Ambiguous Horror of The Wailing
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- čas přidán 11. 06. 2024
- Is this South Korea's scariest film? It may be. But what makes it so scary? Ambiguity. That's what. But then, how do you create ambiguity? Well, there are probably many ways, but in this case, it's 'editing'.
Let's take a look.
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Extra Credits:
Some background ambience from www.freesound.org/people/klank...
“Disposable Camera” by Floriangeyer [freesound.org/people/floriang...] is under Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) license.
Timestamp
0:00 Nightmare Sequence
1:57 The Wailing's Dream
2:54 The First 15 Minutes
4:46 Ambiguity
6:05 Memento
6:28 The Second Dream
6:50 No Beginning
8:19 Crosscut & Parallel Editing
9:19 The Wailing's Crosscut
9:45 The Ritual Night
10:38 The Revelation
11:11 The Breakdown
13:27 Crosscut for Accent
15:27 The Wailing's Goal
15:57 Signs
16:18 Atmosphere
17:19 Thank You
#TheWailing
#HorrorMovie
#KoreanMovie - Krátké a kreslené filmy
Oh that was fun to watch again and try to sleep:)...What's YOUR favourite horror film and why?
Thai horror Shutter. The plot is not the most amazing, but the twist has been seared in my mind ever since I watched it
@@rannierunsfast YES! I LOVE THAT MOVIE! I bought it just because I loved the Fatal Frame games, but the film was completely worth buying on its own merit.
Not sure if it counts as horror, but Annihilation is the best movie I've ever seen
Silence of the lamb anyway
REC
masterful use of tension and unlike many movies where the scariest scene is the first scary scene, this movie's ending is where it peaks
The scene when the main character has to decide whether to trust the woman in white is one of my favorite scenes in any horror film because I felt as confused as he did
yeah i was racking my brain the entire time
She was partly to blame for their deaths by wearing the victims' belongings and being so ambiguous about herself
Confusion is not horror. It's a parlour trick to keep you watching. The second half of this movie ruined it with unnecessary reverses, the building of the initial threat was way more horrifying
agreed. incredible moment.
and @@ashvinvasudeva248 I don't think that's an honest reading. Obviously confusion is not horror, but horror as a genre feeds on many different emotions, even laughter (quite often, in my experience of horror). A less interesting movie might have led up to this sort of scene with a story that made it clear that there is a right choice to make here, and we would gleefully deplore the character's bewilderment.
Instead, the character's confusion is all the more poignant that, while being completely on his side, we just don't know what he should do (it turns out there was probably no good option at this point to begin with).
I'm not arguing with your opinion on the film, just your (mis)understanding of OP's observation
I bought into the con and trusted the shaman over the mysterious woman. This movie was BRUTAL. If anyone reads this please recommend something that hits this hard. Something i'm not super likely to have seen already.
The worst part is when you realize that during the ritual sequence, both Il-Gwang and the Japanese man are working TOGETHER on Hyo-Jin, while she's completely powerless to resist. You watch that scene the first time round thinking that Il-Gwang is fighting against the Japanese man, but then you realize you were watching him attacking Hyo-Jin the whole time.
It's such a horrendous sense of betrayal and hopelessness, and it makes Hyo-Jin's screaming so much more harrowing, because it's no longer a case of a good guy trying to save her from a bad guy, but two bad guys putting their full strength into destroying her. Watching Hyo-Jin writhing in agony in this scene is genuinely hard to watch when you understand what's actually happening.
Hi, watched the movie yesterday and I belive the Japanese man was trying to bring the man in the car to life again. He had a picture of him while doing the ritual and in the morning we see the man in the car is no longer there anymore. I doubt he was doing a ritual on Hyo-jin.
@@gozdeylmaz7495 That's correct. I think it also explains why the Japanese man was so alarmed and confused when he went to check on the body, and the body was gone. I believe that the demon/spirit possessing him previously was transferred to the body, and only returned after the Japanese man "died" on the road. This was perhaps to ensure that the demon would live on, should something happen to the Japanese man.
The full ritual of how possessions/cursing seems to happen is... pictures must be taken twice - once to curse, and then to seal the curse, perhaps? I think that has some play there.
@@sneakysnakeways Well that's an interesting notion but nothing in the movie indicated that the demon in the Japanese man moved into a different body at any point. Only that he seemed to snap out of its control while being chased. The first snapshot is to curse the person and a lot of times the 2nd picture was of the person dead.
@@sneakysnakeways great bruh there are too many logics in this movie lolll
I don't think both of them were working against the little girl at that same time. We got to see in that moment what the Japanese man was doing with the pictures. He takes them and uses them in a ritual to bring back to life/control people (the guy in the truck) so they are forced to do his evil doing. The Shaman was helping him in the way that he made the girl more powerless since she had some protection already from the woman in white.
(south korean comment) It brings me the memory when I took all my family members to the movie theatre to watch The Wailing. I thought it was a mystery film with some horror scenes and my parents thought this might be just a heartwarming story of people living in Goksung. But....as it turns out..the movie was shockingly scary, creepy and my parents were just speechless for the whole time. After then, they never go to the movie theatre with me anymore. (Personally, I also had nightmares after watching this film and some scenes with the japanese guy haunt me till this day)
Oh how! Your poor parents! Now I really want to watch it though.
I feel so bad for you, and your parents! You thought you knew what to expect but you were very wrong! What a pity.
The last scene of this movie haunts me :( I couldn’t sleep for days and had to keep a night light on.
I really want to feel scared by this movie, but I just don't feel it, I'm frustrated, thought this would be the one to creep me out, but I just want the main characters to gooo
bruh the old guy was wack not scary at all hereditary was 1000x more scary than this
It’s so nice how modern horror is getting a little more creative and risky with it’s themes and plot lines. Midsommar and *Hereditary legit traumatized some people. Horror of the mind mixed with some gore and jump scares is my favorite kind.
hereditary had me distraught
like genuinely flabbergasted
Lol
Ari Aster is one of the best horror/drama producers out there. Hereditary and Midsommar are masterpieces. Looking forward to his next project
Not even trying to hate but I don't get why everyone is so creeped by Hereditary
I went into this movie thinking it would be a typical zombie horror and ended up getting severe PTSD
It was amazing
haha same. I couldn't finish this film the first viewing I had to come back to finish it.
I thougt it was too, I was SOOO surprised and schocked to the core
Almost thought that it originally made by japanese llol cuz the real ptsd 4 me was old japanese horror movies.
Same
the ending of the devil laughing in the cave still scares me till this very day -
it’s been 4 years since I watched it and I cannot get that scene out of my head.
this movie is the perfect combination of terrifying and absolutely heartbreaking.
same... no other horror film has done that for me
@Cockologist yes i believe so - in the final scene with the stranger and the priest , the priest accuses him of being the devil and says that if the man just tells him who he really is that he'll leaving without harming him to which the stranger replies " who says i'll let you go? "- the stranger reveals his true form which appears to be the devil and asks " why do you doubt ? look , it''s me "
it seems as so he's the devil.
Maybe it's just me, but this movie wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be
@Cockologist im almost positive he plays A devil, but not in a wholly christian sense, as in lucifer, but a "devil" in more of the sense of just an evil or demonic being, that has chosen this location to cause his chaos
I got the feeling the Japanese man might have been a yokai like a tengu, mostly because you see a lot of crows associated with him throughout the movie. There’s a lot of emphasis on folk magic etc in the movie and since he’s pointed out as Japanese, I had a feeling he might have been a spirit or creature from there now hiding in the Korean village.
based on the Director`s interview.
In Korea, there is an old superstition that every each area have a ghost who protects the people of the village. They call it "Tochack-ryung" means ghost who stick in the land. So the woman here is a kind of good ghost who is fated to protect the village. She wanted to protect her village from that evil spirit. This is why she was wearing victim`s stuff like cloths, hairpin.
The shaman is connected to the old japanese man. He is also a japanese. A scene where the shaman is changing clothes, he wore the same underwear as the japanese man. Why shaman does all of this is because he tricks the people of the village and earn money through it.
Japanese man is possessed by an evil. Sometimes he is just a normal person and that’s why he was crying at the cliff scene.
While the shaman is performing the ritual, the Japanese man is also suffering - Director said it in the interview, that wasn’t the same time event. The director wanted to make the audience a little bit confused.
this movie has a simple story line but the director cut and slice some scenes and mix it together and that’s why it makes this movie harder to understand.
Based on Director Hong-jin, Na`s interview
Only explanation that actually makes sense.
So dumb story made dumber by a director's dumb choices? Thanks
@@smartypants7954 ?
@@smartypants7954😐
@@smartypants7954the only dumb person is you apperantly
When I tell people I suffered through this movie, I absolutely mean, I suffered through this movie. I often wonder if Western audiences miss half of the story because we don't know the importance and stories of symbols, traditions, cultural things, sounds or even certain rooms/buildings... all of that. I often feel like I've only managed to understand half of the story being told to me.
Yea, sometimes even the subtitles can have a different nuance than what the original sub intended to say
kinda like midsommar
I know where you're coming from, ever since i saw oldboy and the host back in the early 2000s I've been a fan of Korean and japanese cinema, and stuff like audition, I saw the devil, chaser, it's insanely dark, brutal and incredible films but there's always that extra subtle layer of implications and cultural aspects we don't pick up on
Ill notice a handful of things here or there i only know because of decades of watching the stuff, but for the most part i wouldn't say we're missing a huge chunk, just a handful of things here or there.
I'd say the only central one is the name of the film, Gokseong is the name of the town, but also means the wail people make when lamenting a death, so there's that duality that's kind of lost with a direct English translation.
I watched this movie today and I must say that it was really hard for me to unterstand what was going on. Even the explanation of Spikima only answered a few of my questions. Maybe I have to watch this movie again. And yes, I probably missed a ton of details and symbols.
“I could go on about the details in The Wailing. From the sound design, symbols, all the way to the camera movement”. OH PLEASE, PLEASE GO ON!
One of the greatest cosmic horror film ever created in my opinion.
Main character goes through something that he cannot control….cannot understand.
And the ending is the perfect demonstration of cosmic horror.
Protagonist have no idea what to do. But he still acts. And in the end, he is powerless against the inevitable conclusion.
“뭣이 중헌디?”
“What’s the point?”
Not sure how this qualifies as cosmic horror
@@ToLiveXisXToDie Just my opinion!
I think it qualifies because it depicts mythic force as unstoppable/unexplainable.
Also how the main character acts against this force made it felt more like cosmic horror for me.
Especially the ending.
@@jeffersonyu1368 your opinion is meaningless in the face of facts. the shit isnt cosmic horror 💀
@@ToLiveXisXToDie it can still categorized as one. An otherworldly entity that renders the young man shocked in terror while taking pictures and spouting bible script really captured the cosmic horror genre for me.
Was it really unstopable or the guy ruined everything buy trusting the wrong people. Evil wasnt the only force around but he had to make choice without totally knowing who can he trust.
The weird thing about this movie is how there are different ways to interpret it.
The mushrooms get glazed over a lot, but at the beginning, it’s mentioned how all the village people were eating it. If it’s all truly a dream, it could have been a hallucination caused by the poisonous mushrooms that drove an entire village mad.
(Comments written by Koreans through a translator)
Interestingly, when Il-gwang performs ritual thing, the wood he breaks and drives in nails are called "Jeongseung" and are totems that protect the village.
Although this is a well-known fact in Korea, most Korean audiences did not notice it at all while watching the movie.
This is probably due to the confusion caused by the cross-editing mentioned in the video.
This movie was so horrifying that I had to watch it three times. I’ve never had a horror movie make me that terrified, I fully enjoyed watching it over and over again. It’s so unique and amazingly executed.
you freak lol
How is everyone so scared? I just don't see it.
the end evokves unholy alliance and complete evil so at its core its a story of value judgements and spiritual warfare
@@Taschip the fear is probably related to the sense of powerlessness, the despair of trying to protect something but failing. Seems more sad than scary to me, I guess they were going for a sense of dread, a sense that he can't wake up
Really doesn't take much to scare me, the Lazarus effect scared me a lot since I already feared death a fair bit
i saw this last year and the most terrifying part to me was the analogy of why bad things happen to good people. fishing
Perfect video to watch before bed tonight.
Absolutely perfect if you have to stay up.
Perfect movie to, I watched it on 31st Oct
the way the movie tricked me into believing the old man was good is. incredible story telling. i saw the photos. i saw what he did. but a slight change just. shifted it.
props to the director.
The “zombie” guy along with the last 30 minutes… brilliant film. When he transformed that image sat in my head. Freaky and so damn eerie. And the bleak ending, chefs kiss.
This movie actually didnt scare me as much as it preplexed me. Boy, I was CONFUSED alright. Not because I'm not understanding the intention, but because I don't understand why it's so scary. I remember ending the movie not understanding why I'm scared. It's fantastic.
Right I wasn't scared I was like omfg I was upset I was confused I was on the edge of my seat trying to solve the mystery I was upset that I felt bad for evil and was upset when I found out that good was evil and that evil was good bro the movie fucked with my head big time
This is one of the most complicated, creepy, straight up terrifying horror movies of all time in my opinion, and the greatest korean horror movie of all time. Its depth, complexity, sounds, events' flow and connection, acting, and storyline is just mindblowing. Some scenes were made in complete silence and those were just a work of art. I've watched it many time and i'm really good with noticing the small details and analyzing between the shots, and yet i never realized that the shaman was doing the harm to the girl, i always thought he was trying to stop the japanese man. It turned out they were working together all along. Korean film directors are on their own league.
The auditions😊
Oldboy entered the chat
your korean pronunciation!! its so rare for essay videos to even research about proper korean pronunciation so i love hearing yours
He's Korean
the editing of the final scene, where the woman is warning him to have faith in her, cutting back to the priest finding the devil, is the most suspenseful thing I've ever watched in my entire life. Every cut, every line of dialogue, every emotion from the father, kept me beyond the edge of my seat. I dont know if I'll ever experience another scene like it, and as a Christian, the whole message behind it, to trust and hope in God, even when the process is difficult and your filled with doubt, seeing someone fail at that is devastating. The entire movie is a warning about putting your trust in the wrong things, because evil will present itself as the good guy. Its a horror masterpiece and I only appreciate it more and more as time goes on
You would have lost in the cave too
I was a proud atheist before watching The Wailing. After watching it, it truly made me question my beliefs, what I thought I knew, made me ask if I was the one being deceived, made me re-examine the evil in the world and the evil in myself, and it ultimately turned me towards Christ. To me, this was far deeper than just a brilliant movie. It truly humbled me and changed my life. I'm forever grateful.
@@evanparrafx WOW, that's amazing to hear! So happy for you, and so amazed God used a horror movie to reach you. I really do think it's a genre that can be so effective in warning about evil and being honest about the effects of sin. I always get warnings from legalistic Christians about how they open up portals to demons, but there's so much horror and sin in Bible stories, they never say those are opening up a portal, lol. Just as an artist and lover of cinema, I appreciate the art and experience of them but they also are sometimes the best way to bring people to truth. Been thinking about this for a long time so it's so cool to get this comment confirming it for me! I'm sure the Christian director and actors would love to hear this testimony too!!!
@@Rayceunit01 Hey thanks for replying! I know your comment was posted a while ago, but I like that you pointed out the importance of faith in the movie. That's something that really hit deep since I lacked faith at the time. I've been obsessed with horror movies since I was a little kid. Still am. I make horror art for a living! But even as a kid, and not being particularly religious, horror movies really provided a moral framework that's largely a Christian worldview. You're right, they're almost always about the dangers of sin, temptation, embracing evil, possession, demons, and on and on. They're not painted in a positive light either, it's scary! And it's usually only the pure virgins that survive these trials. I truly think that horror movies are extremely important and I'll always defend them. Probably even more so now as a Christian. It's the only genre that can really delve into these things too. Haven't seen many dramas about demonic possession. Haha! But The Exorcist really pushed a lot of people to church, The Wailing made me finally find and embrace Christ. If that doesn't show the profound effects of horror as a genre, then nothing will.
@@KrunkCobainplatos cave, Christ is the light
@Spikima, I really wish you would do a follow-up analysis of The Wailing's sound design, set design, and symbols. The little bit that you did say (like the shaman killing white animals) makes me realize how much I missed just by not knowing enough about Korea. And the things you did discuss, for example the cross cuts during the exorcism scene, also made me realize I'd missed a lot - even though I understood the movie structurally and thematically. It kept me *questioning my doubts* the whole time because that was what it was meant to do...but the ending left me shaken more deeply than I expected, considering the strength of my nerves. I don't know if you ever do serial analyses of movies, but I'd really love to hear more more about the subliminal techniques that kept me on edge and finally horrified me.
Perhaps one day! I actually have a full length reaction coming up from this new platform that you can potentially check out in the near future! So perhaps stay tuned for that for now ;)
Haven’t even watched yet and thrilled to see an analysis made for The Wailing. The Wailing is the #1 horror movie - Spiritual Horror! I’m forever recommending it. I thought I was alone on an island loving this movie.
all the good movies are not always popular overseas
@@sethkang4410 This movie is incredibly popular overseas. Go make a bunch of posts on different forums asking for Asian horror movie recommendations and you’ll get dozens of people recommending this film. It’s arguably the single most popular Korean horror film in the world.
@@SnailHatan *forum* not youTuBE
@@sethkang4410 huh? Try formulating an actual sentence
yup. I loved it. especially the exorcism ritual, which was filmed brilliantly with the costumes and energy!!
your analysis of the dream sequence as well as the crosscuts are on point, it’s given me a new perspective. great video, thank you!
No film ever disturbed me more than this one, had to sleep in my sister’s room for almost two weeks with the door locked. Not even “Hereditary” made me feel the same amount of PTSD. Amazing film, but I wish I could forget I’ve seen it lmao
Well try watching hereditary
@@eissamaqsudi7811
Do you read the whole comment?
@@THaB4DGuY Bad bait
Why? It's not like something is coming for you all the way over from Korea.
@@everforward5561 That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Why do veterans have ptsd? The war is over. Why do many victims of kidnapping have ptsd? The kidnapper is in jail. It’s pretty obvious our brains don’t work like that.
This was wonderful, South Korean cinema may be the peak of movie making in the world right now; I think they’ve absolutely claimed the crown for their own.
They deserve every praise for originality and design
the editing breakdown was so well done
I was dying to hear your thoughts on this film, so well redacted and exemplified!!! always a joy to get a notification from this channel, looking forward to more insightful horror content
This is one of those looks so good I must leave, watch the movie, and come back type deals. Great curation, Spikima, I will be back
Took me a while to find the time, but.. a HELL of a good movie. Deeply felt and realized horror film. Ending has me gutted. Brutal.
For the first time in my life, I prayed after watching a movie! I prayed for my protection lol This movie right here, scared the shit out of me. I felt like the universe was going to punish me for watching such content I swear. Something so unsettling about it…
well this comment right here stopped me from taking the plunge...because shit i can't even let that vibe in my house
Lol indeed
@@YokoSanchez pleease shfbhbsi idk why this comment is funny to me😭💀
@@YokoSanchez lmfao same
@@af-bl7ee yo same bruh
I just found your channel, horror and psychologically unsettling movies are my favorite. I'm so grateful to have stumbled upon one of your videos, thank you for doing this, I really appreciate your analysis and breakdowns. I've always had a fear of suspense, as to the average jump scare. These are extremely well done, you deserve well past a million subscribers, and I cannot wait until you surpass that mark. Thank you man, sincerely.
Appreciate the love! ;)
years ago, my bf and i randomly picked this movie off netflix to watch late one night and it was an insane experience going in so blind...i wouldn't want it any other way now of course but this movie still haunts me, the creeping sense of dread and uncertainty followed me for days afterwards
I love how you give such artistic nods to the movie/director (the way you're editing and structuring the whole thing) you're talking about in your own video essays. It's the meta commentary that I love about your content!
Happy you noticed! ;) That's what makes it fun for me too
@@SpikimaMovies thats why we love your vids lad.
I watched this movie with friends thinking it would be fun to watch a horror movie during a sleepover. None of us could sleep that night.
Incredible film. The director is a huge talent
Your videos are always perfectly constructed and help me understand movies from a different perspective. Keep up the incredible work.
This movie broke my heart and it remained in my head for a very long time. It was the greatest horror movie I've ever seen
I still wail this movie as one of the best horror movies I've ever seen
Yes!! That's exactly what I love about the movie, the presentation itself is scary but the worst thing is that lingering feeling of being tortured not knowing what is true, who is bad or good, which fully connects us to the character and their suffering, being toyed with by the demon
This movie was great too. It's hard for me to watch movies nowadays cause my phones a distraction but the subtitles forced me to pay attention. I think I might just watch foreign movies from now on. I don't give a spit about superheros anyways.
Definitely give foreign films more of a chance. Like you say, the lack of easily understandable language and subtitles keeps you glued to the screen. You can't just assume you'll pick up details from background audio.
Pro tip
Turn off your phone.
Focus on what you re doing.
There are other non foreign films that aren’t superhero films
@@MisterPyramid no
@@MisterPyramid wow racist. Go support Trump somewhere else
This movie didnt scare me at all, it made me deeply sad (not a complaint). Maybe because I don't have any attachment to the concept of spirits & demons? But I felt tremendous empathy towards the suffering of the characters. It was an absorbing and extremely emotional film to me. Excellent story telling
exactly my experience. i dont find spiritual things scary at all and i thought this movie would do something different but nope..
That's what I thought as well. Wasn't scary or overly 'spookish' but the mind games it played were extremely well done. Very good movie.
I am very religious and spiritual and i was not scared by this movie either. I did cry when the daughter was having nightmares and then fell into a pile of tears in her dad's arms however
yeah the movie makes me sad too :(
in my case instead of loving the music during the exorcism scenes and wanting to even dance lol ; i should have paid attention to the details lol. Cuz so many details slipped and i didnt understznd they were working together.
These essays are so well written, I’m not a film buff but I really appreciate your careful analysis. 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾 very insightful
Keep up the good work 😊😊😊
One of the greatest horror movies I have ever seen. It is not often I get so impacted that I cannot sleep, have a massive headache and dizziness while visuals from the movie flashes before my eyes again and again. So awful to be in that moment, yet I love the movies that can do that to me. Even without understanding all the subtle information The Wailing manage to create a terrifying and memorable experience. You did an amazing job explaining some key parts of filmaking that makes this movie so impactful. Great video!!!
to be fair, in happy death day the whole nightmare trope is turned into a key part of the narrative and does actually have some noticeable weight on the story as a whole, with the resets or the subsequent nightmare trope serves as a pathway to finding the killer, with the character getting closer and closer with each sequence.
Finally!! I have been waiting for you to cover this masterclass of a horror title
Easily my favourite horror film of all time, it does so many things in a single attempt and doesn't let it feel over-bloated
This channel is brilliant and deserves 100x the amount of subs. Great stuff as always
I gotta say, I do find it kind of funny that Happy Death Day's "wake up" scene was used when describing how crappy and trite those scenes are, when not once do we ever get a scene where she is actually dreaming.
i was just in the mood for rewatching this when you posted this video!
this is onbe of my favorite horror movies
DUDE, the wailing is one of my favourite few horror movies and there's so much new stuff i found from this video!
Easily one of the greatest horror movies ever and I'm glad you did a breakdown on this. I've learnt new things thanks to you!
i did not pay enough attention to the wailing, missed a lot of this details. great video!
i have had one horror experience in my life, the game Layers of Fear, someone watched me play it and asked if i was ok because i had turned completely pale and was sweating profusely, when i finished playing i decided that wasnt even remotely a fun experience.
so now i avoid experiencing any kind of horror content, and instead just watch people analyse and deconstruct it, thats far more entertaining to me. its like a game of telephone
barely heard, poorly explained, and interpreted differently every time
Bruh they added a ouija board to that game for a Halloween event. I remember type out words and then some creepy ass display related to the word would appear on an old teleprompter. After watching several of these i started getting more unsettled. Decided to type death to see what would happen, i died on the spot but woke up again staring at wall with the text "Death is but a layer" on it. That was about 10 seconds of psychological torment for me lol
That game of telephone analogy is fucking great dude. I might borrow it myself, thanks :]
I remember being really confused about half way through the movie thinking... what genre is this? What is the threat!? It is a plague, zombies... ghosts?! I'm laughing one second and the next I'm absolutely terrified. But man, when he makes his final decision at the end of the movie I just remember feeling so upset, frustrated and angry. Crazy good movie, thanks for your video essay.
The ending of this movie fucking BROKE me
I remember being in the edge of my seat when I first watched the Wailing. I had no idea who to trust.
There is no analysis greater than this, when it comes to The Wailing. Brilliant!
Spikima, I truly love your videos. I learn so much and they way direct these makes it so interesting to watch. Thank you and keep up the great work brother
Thanks for watching my friend!
Thank you so much for this. I watched this movie almost 4 years ago, it terrified me deeply. I have been looking for a story and image analysis for the longest time to try and understand The Wailing better.
all-time favorite horror movie, if i were forced to nail an answer down. ive spent like 10 hours watching & rewatching, & each time there's a handful of wrinkles yet-considered that i have to contend w in the narrative ive constructed mentally. each viewing feels like an Occasion. on top of that, watching it off a netflix algorithm rec at 1 in the morning during a bender, w zero expectations, during a harsh period of my life is one of the inciting incidents that got me to embrace writing. such a masterpiece of a muse, appreciate the coverage dawg
This movie stuck inside my head for months. The ambiguity of it all, and oh boy it was horror, thriller, suspense, a must watch.
I do like that happy death day takes that "nightmare sequence" and basically makes it the main conflict of the entire movie.
Your analysis and the video itself is genuinly is so amazing . You did a great job explaning the plot and focusing on details we missed as audience ! u earned a new subscriber !!❤
One of my favourite horror movies. So glad you covered it. Would love to see your take on Lake Mungo.
With every video I learn something new to appreciate about those great films.
The Wailing is genuinely one of the most frightening films I've seen.
Thanks for all your awesome work on this channel!
This film was extremely well done. I remember being taken off guard by the fact it was horror lol but it was so engaging and kept my attention the whole time. Everything from the directing, casting, cinematography, symbolism, storyline, and character development. I re-watched it this year, remembering how amazing the first time was. For some reason, the second time was underwhelming but i think it was because I wasnt paying attention lol. With the right of focus, though, it will reel you in, and sets the ambience from the get to.
The wailing was one of those movies I never expected to be spooked by but between everything that occurs throughout the movie and the symbolism, the meanings when you understand the culture and so much more, it becomes terrifying
I've been watching this favorite film for years, loving it and not knowing, ultimately, what was going on. Too distracted by the utterly thrilling Shaman's ritual, the possessed child's performance, etc. to notice anything that might tell me what was really going on. You brought so much to light, I doubt that I will ever trust my own senses. But I will learn.....I hope. Going to watch this movie again and look at this analysis again. Thank you for what you do!!!! You blew me away.
YES. I love this movie and I'm so glad to hear more discussion about it whenever
Your analysis is compelling whoa
Watched the movie several times and still missed so many points excellent work
As soon as i finished this movie it was an instant favourite for me... you should do a second part !!
One of the scariest ending sequences I have ever seen. I have immediately opened this video to shake out the chills.
Love this movie and so glad you're bringing attention to it
I love na hong jins movies, I’d love to see a you do a sort of essay on the chaser 👍🏻 love your work man
I always recommend this movie whenever a friend wants to watch horror. The storytelling of this film is just superb
awesome video man, really masterful analysis
I love this video essay so much! Your analysis on the editing of the ritual scene was amazing. Thank you for talking about this movie!
Recently, I also watched a Thai movie called "The Medium" without knowing anything about it. By the end I was completely terrfied, but I was also thinking "Why does this remind me of The Wailing?" Turns out Na Hong-jin produced it. He really knows how to give people nightmares!
I love how you disect horror. please keep it up!
WOW WOW the incredible levels and layers of skill and artistry to both make such a film and to be able to analyze and see those choices are just... mind boggling. people are amazing.
Definitely my fav Korean movie 👍 watched it the very year it released but can never forget the last scene in the cave
This channel is so amazing!!
I want to become a film director in the future so your videos really help me get a deeper understanding of everything.
Thank you for your hard work, it's greatly appreciated!!💚❤💙
I didn’t get how the driving on the left , the sacrifice of the white animals, and the two hooks for the bait were giveaways
Driving for one, is done on the right side in Korea, but left in Japan, implying shaman's connection with the Japanese man. The white animal is a bit more complicated and controversial to get into here, but the two hooks represent that it's not just the Japanese man, but there is one more person working with him, which is the shaman.
These breakdowns give me a whole new world of appreciation for movies.
There are so many details hidden at plain sight that now make so much sense.
Thank you for the video!
The follow through of a nest, goat heads and the Noh mask in the man’s house were a big hint for me, but the editing and the order really had me questioning if I was right by the end. I felt like everything our main character was doing was just making it worse and his last words just made it more crushing. It was a crazy reveal.
I am so glad this isn't an April fools joke, your videos are excellent
When it comes to The Wailing, no jokes on this channel, if anything, out of respect haha
I watched this movie a while ago while it was on Netflix, it’s one of the best pieces of horror cinema I’ve ever watched. I wish it was still on Netflix for me to rewatch
It’s amazing, the characters are amazing, and I feel like it’s severely underrated. I’m happy somebody is finally talking about it
The Ring. An everyday entertainment box sitting in the corner of my living room became shiver inducing object in the middle of the night whenever I had to pee. Never had the courage to look at it for almost a year.
if you enjoy that genre, I highly recommend 2005s reincarnation, another korean horror and one of the most frightening movies of all time
I wouldn't have watched this (or appreciated it) without your excellent breakdown. Going have to rewatch - a surprisingly fast 2.5 hours!
I love this film, one of the best horror movies in recent years. The way I changed my mind so many times while watching about who was the real antagonist and the scene where the Japanese man reveals his true self at the end really shocked me. I hope you do another video about this movie, maybe about the religious themes?
I couldn’t before , and still can’t , explain to people or understand why this movie is so good. My friends who like more western horrors , gore , jump scares, etc. just don’t get it. This movie is like the vvitch or it follows, it’s the atmosphere , the creeping dread, building tension & anxiety escalated until it boils over in a climax. This movie’s ending , to this day, still affects me. It’s legendary.. just one of my favorite movies in general. This movie is a waking nightmare, the ambiguity makes you so uneasy because you know SOMETHING is wrong , but who or what it is, you don’t know . But it’s there, it’s in the room with them , and you too.. This movie is true horror / terror to me - it’s unsettling , lasting unease - not startling , like a jump scare , which only thrills you for a second. This one stays with you. I love it . Thanks for the video :)))
Great video! one of the best breakdowns on youtube
This channel is a gem. Thank you!
Not only one of the best horror movies I've seen, but damn this movie had me on the edge of my seat
Great video!
I haven't seen it since it released, but I remember really enjoying the vast majority of it but feeling kinda cheated by the editing of (I think?) the ritual because it was cross-cut sequences that seemed like parallel action and so when I got to the end and realized that things weren't actually playing out the way I thought they were, it felt like I could never have actually figured out what was going to happen. It's not just a matter of being ambiguous (which I liked) but actively misleading the audience in that one moment which undercut the overall effect for me. All that said, because I haven't seen it since that initial time, I never got to connect all of the narrative "Hey, I'ma trick you" stuff, which makes me slightly more accepting of it! So thanks for that.
(Other random thought: I get including Happy Death Day from, like, "Ugh, this dang shot again!" perspective, but it's not quite fair to lump it in with all the other movies because it's not a dream sequence (and unlike most time loops, there are actual consequences each time she dies (though the movie kind of drops that whole concept which was too bad)).)
Great to hear from you!
Yes, indeed, the cross-cut sequence I presented here WAS a big dividing factor for a lot of Korean critics as well back when the movie premiered.
Some thought it's misleading for the sake of it; some thought hinting Moo-myeong's presence with a clearer shot might have been necessary to make the cut genuinely 'clever' and not misleading, etc. I also have some divided stance on this subject, but I thought it's still very interesting to delve into it! Happy to hear it helped with your acceptance of things.
And on the note for Happy Death Day, absolutely. Not exactly fair (and in fact, a lot of other shots I used weren't dream sequences from 'horror' films either so...this was just me being sh!tty at finding film clips and hoping people get the point). I actually wrote a little caption at the bottom of each clip saying similar things haha, which I knew nobody would see, but for my conscience I guess! Thanks for the input!
Wonderful analysis! I adore this movie and you brought even more of its layers into light!
Incredible film (& such a damn articulate & masterful breakdown-I’m late but I’m subbed man👍)
Love the foreshadowing of the fisherman hooking the worm (intro) w/not 1 hook, but 2 (or a double); symbolic of not just this devil but the fake shaman he uses as well
(Love that you brought up Memento, a criminally unwatched film)
Thanks for the nightmares love you Spikima
Any time. Much love
Excellent video, as usual. While I thought the film was great and have seen it more than once, exactly that ambiguity of the ending throws me off. Maybe I'm just not clever enough for these kinds of films, which is a shame because I do love them.
I love your notes on films. do more!
Great essay and a even greater movie. Thatnks for recomending me this masterpiece