ANN/THE KOREA HERALD – Exhuma is a South Korean occult movie directed by Yoon Jang-hyun, who is well-known for popularising the occult genre in Korea with his hit movies such as The Priest and Svaha: The Sixth Finger.
The plot of Exhuma revolves around a group of people, including an exorcist, an undertaker, and a Feng Shui specialist, who are tasked with moving a tomb.
In Exhuma, South Korean actress Kim Gool-eun talks about how she wanted to “perfect” her role as a traditional Korean shaman in the movie.
“I have been a fan of director Jang ever since I watched his short film The 12th Assistant Priest, which is connected to the stories told in The Priests,” said Kim, during an interview with reporters in Seoul recently.
“I watch a lot of occult movies because I enjoy them, and I thought The Priests marked the genuine beginning of the popularisation of occult-genre movies in Korea. I developed a respect for Jang, for pioneering the occult genre in the Korean cinematic industry. So, when the offer came for me to play a role in Exhuma, I was thrilled,” said Kim.
Kim recently garnered attention with her performance of a “daesal gut“, or a type of shaman ritual with animal sacrifice to chase away evil spirits, in Exhuma.
According to Kim, the daesal gut scene was key to making Hwa-rim a credible character, as she leads the story with other characters, such as feng shui specialist Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik) and her assistant Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun).
“I thought that for the audience to believe and follow along with Hwa-rim’s story, Hwa-rim needed to exude a strong aura of professionalism,” said Kim.
“In order to play the (daesal gut) scene, I went to see actual daesal gut. I heard that daesal gut is something even experienced shamans struggle with. So I visited shamans and immersed myself in their daily lives, spending time with them and learning whenever possible,” said Kim.
