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The Wailing

The Wailing

2016
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 36m
A stranger arrives in a little village and soon after a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman is drawn into the incident and is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter. (imdb)
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The Wailing

2016
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 36m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 61.5% from 1326 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1326)
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Rated 19 May 2016
95
97th
A film beyond good and evil. A masterful compilation of borderline human emotions and a meticulously balanced realism-fantasy and comedy-horror. Na depicts every value and person as ambivalent and manifold, questioning hospitality (the Jap), science-belief conflict and the thin lines between good-bad/Jesus-devil. Shot in epic grandiosity but still with a huge attention to tiny details, Goksung blends "Memories of Murder", "I Saw the Devil" and hardcore Japanese horror genre. Great cinema.
Rated 14 Oct 2017
95
92nd
Easily one of the best contemporary horror movies I've seen. The Wailing works so well because it's both an amalgamation of so many horror genres, dark comedy, and has an intense focus on detail. Honestly, no shot is wasted, and the atmosphere is always tense and very unpredictable. The Wailing is masterfully dense, and shows an incredibly smart approach to the blurring between good and evil, monotheism and pantheism, along with xenophobia and cultural permeability. The Wailing is stunning.
Rated 05 Dec 2016
24
25th
I understand the appeal of modern Korean cinema like I understand the appeal of dog feces. Disjointedly disjointed storytelling, criminally criminal overacting, and a shit tank of mind-boggingly misplaced comic relief. (Powiceman poopied his pants! Twice! Funny!) Add to that some awkward dissing of traditional Korean religion in favor of some ham-fisted Christianity, and you have me begging Satan for those 2 1/2 (2 and a fucking 1/2!) hours back.
Rated 06 Oct 2021
70
65th
This isn't how Ahab did it in Moby Dick (excuse my terrible whaling joke), but there are a lot of people fishing for something in this film. The script unfortunately is fishing for a tone through the first hour, moving between frightening images and ridiculous humor seamlessly. It eventually grabbed me and had me guessing till the end but I was still guessing things after the end which means they lost me a little somewhere along the way. Maybe they just needed an extra hour? No. That's not it.
Rated 10 Jul 2016
65
20th
Admittedly I've only seen a handful, but every modern Korean genre movie I have seen is filled with excess and mundane attempts at extremity that bog down otherwise interesting stories. Strong and effective sequences are bogged down by minutes of dead weight and unnecessary scenes surrounding them. At 2 and a half hours it crawls and the willful idiocy of it's characters wear down on you.
Rated 05 Jun 2016
79
86th
Expertly balanced humour and horror. The plot unravels at just the right pace and leaves you with enough clarity for you to understand, but also enough ambiguity to keep you questioning it.
Rated 20 Aug 2018
80
77th
Macabre Month of Horror 2018 review: https://youtu.be/rDXM3-8CgD8 Theres a shaman fight where they bang drums and dance around and take turns decapitating chickens, reminded me of the ending psychic battle from Scanners for some reason, anyway, pshew, whatever. Good flick.
Rated 28 Nov 2018
9
94th
You know you're gonna have a bad day when you wake up to 20 missed calls from your shaman.
Rated 03 Oct 2016
40
26th
Ok, this is going to one off where I have to rate and comment. I get the references to the bible about casting the first stone, and giving up faith without seeing etc., but the work stands too boring for my new taste. It's an exercise in stupidity. Crap under the guise of imaginative film making. Could have been an hour tighter. The few points I give it here are for the hilarious rituals. Just because something is out of box and new doesn't mean it's necessarily good.
Rated 05 Jun 2018
84
86th
It's a special breed of movie to take a long, lumbering tone normally reserved for drama and throw it in a horror movie, but "The Wailing" is also exceptionally successful in pulling it off along with the common trend in Korean movies of mixed genres. I'd even call it evocative if it wouldn't sound too pretentious.
Rated 12 Mar 2017
50
29th
Too long and not really my cup of horror.
Rated 26 Jul 2018
55
53rd
Alternating the performances between deadpan and hysterical is a mostly successful way of accentuating both the humour and the horror here, where the themes are fear of illness and mortality, along with parental anxiety, in a kind of kzombies meet the kexorcist. Whether the length is justified by the narrative twists and turns will depend on the individual viewer's level of involvement in the fate of the characters, but most aspects of the production are undoubtedly superior.
Rated 03 Feb 2019
8
79th
More than two hours and a half and barely a second wasted. 'Serious' movies can learn a lot from this baby. One of the best horror movies of all time, I'd say. It's not a lot to say, but hey.
Rated 09 Oct 2017
55
30th
It took me a bit to get used to the goofiness of the first half of the film, but I eventually came to appreciate how well it clashes with the subject material. As the film goes on, the tone becomes less aloof and more overbearing, and as a result, the film becomes less interesting as the subject matter stays the same. Things feel more serious even though they aren't. The mystery of the film becomes less and less interesting as the film goes on. Well-filmed, well-acted, but overall unappealing.
Rated 12 Jun 2017
50
10th
There is wayyyy too much going on in this movie. Is it a ghost story? A movie about possession? Oh wait, there's zombies? The trailer for this film is so so promising but the movie itself it too long and too convoluted.
Rated 09 Jun 2016
85
74th
Gnarly movie. I left feeling unsure if the ending was purposeful in its ambiguity or intentionally setting up a follow-up story. Felt a little in between. Would love to see this world explored again, perhaps with different characters/setting.
Rated 13 Sep 2016
70
41st
What hurts this is what TrixRabbi said: there's a lot of dead weight. Scenes could be shorter, and therefore crisper, and there are moments that didn't need to exist. It's two and a half hours and would have a wonderful plot if it was trimmed quite a bit. There's a lot of talent on display here though, such as the mixture of comedy and horror (early on, mostly). It's also gorgeous with a foreboding atmosphere. The ending would be really crushing if it didn't take way too long to get there.
Rated 20 Jan 2017
73
85th
what a great movie....
Rated 28 Feb 2017
70
84th
(I *REALLY* SAW THE DEVIL)
Rated 13 Jan 2017
75
71st
Starts off with scenes reminiscent of your standard Korean crime drama but takes a quick detour into the weird and supernatural. Just like with many K films it defies logic and plot conventions we're used to. The eastern spin on exorcism, occultism, faith, and family is a refreshing breath to the stale horror genre. The ambiguities of the end don't feel tacked on but a natural progression of this insane world and events depicted. The acting beats the pants off anything i've seen in 2016.
Rated 26 Dec 2016
77
87th
Comparisons to The Witch ring true, since The Wailing fully accepts the supernatural without metaphorical concerns. Therein also lies a problem, because its world is so insular that I can't make out any sense beyond the wonderfully psychotic downturns of a horror tragedy. But feel the way the dark Korean comedy is slowly drained and replaced by the cold running down your neck.
Rated 04 Feb 2017
70
53rd
oncelikle kim kotu sorusuna cevap veriyim: japon degil. otekiyi sembolize ediyor cok seslilik geregi kotu olamaz. shaman da degil. kim pulp fictiondaki temizleyiciye kotu diyebilir sasarim. kadin da degil. deli bir kadin nasil kotu olabilir. geriye dogal supheli koyluler kaliyor. yani koyluleri nicin oldurmeliyiz filmi. finaldeki catisma/kararsizlik filme daha iyi yayilabilmeliydi. the witch'i hafiften animsatti
Rated 14 May 2017
84
45th
Too many aspects came across lazy and half-baked for this movie to reach its potential.
Rated 24 Jan 2017
15
61st
I simply wish the ambiguity that drives the whole of the plot had been approached more tactfully, like for instance by giving us a concrete religious/mythical background of all the spiritual/shamanic characters that come into play. Instead of having me think "oh look here is batshit crazy person number one through three. Gee I wonder which batshit crazy person is good and which batshit crazy person is bad." Otherwise I really enjoyed this film and the delivery (great ending/soundtrack)
Rated 19 Dec 2016
20
2nd
An incoherent mess of a plot. All of the characters behave like absolute, fucking idiots. Glorification of Eastern pseudo-science (complete with animal cruelty). Two and a half hours of muddled crap that goes nowhere. Movie ends and I still don't understand what the fuck that was all about.
Rated 09 Jul 2018
80
55th
The incompetent, bumbling, borderline slapstick (not in a physical humor way but in an overdramatic silent-film pantomime way) cops at the beginning almost lost me, but luckily they drop the act when the movie gets more serious. The kid gives a really great performance.
Rated 26 Aug 2017
0
2nd
99% on RottenTomatoes? Positive reviews here? You really liked it? REALLY? The worst X files episode beats it with one hand tied behind the back, and the X files is crap.
Rated 25 Oct 2016
75
60th
Na is really great in setting a eery mood. During the whole movie it's never clear what's happening really and who/what is good or evil, the movie really lets the viewer feel as confused as the protagonist is.The movie has a feeling anything can happen anytime. But at the same time this not knowing combined with the long running time makes the feel like it's incoherent and twist upon twist. But a great ending makes me more favorable of it.
Rated 21 Nov 2016
75
71st
The first hour is unfocused, atonal and very slow. But after that (the definite turning point is once the shaman enters the plot) it keeps getting better and better. Very tense ending.
Rated 30 Mar 2020
90
91st
Under Quarantine Film Reviews #15: Its imposing length may put off viewers, but honestly, not a single scene is wasted. The amalgamation of eastern folklore & western religion was incredibly effective in regard to the overarching theme of good vs evil. Additionally, the storytelling is so dense & full of twists that you are always waiting for the next shoe to drop. It is a slow burner, but its unpredictable narrative, chilling atmosphere, and lush cinematography more than make up for it.
Rated 17 Sep 2020
75
89th
Korean film makers are really upping their game. An excellent horror and a real treat. Great performances by all.
Rated 16 Oct 2020
50
10th
Too many shamans spoil the soup.
Rated 17 Mar 2021
30
12th
Why is this 2 and a half hours long? It's basically a generic supernatural Horror story with idiotic characters and no good surprises what so ever. Where are the scares? It's not funny, the twists come out of nowhere, nothing makes any sense, and the ending was the most obvious shit I had seen. Why does it take so long to reach a similar conclusion I've seen countless other Horror films do it in like 90 minutes? Doesn't matter how well shot or acted it is, this was a major disappointment for me.
Rated 10 Sep 2021
81
62nd
A really entertaining horror movie with some terrifying scenes. Maybe not an actual, scary horror movie, but more of a thriller with horror elements and an eerie atmosphere. The plot was really unpredictable and I was trying to guess what would happen, without success. Maybe a bit too long, but wasn't bored at any time.
Rated 04 Jun 2022
38
23rd
It does have a few nice horror scenes sprinkled here and there, not necessarily the goriest ones, but by and large this is overly stretched out and majorly plodding. It doesn't help that the non-supernatural stuff is so unconvincingly written when there's so much of it to endure, and it's a chore to care what happens to bland cop dude and his crummy daughter.
Rated 13 Dec 2016
80
77th
Dont want to say too much for fear of even mildly spoiling anything.Much like The Witch, the supernatural is treated as something "other" which cant be fully known or understood. The film builds slowly, with humor some might find odd but ib appreciated. It could have been tighter but i can't point to any one moment as something to def cut. It has the best exorcism scene i have ever seen. The end wraps up the "other" theme nicely by strongly pulling faith into the equation. Chilling final scenes.
Rated 18 Jun 2017
50
55th
Really funny and festering horror -- but I've never been interested in researching an explanation after a movie.
Rated 09 Jul 2017
82
66th
Weird movie, a little bit too long. I needed to research a little bit after to movie to connect all the dots. Different, that's for sure.
Rated 22 Feb 2017
85
68th
Funny, horrifying, long, confusing. I ended up watching this late at night and fell asleep with 1/2 hour to go and picked it back up some time later and had apparently lost some of the plot which made the already enigmatic ending even more so. Need to do a rewatch but everything about this movie is great.
Rated 25 Jul 2017
95
97th
Incredible movie.
Rated 30 Jun 2017
92
98th
Just another korean masterpiece.
Rated 20 Nov 2016
40
58th
Damn, such a hyped movie and I didn't love it. Nicely shot, but so is just about every Korean movie these days. The story simply didn't suck me in, didn't like the characters much and it's easily an hour longer then it needed to me. Did dig the exorcism sequences mid-way. The hypnotizing rhythms and crazy behavior was in harmony there!
Rated 17 Nov 2016
65
53rd
Continually fascinating moment-to-moment, but by the end (which is much too far from the start given the material) it does not entirely come together. But the quality filmmaking and performances make it worth the stretch.
Rated 07 Feb 2017
75
66th
kotuyu/iblisi gormek icin daha ne olmasi gerek... sanki tr'nin icinde bulundugu durumu betimliyor. yonetmen baska ulkenin siyasal elestirisini bile yapmis. helal olsun.
Rated 05 Sep 2017
3
45th
An imaginative stroll through fairly basic eldritch Good versus Evil territory. Its eastern shamanism is strange and exotic to western eyes, but the essential universality of its theistic melodrama is portrayed in the inclusion of Christian characters and iconography. A creepy, curious film, though perhaps it could be a little tighter, trimmed a little shorter, and less concerned with comedic relief which only dilutes the mood.
Rated 09 Feb 2017
65
41st
Hong-jin Na pitches the insanity to 11 for a visually stunning feature that feels at times like a Korean Lovecraft. Like other Korean films I've seen, there is no such thing as a steady tone, but this leaves one with a feeling of uncertainty that, ultimately, does the themes justice. It does trip into some dangerous places, though, like casual racism and sexism and unChristian-ism, which is perplexing when mulling over the marvelous end.
Rated 31 Dec 2017
85
78th
A little bit confusing for someone not familiar with Korean legends/mythologies (I had to look some of it up for further clarification), but incredibly well done and well acted.
Rated 20 Feb 2018
34
6th
Dumb and boring. Why so long?
Rated 21 Nov 2018
86
42nd
A slow burner of a horror movie that does a good job of building things up through the 2 1/2 hour runtime. Nothing feels needlessly added every moment adds to the movie.
Rated 23 Dec 2018
85
0th
Excellent, but overlong, Korean horror thriller. The acting, particularly by lead Do-won Kwak, is wonderful. The movie swerves from goofy slapstick comedy to intense horror thriller. Great direction, photography, makeup, and special effects. The movie's xenophobia is disturbing. It should have ended 30 minutes sooner.
Rated 14 Apr 2019
85
84th
interesting folklore horror
Rated 14 Apr 2019
78
65th
Wtf :)
Rated 04 Aug 2019
82
92nd
Lesson in storytelling 101 - if you are rushing to close the movie, you lose the fantastic beginning and middle
Rated 28 Nov 2020
95
0th
GOOD: great acting, outstanding story, outstanding atmosphere/visuals, beautiful traditional rituals not often seen in movies, outstanding mystery/puzzles - constantly keeps you guessing, no jump scares OF NOTE: covers a lot of ground (zombies, devil worship, gore, ghosts), a pretty slow burn, often leans towards dread than pure horror BAD: main protagonist is annoyingly inept (though I concede - that is the point), lots of people fall over in this movie (subjective nitpick)
Rated 31 Dec 2019
95
85th
A-
Rated 06 Jun 2020
26
1st
Söyleyecek çok az şey var. Berbat. Hortlaklar şeytanlar falan pastoral Kore köyünde. Gereksiz, lüzumsuz, sıkıcı.
Rated 30 Mar 2020
74
63rd
74.4
Rated 01 May 2020
70
42nd
Beni çok karasız bırakan uzun bir film. Bir polis bulunduğu yerdeki sıra dışı olayları araştırır. SPOILER iş dağda yaşayan japon bir adamla ilgilidir. Japonun şeytaini güçleri olduğuna inanılır. Şamanlar gelir dans eder...
Rated 18 May 2020
45
16th
One of the biggest mixed bags I’ve ever seen. Some Asian horror films (Battle Royale is a good example) are far too over the top with both acting and humor, almost like an anime directly translated to film. While South Korea usually doesn’t do this much, it’s very prominent here. In fairness, it’s very well directed, and it has some really good ideas. But it’s too scattershot, and I really didn’t care for any of the characters. South Korea has made far better films in my opinion.
Rated 21 Jun 2020
83
74th
:(
Rated 26 Jun 2020
85
81st
A hell of a good time. The South-Koreans really know how to make a compelling, entertaining movie. The movie lures you in with lovable slapstick and humorous tone before it turns into something altogether more sinister. The last act of this movie was genuinely, wonderfully unpredictable, playing with your assumptions at every turn. A scene near the end where the main character has to make an incredibly difficult choice is among the most tense scenes I've seen in recent memory.
Rated 28 Jun 2020
6
44th
There is a lot going on, I'm not sure I got every twist and turn and could do with a re watch although the length is off-putting.
Rated 03 Aug 2020
23
4th
god I cant stand korean language nor korean movies nor korean culture nor korea
Rated 12 Aug 2020
12
14th
Slow, the actors are childish and over the top cartoonish (there's more than one scene where 4 people are just falling over and screaming/crying) and behave like they are in a 40s play or something. The story is convoluted and there's a lot of scenes that don't make sense and/or people doing things for no reason and acting like idiots. Also, for a horror movie, there's zero actually scary scenes or suspense in it.
Rated 24 Aug 2020
60
32nd
Some beautifully shot setpieces. The suspense did not work for me at all though.
Rated 24 Jan 2021
20
10th
I can't believe I wasted two and a half hours of my life on this crap! It's actually a good story very poorly executed. The directing is awful and the acting is atrocious. If it had been done in the U.S. by an American director it probably would have been excellent. Hopefully that will happen.
Rated 26 Aug 2021
73
84th
Interesting, though the screaming is a bit grating. The apparent humidity helps setting the unease. A bit long though, and the ending shows some of the earlier scenes end up unused or forgotten, hence maybe not that useful
Rated 14 May 2021
90
60th
Its all over the place, in the best possible way. What a ride. To pull of a horror movie this long is incredible.
Rated 20 Jun 2021
4
10th
as long as it was bland. so satan was a japanese man who turned people into angry zombies by... stealing their shoes and taking photos of them? was the ghost lady jesus? none of this stuff made any sense. this is a south korean film so of course they had to include their over-the-top cartoonish bumbling oaf character.
Rated 17 Nov 2021
79
94th
the end was confusing. yet, what an emotional roller coaster! You can find every movie genre, every movie trick here
Rated 22 Oct 2021
6
20th
*Slight spoilers* Have to agree with the more critical reviews here. Liked the atmosphere, slow burn, and the fact the world seemed very "big" in comparison to a lot of other horror movies. In a lot of other ways it's unfortunately a less cohesive Exorcist remake. The bumbling protagonist almost had me tune out in the first half and the fact that no one really seemed to care that his daughter butchered her babysitter almost did it in the second.
Rated 17 Nov 2021
50
47th
şaka gibi puanlar şaka. her boka 20 veren insanlar bile 75-80 veriyor. kıçımla güldüm. böyle saçma polis arka sokaklarda bile yoktur, böyle saçma plot twist yapma çabası aptal hollywood filmlerinde bile yoktur.
Rated 19 Apr 2022
50
31st
Another, after The Host, Korean attempt at mixing genres like horror, comedy and satire. A lot of wailing policemen, watch it if that's your thing.
Rated 03 May 2022
67
40th
Unfortunately, I didn't communicate with the movie, neither by story nor characters. and I don't like exorcism sub genre at all. I admire the crew behind the movie, they did perfect. but in the end, it was more torture and less amusing.
Rated 17 May 2022
73
42nd
It has an interesting story and sort of realistic characters. First 30 minutes were boring but also necessary for having a better understanding. Some people say plot twists were a little bit forced but I think they were on point and foreshadowed from the very beginning. There are some unnecessarily long dramatic scenes and too much blood/gore for my taste but other than that it was two hours well spent. If you liked The Village or The Witch, you'll like this too. Just don't expect many scares.
Rated 17 Sep 2022
72
80th
I was fixated and invested for the first two hours but the last 30 minutes felt like they dragged on forever.
Rated 01 Jan 2024
75
70th
It was a bit long during the end but it is a good movie.
Rated 04 Jan 2023
69
73rd
good movie
Rated 15 Mar 2023
60
45th
Has engaging moments but starts to drag on.
Rated 24 Mar 2023
80
85th
I had no idea what to expect and at all times, I was wrong.
Rated 27 Aug 2023
12
7th
Absurd movie. Simply absurd. The serious is absurd. The comical is cringe. Stop, please stop making such movies. Painful to watch.
Rated 10 Oct 2023
87
89th
A quite brilliant slow burn of a horror film that gets under your skin an doesn't let go. I'm not 100% sure if it was trying to say something specific. I thought it was making some points, but the ending suggested I was misreading it. While it's about 2.5 hours long, it never feels its length and flies by pretty quickly.
Rated 13 Feb 2024
74
63rd
The Wailing' (2016) blends mystery and horror in a small Korean village plagued by deaths. Its atmospheric tension, backed by strong performances, creates an immersive experience. However, its lengthy and complex plot can confuse. Despite this, its exploration of fear and folklore is engaging.
Rated 24 Feb 2024
80
47th
I loved the movie, loved the eerie feel, loved the worry and nervousness that carries across it. It's an interesting watch, I wasn't bored through out the movie, but I was tricked many times into a false sense of safety. I recommend it.

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