Pamyo (2024)

Good buildups but there's a tone shift

Spectacular cinematography and insane acting performances, the horror element is effective with a good amount of reasoning behind the plot, though the way it turns out at the end might be a little anticlimactic for some. The third act takes a weird tone shift after all the amazing buildups that were done earlier, more specifically its resolution part was given a superpower treatment instead of supernatural ones. Still, the historical and geopolitical backstory had lots of details which are quite logical, and their quality suspense holds well enough to make this an excellent movie overall.

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Has you on the edge of your seat.

Its places you into the action right from the beginning and takes you on a journey that is full tilt from start to finish. I was lucky to see this in a cinema in New Zealand so if you can see it on the big screen I recommend you do so, its certainly just that much more immersive and impressive surrounded by a sea of strangers. There's some powerhouse performances from all the leads, I love Lee Do Hyun, so him and the subject matter was what drew me to the film. I think for me the only downside was this story seems like it could have been fleshed out more in a series rather then a movie, it felt like it was wrapped up too quickly for me at least. They hinted at the background of the main characters but you never felt completely invested in the horror they were facing because you weren't given enough information about them. The soundtrack is masterful and the cinematography sublime. I still very much recommend this film.

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must watch

let's start by the cast, they could not have picked a better cast. their chemistry was just wonderful. they did so well. i felt so many things while watching the movie and the first ceremony scene gave me chills all over... so so good! i love how the had comedy (dark humor) all over, for example when mr. almost died and he said he was ready to go but then he thought oh my daughter's marriage. i was tearing up and that just cracked me up hahaha. every character did such an amazing job, and of course... kim goeun and lee dohyun never dissapoint. the ending was good but made wonder if there will be a sequel because of their unfinished business (their flashbacks etc.) either way, im satisfied with it. please, go and watch it if you have time and if your city is playing it. i feel like a movie theater experience will be even better.

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Insanely thrilling

The overall buildup is amazing and had me on edge of my seat! Story was great and they made an amazing mixture of supernatural, folklore, shamanism.

The use of subtle horror rather than giving a physical face in some scenes was amazing and gave more thrill and suspense.

Each actor/actress pulled of their role perfectly - as expected of a star studded lineup!

The movie sets the tone perfectly ; despite having some scenes where it drops, but overall, a very good and enjoyable watch.

Side note: Lee Dohyun and Kim Goeun are so attractive in this film <3

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Respect the Dead

The atmosphere of the film is haunting. The only film I could compare this to is "The Wailing". Exuma has elements of belief in Feng shui, Buddhism, Shamanism and even Christianity. And if the viewer believes, they are guaranteed to be terrified watching this. Personally, I was completely engaged with the film, and although I was aware that it was about paranormal stuff, I was convinced that it was real, which made the viewing experience very intense for me.

I was confused by how our main characters, in the first part of the film, routinely and even disrespectfully carry out their work, but when they are faced with the special task of digging up a problematic mysterious dead body in a coffin, they become completely dedicated to their work. As a priest, I also perform funerals daily and sometimes I am not completely concentrated, so this film encourages me to try, as much as possible, to give sincere respect and a dignified tribute to each deceased person and assist their eternal rest.

All in all, the actors did a great job. The sequence of the story changed its course throughout the film, but at the end we still see a meaningful unity that leads us to appreciate the cooperation and connection between the four main protagonists.

After the news of the film's success in Korean cinemas, I had high expectations for this and indeed, Exuma didn't disappoint.

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Confusing backstory for international audiences

I'll start with the positives first. Acting was phenomenal, and so was the directing and cinematography. Loved the music too. Story also made sense and characters didn't make dumbass mistakes usually seen in horror movies. It was fairly entertaining and kept me at the edge of my seat as well. I'm not a fan of jump scares and I'm glad there weren't any.

Not so good: If you're not Korean, you'll probably have a hard time understanding the context. The whole metal stake thing was confusing to me and I had to google it separately to understand what the heck was going on. The Japanese demon(?) thing was poorly explained as well - like what was it, why was he cursed by the monk and buried with that Korean dude who supposedly was loyal to the Japanese colonial administration etc. Kim Go Eun's character was also badly fleshed out as well. her backstory was close to non-existent and we know almost nothing about her other than 1. she's a shaman, 2. she speaks Japanese, 3. she has 2 sisters. Like why does she speak Japanese? Did something happen in Japan with some Japan ghost? Why did she become a shaman? She's advertised as the lead so I'm not sure why we know so little about her. Setting up for a sequel maybe? Who knows. As a result, it was pretty hard to relate to the characters since we barely know anything about them. I was watching solely based on the plot and wanting to know why and what was happening, which honestly left me with more questions than answers. The demon CGI wasn't great and broke the immersion too. I much preferred the first half when it was about the grandfather's angry spirit.

Overall, this is a fairly entertaining movie that I do not regret watching. However if you're not Korean it might be difficult to appreciate the nuances in the plot.

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A complex story trying to be scary

I didn't want to write a review cause I didn't understand the backstory very well and it took me a comment and three days to sequence all of it together. Nevertheless, I have to address the lost potential of this movie.
This movie is good. It's not a jumpscare kinda movie nor a liver-dropping but a layer-by-layer gore story. What initially starts as a grave awakening eventually escalates into a country-dividing curse-breaking ceremony. But saying the movie is one of the best horror movies is far-fetched cause honestly speaking it wasn't scary. As I explained, it was a detailed movie with intricate layers. Writing a complex story is a gamble because ppl need to understand for the fear to kick in but if the story is too complex and ppl don't understand, what's the point?? And I feel a lot of people who have horror as a main genre would agree with me.
In other words, think of this movie as a thesis. To the ppl who have read a lot of theses on this particular subject don't think this is any special but to others, it's written so that it makes it interesting.
The cast was the hype. I mean, LDH with tattoos, man, he can be the plot and KGE with those eyes. Yup, it was hyped. But honestly speaking, that's good for the movie. The other actors, I have seen rarely, but they slayed. Especially, scenes of doubt.
The music was the true hero. The BGM that ensued the creepy and eery feeling and the color contrast of places. Real nice.
Overall good movie for beginners. But needs to game up to the pros.

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You won't want to do anything else until you finish watching it.

• CINEMATOGRAPHY
This is one of the main points here, The cinematography was so beautiful and fabulous. I liked all the scenes and point of views, and everything.

• MUSIC
The music was on point for eveything, from the drumming for the exorcism to every intense moment, and then scary horrifying sound effects from time to time, it was perfect.

• STORY
The story was so good too. Showing about the history etc. And the movie's about Exorcism, Shamanism, Feng Shui, Buddhism and Christian too if you look at it. I didn't even know it before that a job of Geomancer exists. He tastes the soil and identify about the land. I got so immersed in it. The four characters work together their roles are different but they make a team and work together.
At first there was a family case, in which their grandfather's coffin ⚰️ was opened and he went on to a bloody killing streak of his descendants.
Then another a more bloodthirsty monster case came to light, but this is just my opinion that, in the end that (lord) died too easily, like it didn't fight back (well he was shown undefeatable). The ending was good, but just a doubt he died too easily.

• CASTING
The casting was perfect each actor was perfect. Kim Go Eun's performance was fabulous, her acting was so good and all other actors. I totally loved them.

I recommend this movie, 10/10.
Just that nothing else, Have a great day ahead.

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