Sell Your Haunted House (2021)

Amazingly Addictive

I have become a big fan of sleep as of late and I have, in a situation where I am a bit tired and can choose between staying up or shut eye, I always chose rest or sleep. So it's been a while where I have chosen to stay up, especially to watch a drama but this drama was worth staying up for. It's quite addictive, and it's easy to click to the next episode without even realizing.

Story: Although ghost stories and exorcisms are nothing new, this drama takes a fresh angle by incorporating the real estate market and shedding light to SK's real estate problem. It ties in well to the episodic cases and the main storyline. The episodic cases are interesting and enough depth is given to these short-appearing characters. I really liked how all the spirts did not talk or have expressions. Unlike other dramas that have ghosts acting just like humans, this non-expression state honed in the point that these spirits are not human; they are a remnant of something that once was and something that needs to go. I also really appreciated the female lead's relationships with her mother and her secretary/aunt. It was so relatable for her to be so independent yet also dependent on her mother, something I think a lot of adults or young adults can relate to with their parents.

In terms of acting, everyone did a pretty good job but Jang Nara absolutely nailed it. I really wish there more female characters like Hong Ji Ah (despite the increase of strong-willed female leads, I do find most of these intelligent and aloof roles go to the male characters) but it was Jang Nara that made her such a great character. Her tone of voice, her enunciation of her certain words, her gait and her facial expressions, like the slight narrowing of her eyes, were all so on point. In a less experienced actress's hands, Hong Ji Ah may have come off as pretentious or rude. I very much appreciate that Hong Ji Ah is given struggles and has to make important decisions - aka she is an active character.

The music was good and added some nice quirk. The production was well-done too and I liked the homey street area set location. While the drama does have some interesting twists, there are no major crazy shockers that take away the enjoyment of a re-watch. Overall, recommends hands down, especially if you want something with solid writing, a very interesting and well-written female lead and/or spooky themes. Spoilers below:





***SPOILERS***

So why not a higher rating if I loved this so much?

First, the villain character, Do Hak Sung, felt so one-note that he felt less like a character and almost more like a concept or plot device. Second, Kim Tae Jin and the ML's uncle Oh Sung Shik. I know the drama was trying to create two somewhat morally grey but ultimately sympathetic characters with these two but I could not come to like either. You can do bad things but there are some bad things (even minor bad things) you cannot do for audience to like you and the drama failed on that, for me.

Kim Tae Jin was supposed to be what I guess was a down-on-his-luck thug that served as comedic relief and ultimately comes around but I personally am still very upset at the problems he caused. Irl, he would be the type where I would maybe forgive but never call a friend. And Oh Sung Shik chose to put himself or his family over others twice. And when given a chance to try to repent aka confess, he eschews that again, to his own detriment. I know that he was doing it all for this family and it really Do Hak Sung's fault but this is where I come back to Do Hak Sung feeling less like a character and more like a plot device. To me, Oh Sung Shik's actions are equivalent to being forced into unforeseen circumstances (like a natural disaster) and choosing to sacrifice others over yourself. I don't hate him and I cannot condemn him but I don't have much good feelings toward him either.

But overall minor stuff in an otherwise amazing drama!

Leggi di Più

Good Enough

Korean Drama 'Sell Your Haunted House' is a plethora of ghosts and smooth dynamics.

The best thing about this drama is the lack of romance. The two did have chemistry and their dynamics were spot on, but they were not romantic ones. The ghost stories were all pretty interesting as well, and were nicely knitted into the main mystery. However, the latter was stretched out a bit too far. Still, the take on the ghost, from their abilities, to their makeup, was a refreshing touch. The exorcist ceremonial characteristics were also a factor that gave originality to the drama.

Finally, the performances were all great, but this needs a special shout-out to Jang Na Ra who proves that she can play rom com leads as well as dynamic, hardcore women.

So, overall, 8 out of 10.

Leggi di Più

A Meaningful Drama!!

The drama is about a female exorcist and her special psychic. Hong Ji Ah runs a real estate business of exorcism and when she meets Oh In bum she realises that he is a special psychic without knowing their past connection.
The drama is very good. I'm a very scaredy cat but this drama wasn't that scary. The drama is a very meaningful drama with short stories mixed to make the whole bigger drama. Each episode almost gives us a new story and a new meaning of life.
I was disappointed with the villain, he wasnt that scary as a villain should be.
The acting was amazing. But I loved Jang Na-ra the most. So beautiful, powerful, a femme fatale. She nailed her character.
Ah. I'm definitely going to miss the drama.

Leggi di Più

This drama pushed so many of my buttons: Older Woman/Younger Man, Cold Woman/Warm Man, Kick-Ass Woman/Soft Man... Gosh!

I loved the relationship between an exorcist and a psychic this drama featured. The psychic had to have absolute trust in the exorcist and the exorcist kept the psychic safe under all and any circumstances.

It took a while for Hong Ji Ah to warm up to Oh In Beom but he just wore her down with his warmth and good humor and general kind-heartedness and he reminded her what it meant to care. And when she then started to care... gosh!

My favorite moment/arc was Oh In Beom got possessed by the egg ghost again. Hong Ji Ah was so scared - mainly for him because she what it meant to exorcise an egg ghost! - that she used the necklace on him and simply drove the ghost out without exercising it first. She preferred it out there, even doing bad things, rather than possessing Oh In Beom because she didn't want him to die. And when the ghost got him again, the way she started crying...

Loved the drama. So much!

Leggi di Più

Entertaining

As a supernatural drama, there's nothing too grisly and macabre. Nor did the producers employed too much jump scares. The most viewers will see are shadows flitting past and ghostly mien that are not off putting. The lore of sending off discontented ghosts is nothing new and spelled out clearly; for C to happen, A and B have to take place etc.

The MLs and the rest of the cast are excellent. The development of the characters is an interesting and enjoyable journey. Of course I have to laugh at the requirement that the psychics have to be virgins. Typical routine to throw in some humour.

I hope there is a season 2 as there is plenty of space for all the characters to develop further and it will be a joy to watch the adventures of the group. If there is a season 2, I hope the same cast return and that the writers introduce a new interesting foe than break out the old one.

Leggi di Più

Excellent story but no romance

Story was well written and emotional , As per the story romance scenes were not required but they should have included in it someway by changing the script a bit, then it would have been perfect. Both leads looks amazing but they didn't used it.
Emotional scenes were good and acting was to the point.
Very less comedy and could have added more.
Should have added more mom horror scenes with the villans , Bit of different script, considering what most korean dramas are about like sweet romance or office romance.

Once of the reason i love most about south korean drama are stories are better than Hollywood

Leggi di Più

Inconsistent drama, amazing Jang Nara

I loved all the episodes up till episode 10, and I loved episode 12, but everything fell off a cliff after that.

Sell You Haunted House is basically an episodic series with an underlying arc being the exorcism of Hong Mi-jin. The show was consistently good in the beginning. It is actually a relatively well-written supernatural drama with good world-building. We know from the very beginning how exorcism works: exorcist + name + hairpin + medium + stab + memory. The biggest puzzle was also written down plainly right at the start. Why is Hong Mi-jin still dwelling in the human world? What is needed to exorcise her? We know what's happening and we have a direction for the story, and that's a good thing.

Every few episodes depicted the story of a lingering spirit. The pace was good, the execution was slick. I was especially impressed with episode 10, because I genuinely had a heart in the mouth moment. The action sequence was exciting, the improvisation was smart, and everything was just perfect. That one scene pushed the drama to a high. What was even better was Jang Nara's performance in episode 12. Simply legendary.

However, I wonder if this "high" proved to be detrimental to the series, because in comparison the remaining parts of the story lacked punch. After episode 12, the preview for the next episode was like telling the viewers "don't watch". Episode 12 was not a build-up, it was the climax. And so it was difficult for me to continue with the series, because I didn't think it was possible to Jang Nara to top her performance (not because of her, because of the flow of the story) and I didn't think it was possible for the series to give more excitement. I was right. I had to force myself to finish the show.

I do appreciate how the clues were given and how the solution to our puzzle was logical. However, I already guessed how the egg ghost could be exorcised, and I guessed how Hong Mi-jin could be exorcised. A better approach will be to push it further and make it smarter. The show needed a surprise, a eureka moment, but the writers failed to do that. I would prefer it if another episodic plot was added in to make the unravelling of the main story much quicker, and the quicker pace would've also allowed the writers to cover the flaws of their plot.

Overall, this is still one of the better K-dramas of 2021 though. Even if you don't like how it ended, I would say that the first half was a good watch anyway.

Leggi di Più

Not a huge fan of fantasy shows but....

I watched Hotel Del Luna last year despite not being into fantasy shows, particularly....the ones with ghosts/spirits but Hotel Del Luna had good reviews and I watched it and absolutely loved it. After my recent kdrama burnout, I decided to try something different once again and tried this show after reading the reviews here on MDL and can I just say that it was a lot better than I thought it would be?

The rate at which I've been dropping shows made me think that maybe I'd drop this one too but despite finding the opening of the show a bit boring I didn't give up and enjoyed it a lot.

It can't compare to Del Luna but it's still pretty good. I loved the plot and the execution. The casting was great and the leads had chemistry so I believe that not adding the romance element was a missed opportunity, I mean....to me it felt like they were just partners the whole time, would've been better if there were some feelings involved.
I loved the comedy aspect of the show, I've been watching serious shows and needed something like this. They could've done a better job with the bgm. I loved the ending too tho after episode 14 it slowed down a little.

It was predictable but predictable isn't always bad. I think it was a good show, not jaw-dropping, crazy good but still a good show.

Leggi di Più

I liked how the fl had her own LOOK. the dark hair and dark lipstick with the black clothes were great aesthetics
Tho I also disliked her secretary and evil dude's secretary matching a bit in the dark vibes. They had the same lipstick, same hair and same color scheme. It made it seem like a fashion style for ahjummas rather than the fl going dark for coldness and maturity. Since in her normal youth ppl didn't trust her, and insulted her she put on a facade of coldness with her fashion

Secretary was a cool fun aunt style so matching tones ruined the mood. Especially since dark lipsticks have shades, like red, orange, brown, maybe not pink. But the 3 seemed to share the same lipstick besides one ep where fl was red and aung was a bit dark pinkish hue?


I'm not a fan of nara but this her best work. Finally allowing her to be her age. Not insulting her age but they force the soft babyface way too much. It's not wrong to act characters her age.. tho idk if she was supposed to be 35? Since her aunt seemed 18, and the kid vr should be younger so maybe 15? Both looked easily in their natural 40s

The ml, he also didn't look 27 if kid vr was 7.. he looked again his age of 32




Anyway plot wise. I like subplots, but I hate childhood connection. Everything was way too connected.. way too dramatic traumatic for it to be solved so easily

Her mom didn't have to die.. they could've searched more.. I'd have understood more if they had the solution that was lost in a fire or something. But for them to be generations of exorcists and not have a solid resolution for egg ghost(?) Only for ml who has no background on the matter to solve it

Their ghosts and evil spirits were also too mellow. The were harmless besides a few hauntings. Even when the murderer and the big villain possessed ML, they only fought a bit and boom they were gone

I also really hated the connection.. his uncle killed. Got his nephew possessed. Ended up making the exorcist die by her daughter. And everything was solved with a few tears. He was a villain..

And that was the main problem. Her needles purified the spirits as if they were forgiven that's why big villain needed to be locked away.. but would that mean the actual evil ones didn't get punishment... most were vengeful spirits cuz they were wronged and murdered, but what about the killers
Also tripping and falling seemed like an easy way to become vengeful. There must've been atleast one in every building ?

Leggi di Più

I have a Jang Na Ra bias~

I really enjoyed this drama, the scenes between mother and daughter were both funny and heartbreaking, my only real issues were the obvious product placements that were literally filmed like an in character ad, It completely took you out of the drama and didn't fit with the rest of the show.
(Apparently my review is too short so the rest is just me complementing Jang Na Ra and Jung Yong Hwa)
I absolutely LOVE Jang Na Ra, the versatility of this woman is amazing, it's been great seeing her play more serious characters too.
Got to say, Jung Yong Hwa playing a more dorky character was very refreshing, though I'll admit I haven't watched much of his content so my comparisons are limited. He did really well and I enjoyed his portrayal of Oh In Beom more than I initially expected to.

Leggi di Più

What a ride

July 2, 2021

This drama is one of those drama that I must say is not romance base. I like how the drama does not focus on romance part like it is very subtle. I also like how each episode has its own mini story that is pretty much about what happened towards the former life of the spirits. And not gonna lie I was more focus on these mini arcs than the actual drama. Especially towards with the grandma and her ill relationship with her brother due to their fight and misunderstanding towards handling their father’s mental and physical health especially since he is considered as a “burden”. I cried buckets of tears, I couldn’t even pause the screen since I was just way too invested in that.

I definitely recommend this drama so I hope you watch it too

Leggi di Più

I started watching SYHH for Jang Na-ra but fell in love with this drama . Jang Na-ra and Jung Young-hwa both had an awe-inspiring presence. The story of Exorcism is what intrigued me. Hong-ji-a (Jang Na-ra) with her bold and dazzling looks when she performs exorcism is something else. You can't say the woman is 40. Such a beauty. As the FL she exorcises spirits and runs a realty firm to help people sell haunted houses. But she is unable to exorcise her mother who died when she was young due to the lack of powerful Psychic (People who serve as medium for unrested spirits and help Exorcist perform exorcism) and her mother still stays with her as an unrested spirit. Oh-in-bam (Jung Young-Hwa) as the ML is one who doesn't believe in spirits but makes a living out of it with his friend by conning people into making them believe that their house is haunted and volunteering themselves to perform exorcism. When both the ML and the FL paths cross during an exorcism it changes their lives totally. That's the gist of the plot.
The reasons for a person to become an unrested spirit after his/her is not fully understood by Hong-Ji-a at first but through her journey with Oh-in-Bam as her Psychic she comes to know a lot about her job that she didn't know for years which also helps her find a solution to exorcise the unrested spirit of her mother. Along their journey, the people they come across during their exorcisms and the peace of mind that they give to the people who were left behind by the dead makes Hong-Ji-a feel her job to be something more meaningful
than just performing exorcisms. Her character development also Oh-in-Bam's who was a fraud, starts to value the lives of people when he sees and experience the memories of the unrested spirits after the exorcism and changes his life for better.
SYHH is an entertaining watch feels a bit of a drag during the first 2 or 3 episodes but only gets better.
This is definitely gonna be on my Re-watch list.
And with the way the show ended there is high hopes for a season 2.

Leggi di Più