This is a solid exorcism horror film. Yes, it's in Korean (still unclear on why so many people refuse to watch movies with subtitles), but it is very good. Even twists the plot on your standard exorcism tropes in a way I don't believe I've seen done before. Really don't want to give away spoilers on that so that's all I'm saying. Good acting, creepy as hell with a few cringey gore scenes. I, myself, adore horror films. Total junkie so I've seen an obscene amount and this is definitely worth a watch. Especially if you like your exorcism/possession films.
23 Reviews
Asian Horror adapting the common Exorcism movie
moonyentalam24 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I love Asian horror movies. It's surprising how this movie focuses on exorcism which I am not used to. Korean horror movies are often about ghosts or psychological horror. Culturally, it is not common for Koreans to be religious (Catholics) but the beliefs of spirits and how they can manifest based on cultural beliefs which, happens to be a unique trait for Asian's horror movies.
There were some creepy parts that I like so I am not ditching this out.
There were some creepy parts that I like so I am not ditching this out.
Devilishly good Korean whodunnit demonology
richardwworkman4 February 2021
A shapeshifting demon has attached itself to the family of a catholic priest struggling with a failed exorcism and a loss of faith.
This is an interesting take on the possession idea as the focus is very much on the demon rather than the victim. Without giving too much away we are never sure precisely who is the demon as it moves from person to person.
As with most modern Korean cinema this is is a great piece of visual story telling. We are constantly guessing who and how the demon is possessing. The way the evil unfolds around the family as it turns them against each other is dramatically portrayed.
But the story kind of lets itself down in the end. Throughout this film there are reminders of the physical artifice of the church but despite the evidence of demonic possession, the impotence is ultimately frustrating.
The confrontation with evil is left down to the single younger brother but it's not really clear why. For me a little bit too much is left unsaid and implied meaning doesn't balance out the constant sense of foreboding well enough. In the end we are left with a romantic sacrifice and some rather unconvincing ghostbusters style special effects.
This film has a lot going for it and while it leaves us with many unanswered questions the performances are convincing.
This is an interesting take on the possession idea as the focus is very much on the demon rather than the victim. Without giving too much away we are never sure precisely who is the demon as it moves from person to person.
As with most modern Korean cinema this is is a great piece of visual story telling. We are constantly guessing who and how the demon is possessing. The way the evil unfolds around the family as it turns them against each other is dramatically portrayed.
But the story kind of lets itself down in the end. Throughout this film there are reminders of the physical artifice of the church but despite the evidence of demonic possession, the impotence is ultimately frustrating.
The confrontation with evil is left down to the single younger brother but it's not really clear why. For me a little bit too much is left unsaid and implied meaning doesn't balance out the constant sense of foreboding well enough. In the end we are left with a romantic sacrifice and some rather unconvincing ghostbusters style special effects.
This film has a lot going for it and while it leaves us with many unanswered questions the performances are convincing.
Unused potential
kii_ma25 November 2021
If you are looking for an exorcism horror movie without big expectation this one is a nice choice.
It is morderately good, but it should have worked more with the family dynamics and the problems to make the whole thing way more suspense. As a viewer you know way to soon what was going on except a little bit in the end. It is not bad by any means, there are some good moments in there, but they could have done more with the concept. Plotholes aside, there were good ideas about the demon that could have played way more with the viewers mind.
Some scenes were quite good but it is no mindblowing new exorcism movie.
It is morderately good, but it should have worked more with the family dynamics and the problems to make the whole thing way more suspense. As a viewer you know way to soon what was going on except a little bit in the end. It is not bad by any means, there are some good moments in there, but they could have done more with the concept. Plotholes aside, there were good ideas about the demon that could have played way more with the viewers mind.
Some scenes were quite good but it is no mindblowing new exorcism movie.
Almost there but nah
v-869342 March 2022
It is okay to watch and enjoyable but nothing standout really. The story just go with the flow and the ending feels empty, I think the movie wouldn't be lame if there's more plot and twist like more effort on explaining what is actually happening.
Not worth it
Misss2510 July 2022
It felt like watching the same thing over and over. .The movie is long, kind of felt bored. It is just dragged to much. However, It has a unique concept to some extend as in horror movies, we typically get to see a ghost to enter someone's body and possessed it. But, in this movie shape shifter is kind of new. A demonic spirit or I donno what to referred it, can change shapes and faces too.
Ending
rvksdhn-5930116 May 2021
it's just ok
ansirahka5 February 2020
GOOD.
andrewchristianjr23 March 2024
Interesting. Storyline is unique. The acting are well carried out by the casts. Could have put more scare into it. Overall, not bad for a boring night to pass time.
Synopsis: A face-changing evil spirit infiltrates a family, placing one brother in danger while the other tries to save him.
A face-changing evil spirit infiltrates a family, placing one brother in danger while the other tries to save him.
A face-changing evil spirit infiltrates a family, placing one brother in danger while the other tries to save him.
A face-changing evil spirit infiltrates a family, placing one brother in danger while the other tries to save him.
Synopsis: A face-changing evil spirit infiltrates a family, placing one brother in danger while the other tries to save him.
A face-changing evil spirit infiltrates a family, placing one brother in danger while the other tries to save him.
A face-changing evil spirit infiltrates a family, placing one brother in danger while the other tries to save him.
A face-changing evil spirit infiltrates a family, placing one brother in danger while the other tries to save him.
It's actually just one giant plot hole
zbyang27 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
While the actors did very well, the plot holes and illogical events just make this movie a comedy.
While the storyline is set up very well, when the main plot unfolds, everything established gets thrown out the window. The demon has no rules or limits to what It can do, things that happen get ignored by everyone and all the characters act stupid. Actors will disappear from the movie entirely cause there's nothing for them to do.
At one point it's established that the demon assumes forms to cause harm to the family, however one of the daughters gets sucked into an incinerator by an unseen force. If it can do that why even bother with the possessions? Oh right, cause the movie has to happen.
Many more inconsistencies plague the film and make it nearly unwatchable along with cliches that are just shoed in.
There's also just so much unnatural lighting that is just distracting and negates the creepy nature of the film. I'm unsure why the filmmaker didn't want his horror film to be dark.
Don't watch it, there's way better exorcism stories to put on.
While the storyline is set up very well, when the main plot unfolds, everything established gets thrown out the window. The demon has no rules or limits to what It can do, things that happen get ignored by everyone and all the characters act stupid. Actors will disappear from the movie entirely cause there's nothing for them to do.
At one point it's established that the demon assumes forms to cause harm to the family, however one of the daughters gets sucked into an incinerator by an unseen force. If it can do that why even bother with the possessions? Oh right, cause the movie has to happen.
Many more inconsistencies plague the film and make it nearly unwatchable along with cliches that are just shoed in.
There's also just so much unnatural lighting that is just distracting and negates the creepy nature of the film. I'm unsure why the filmmaker didn't want his horror film to be dark.
Don't watch it, there's way better exorcism stories to put on.
Slow-burn supernatural horror movie that goes back to the style of the seventies without being old-fashioned
kluseba31 March 2021
Byeonshin, internationally known as Metamorphosis, is a supernatural horror movie from South Korea. The movie starts with a scene where a priest tries an excorcism on a girl who is possessed by an evil spirit. The exorcism ends in a disaster and the reclusive priest thinks about moving abroad to take some distance from those horrible events. Around the same time, his brother's family moves to a new city. Even though the house looks amazing, the peace is quickly disturbed by a creepy neighbour who seems to be performing rituals with dead animals in the middle of the night. Even though the police starts investigating, they can't find any proofs for such rituals. Every single day, strange things start occuring in the neighbourhood and especially in the family. The mother has an emotional breakdown during breakfast. The father sneaks into his daughter's bedroom in the middle of the night but can't recall it the next day. As things slowly spiral out of control, the family asks the priest to intervene on his last day before moving abroad. The exorcist doesn't realize however that he has already been targeted by a menacing supernatural force as well.
This horror movie convinces with a steadily increasing gloomy atmosphere rather than with predictable jump scares. The acting performances add a lot to the atmosphere as one constantly tries to figure out who is acting normally and who might be possessed. The locations have been chosen with care and especially the opening exorcism, the neighbour's creepy house and the car accident scene will leave lasting impressions. The light and sound effects are employed with care rather than with exaggeration and complement the story appropriately.
In the end, Byeonshin or Metamorphosis, is a supernatural horror movie for those who have gotten sick of Hollywood's predictable sequels of jump-scare horror flicks. This movie goes back to the roots of classic horror cinema of the seventies as it values atmosphere over shock effects. This film doesn't include much gore but rather focuses on psychological horror elements. What we have here is a slow burn that starts with a bang and then slows down to gradually unfold its bleak vibes until a dramatic finale. This film doesn't quite rival some other excellent South Korean horror movies of recent memory such as The Wailing, Rampant and Train to Busan but it proves once again that South Korean cinema is currently the best in the world in my opinion.
This horror movie convinces with a steadily increasing gloomy atmosphere rather than with predictable jump scares. The acting performances add a lot to the atmosphere as one constantly tries to figure out who is acting normally and who might be possessed. The locations have been chosen with care and especially the opening exorcism, the neighbour's creepy house and the car accident scene will leave lasting impressions. The light and sound effects are employed with care rather than with exaggeration and complement the story appropriately.
In the end, Byeonshin or Metamorphosis, is a supernatural horror movie for those who have gotten sick of Hollywood's predictable sequels of jump-scare horror flicks. This movie goes back to the roots of classic horror cinema of the seventies as it values atmosphere over shock effects. This film doesn't include much gore but rather focuses on psychological horror elements. What we have here is a slow burn that starts with a bang and then slows down to gradually unfold its bleak vibes until a dramatic finale. This film doesn't quite rival some other excellent South Korean horror movies of recent memory such as The Wailing, Rampant and Train to Busan but it proves once again that South Korean cinema is currently the best in the world in my opinion.
Great first half, but....
anggaa_wijaya23 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The first half of the movie is really good, but the last half? No, too may plot holes and bad decisions.
As the story unfolded, the central premise of the demon's shapeshifting abilities was introduced, adding an exciting layer of complexity to the narrative. This ability made the demon a formidable adversary, capable of exploiting the deepest fears and vulnerabilities of its victims. However, as the plot thickened, so did the frustration of the audience. One glaring issue arose with the family's decision-making, which unfortunately detracted from the otherwise enthralling experience.
It became evident that the family's lack of cohesion was their Achilles' heel. With knowledge of the demon's shapeshifting prowess, one would expect them to stick together, relying on each other's support and collective intelligence to thwart the malevolent force. Alas, this was not the case. Instead of fostering unity, the characters made questionable choices, often venturing off on their own, which led to avoidable confrontations and dire consequences. Such lapses in judgment left the audience puzzled and somewhat disconnected from the characters' plight.
Okay movie overall.
As the story unfolded, the central premise of the demon's shapeshifting abilities was introduced, adding an exciting layer of complexity to the narrative. This ability made the demon a formidable adversary, capable of exploiting the deepest fears and vulnerabilities of its victims. However, as the plot thickened, so did the frustration of the audience. One glaring issue arose with the family's decision-making, which unfortunately detracted from the otherwise enthralling experience.
It became evident that the family's lack of cohesion was their Achilles' heel. With knowledge of the demon's shapeshifting prowess, one would expect them to stick together, relying on each other's support and collective intelligence to thwart the malevolent force. Alas, this was not the case. Instead of fostering unity, the characters made questionable choices, often venturing off on their own, which led to avoidable confrontations and dire consequences. Such lapses in judgment left the audience puzzled and somewhat disconnected from the characters' plight.
Okay movie overall.
2 hours felt forever.
Patient44420 February 2020
This is a straight forward exorcism movie, with absolutely nothing new for the genre, the exact same formula but with the typical Asian twist that you will easily see it coming in the last act.
Sadly to say, I did not enjoy it, it felt overlong, boring and a tad bit all over the place, especially the first part. Surely enough, it takes its time to properly start, even tho it is quite clear what the movie is about, and then it just goes over and over the same things every single possession movie did so before.
It was rather hard for me to keep my interest going, but nevertheless I can definitely say that Byeonshin is a difficult movie to watch, simply because it tries too much in a area that has so little to offer. We all have seen this many times before and simply because it is Asian and does not involve a ghost with long dark hair, does not mean that different is good. It was quite a challenge to stay in focus with its development.
Cheers!
Sadly to say, I did not enjoy it, it felt overlong, boring and a tad bit all over the place, especially the first part. Surely enough, it takes its time to properly start, even tho it is quite clear what the movie is about, and then it just goes over and over the same things every single possession movie did so before.
It was rather hard for me to keep my interest going, but nevertheless I can definitely say that Byeonshin is a difficult movie to watch, simply because it tries too much in a area that has so little to offer. We all have seen this many times before and simply because it is Asian and does not involve a ghost with long dark hair, does not mean that different is good. It was quite a challenge to stay in focus with its development.
Cheers!
Awfull
joaosantos2030 January 2021
Zzzz
thawdnine12 October 2020
The worst Korean horror film nowadays. Though it says "Horror", I can only get 10% horrified and 90% boring moments.
The whole storyline sucks and there are many plot holes. And the actors with over make-up ruins the reality of the film.
It's better not to watch but if you want to, do it before you go to sleep. It might help you to be sleepy.
Ya! A review from 🇲🇲
two beautiful daughter, only two good things in 2 hours
nutvc27 September 2021
Great movie!
pilarlalyre11 May 2020
I watched this with my friends and we loved it! It kept you watching. Although the ending was not the best, overall was a great movie. Parasite was making a lot of noise but I personally think this was the one that deserved the awards. I think the people who review this didn't even watch the movie or maybe didn't like this genre. Totally worth watching. I don't think it's the typical exorcism movie, it could have had some better effects, but it was enjoyable.
Bad delivery
xqfxmtjm30 April 2024
I mean the storyline isn't unique it had the potential to be an average scary exorcism movie. But the movie felt so cheap and I was always reminded this is just a movie let me explain why that is bad. When I watch exorcism movies in the end I remember this actually happens in real life but when I watched METAMORPHOSIS it was so bad and it was so unrealistic...all exorcism movies are "unrealistic" but this one felt so unnatural. The director felt very confused with the direction he wanted to movie to go which made the whole movie feel incomplete and rushed. The whole time I had the urge to just pick up my phone but forced myself to keep watching but in the end I skipped more than 30 minutes of the film. The acting definitely saved the movie but I would never recommend this, so I would say this movie is a 3/10 because it had potential.
This movie is super underated
Joeyan07067 June 2021
This is one of the best exorcism movie I have ever watched. No cheap jump scare no nonsense talk not even 1 minutes of unnecessary plot. Completed and compelling. Surpassed a lot of big budget horror crab. You shouldn't miss it.
I Am Not A Massive Fan of Exorcism Movies
caverats16 October 2022
They've all been aping the 73 film for the most part, and falling short while they did. This had a very different take on it, and some smart ideas of its own. It didn't over rely on jump scares either, aiming for atmosphere and overall creep instead of giving you fluff and "Boo! I scared you." Films like this actually manage to stick in the brain for a while. Every time I thought to myself that a two hour run time might be a bit excessive, it kept proving that every moment of my time it was using was vital to the plot. The gore was well done but not excessive, I mean there was quite a bit, it's a Korean film, but if anything this was a tamer amount than some films from that country.
Just a fun enjoyable creepy experience, nicely done.
Just a fun enjoyable creepy experience, nicely done.
Enjoyable enough if somewhat too cliché exorcism effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder2 January 2021
After moving to a new house, a man and his family welcome a series of new changes in their life, but when they come into contact with a series of strange incidents that lead them to believe a malicious spirit is targeting the family to cause them to distrust each other, they turn to a disgraced priest friend to help them.
Overall, this one was a decent enough if generally forgettable effort. Among its few positives are the sporadic supernatural elements at play here that signal something is happening. The way that the build-up occurs around the family, from the behavior of their neighbor cutting up animals in his house that he writes off as carpet-cutting to the daughter's dream of being abused by their father and the crazed breakfast where the mother gorges herself before threatening everyone, all comes together quite well. The fact that this makes mention of the uncharacteristic behavior they're exhibiting and how everyone starts behaving manages to offer up some interesting action scenes later on where the daughters are chased around the house by demonic doppelgangers of the parents in separate scenes, making it nearly impossible for them to know who to trust when. As well, despite being predictable there's a lot to like here from the exorcism sequences featured. From the first scene of the film where we get the traditionally failed exorcism attempt on the girl in her apartment, there's a rather strong genre atmosphere that gets played into later on. Using the guilt of what happened to the girl for the reluctance to perform the exorcism later on that becomes the point of their encounters as the entire sequence plays off with the idea of whether or not the sins have been effectively resolved. These factors manage to be enough to hold this one up for the most part. There are a few problems with this one. One of the biggest issues is the predictable and cliched story that plays on every single trope found in exorcism efforts. Not only is this one completely obvious about the family getting targeted simply because of the demons' plan to toy with the priest rather than being given a different less obvious motivation. As well, the exorcism scenes with glassy, unnaturally-colored demon eyes, spouting blood from their mouth, cursing in foreign languages and twisting their body into contortionist poses as signs that the individual is possessed and needing to be dealt with causes these scenes to be overly-familiar and less effective than expected. The last problem here is the measured pacing that drags this out way too long than necessary. Despite being a creepy setup, the exploits with the neighbor go nowhere after calling the cops on him which gets resolved off-screen anyway rendering the entire subplot here a waste of time. The scenes involving the other priests in the order arguing over potential rules for exorcism and the problems of citizens falling out of faith with the church serve no purpose here. None of the characters are integral to the plot, there's nothing that develops from them and all they do is disrupt the flow of the film to detail how the Korean diocese goes about its duties, making this one feel slower and longer than it should. Overall, these here are what hold this one back.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.
Overall, this one was a decent enough if generally forgettable effort. Among its few positives are the sporadic supernatural elements at play here that signal something is happening. The way that the build-up occurs around the family, from the behavior of their neighbor cutting up animals in his house that he writes off as carpet-cutting to the daughter's dream of being abused by their father and the crazed breakfast where the mother gorges herself before threatening everyone, all comes together quite well. The fact that this makes mention of the uncharacteristic behavior they're exhibiting and how everyone starts behaving manages to offer up some interesting action scenes later on where the daughters are chased around the house by demonic doppelgangers of the parents in separate scenes, making it nearly impossible for them to know who to trust when. As well, despite being predictable there's a lot to like here from the exorcism sequences featured. From the first scene of the film where we get the traditionally failed exorcism attempt on the girl in her apartment, there's a rather strong genre atmosphere that gets played into later on. Using the guilt of what happened to the girl for the reluctance to perform the exorcism later on that becomes the point of their encounters as the entire sequence plays off with the idea of whether or not the sins have been effectively resolved. These factors manage to be enough to hold this one up for the most part. There are a few problems with this one. One of the biggest issues is the predictable and cliched story that plays on every single trope found in exorcism efforts. Not only is this one completely obvious about the family getting targeted simply because of the demons' plan to toy with the priest rather than being given a different less obvious motivation. As well, the exorcism scenes with glassy, unnaturally-colored demon eyes, spouting blood from their mouth, cursing in foreign languages and twisting their body into contortionist poses as signs that the individual is possessed and needing to be dealt with causes these scenes to be overly-familiar and less effective than expected. The last problem here is the measured pacing that drags this out way too long than necessary. Despite being a creepy setup, the exploits with the neighbor go nowhere after calling the cops on him which gets resolved off-screen anyway rendering the entire subplot here a waste of time. The scenes involving the other priests in the order arguing over potential rules for exorcism and the problems of citizens falling out of faith with the church serve no purpose here. None of the characters are integral to the plot, there's nothing that develops from them and all they do is disrupt the flow of the film to detail how the Korean diocese goes about its duties, making this one feel slower and longer than it should. Overall, these here are what hold this one back.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.
Exorcise Any Idea That Its Anything Remotely Akin To "The EXORCIST (1973)"!
silicontourist7 March 2022
The only similarity to the Linda Blair film of 1973, "The EXORCIST" is that it is dealing with the act of an Exorcism; only this time its the Devil who needs casting out, and not just an evil minion of his. If you watch this comparing it to The EXORCIST you are just going to completely spoil the film for yourself! It would be like watching a War film and comparing it to your favourite war film. What would be the point?
It begins with a young priest administering an Exorcism to a young daughter possessed by the Devil himself. Its sets the pace and introduction to what becomes a spot the Devil throughout the film. There are a good few twists entwined in this story - which makes it nicely stand apart from other films of the same genre. You get 2 characters who are grumpy, whining wingers, you get one you can like whilst the rest are fairly bland either way; but all act their parts very well!
What you really want to know, probably...maybe, is whether or not its a scary horror film. Well I can assure you you that its not because, the tale unravels in a very surprising way in that its really...REALLY creepy! Now horror and scary just give you instant terror shocks but Creepy, well that makes your skin crawl and your mind works double over time, and you squeeze your partners arm just a tad too tightly...and they omit a tight lipped "OUCH"! 😲
The film sets are excellently made and displayed and the film delivers the goods splendidly...IMHO. I only give it 8 stars because I felt that had it had a tension feel to it, that was similar to Alfred Hitchcock's style, it would have been a real - hide behind the sofa - frightening experience indeed!
Oh yeah! I do think that the prosthetics for Linda Blair's look was actually slightly better that the more zombie look we were given, at times, with this films Devil makeover image!
It begins with a young priest administering an Exorcism to a young daughter possessed by the Devil himself. Its sets the pace and introduction to what becomes a spot the Devil throughout the film. There are a good few twists entwined in this story - which makes it nicely stand apart from other films of the same genre. You get 2 characters who are grumpy, whining wingers, you get one you can like whilst the rest are fairly bland either way; but all act their parts very well!
What you really want to know, probably...maybe, is whether or not its a scary horror film. Well I can assure you you that its not because, the tale unravels in a very surprising way in that its really...REALLY creepy! Now horror and scary just give you instant terror shocks but Creepy, well that makes your skin crawl and your mind works double over time, and you squeeze your partners arm just a tad too tightly...and they omit a tight lipped "OUCH"! 😲
The film sets are excellently made and displayed and the film delivers the goods splendidly...IMHO. I only give it 8 stars because I felt that had it had a tension feel to it, that was similar to Alfred Hitchcock's style, it would have been a real - hide behind the sofa - frightening experience indeed!
Oh yeah! I do think that the prosthetics for Linda Blair's look was actually slightly better that the more zombie look we were given, at times, with this films Devil makeover image!
hello so nice movie i ever watch 😍
jaharahacaso5 February 2024
Super nice movie i ever watch i really love the story and also im so traumatizing after i watch it love it so much How i wish they put season 2 of this movie cause its so satisfying movie for us,even the actors and the actress they are so satisfying to watch they are so lovely to act their characters . I cant stop watching it again and again even i watch it already i cant stop watching it again i also recommend it to my friend's and my family's too and this night we will watch it again with them. And im so proud cause my nationality is there in the movie,so proud in Filipino actors they are so amazing.
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