said it is simple, a person’s unscrupulous acts submerge them into intense evil. Thus the weakest heart full of malevolence would subject to debacle.

From the beginning till end the story, acting of the ensembles, cinematography, cliff hangers, OSTs and most importantly the pace are extremely intriguing. Chill would run down one’s spine still one would be glued to his/her sit. Guaranteed. All credit and a huge round of applause should go to the ensembles for doing marvelous job of frightening us even in the broad day light. Moreover, I cannot eulogize the directors enough for their meticulous and well thought out direction and the writers for presenting us a discerning story through the lens of supernatural action/thriller. In one word the drama is enigmatic yet the message it holds is explicable.

OCN always present us the darkest, most sombrous dramas with captivating plot twists. I cannot say much due to the fear of giving out spoilers. So, if you do not want to live in quandary and quench your utter dismay you should go and watch it.

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This drama is really not a joke. It was very well made and everything was pretty much on point. The acting was good, the scenes brought out strong emotions and the story had a very nice way of unraveling, one episode at a time. It's the kind of drama that lingers on you for a long time even after the final credits have rolled.

You will encounter a lot of gore and unpleasant scenes. If you are sensitive to people stabbing themselves, eating their own limbs, hanging themselves or other goreful activities, DON'T watch this.

There is no romance. The main characters will slowly get closer but it's all in a nightmare like fight to avenge their families and each other.

This is not a light watch. It is bingable but it's not something you'd watch to feel happy. The story is very dark, sad and deep and plays a lot on the negative elements and emotions of people.

The acting was great and the story was interesting. Although one or two episodes felt a bit draggy, every single episode was an important part of the unraveling of the mystery. I love how they never once left the main road, instead we watched things happen on the road side and each happening was a sign, telling us where to turn next.

BUT NO DRAMA IS PERFECT.

The ending was not to my liking. To be honest, I had worked out, what I thought was a great theory, but in the end I was wrong and I'm okay with that as long as you give me something better. Instead, I felt like the writers randomly added an extra plot twist, just because, and then filmed a few extra scenes to back up their new change of course. I would have forgiven them for that if they had not ruined the potential of a brilliant ending in the next set of scenes! This is the only part of the story where the writers broke their own rules and the laws of nature just to have a happy ending which is why this drama is not a 10.

ENJOY!!!

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