Review: In 'The Shrine,' the Human Abyss Is Scarier Than Any Demon

In 〈The Shrine: Whisper of the Demon〉, opening June 17, demons may stalk the screen, but the film argues that the human psyche is more terrifying still.

Billed as a meeting of K-shamanism and J-horror, 〈The Shrine: Whisper of the Demon〉 is a Korea–Japan co-production directed by Japanese filmmaker Kumakiri Kazuyoshi and starring Korean actors Kim Jae-joong and Gong Seong-ha. After university students go missing at an abandoned shrine in Kobe, Myeong-jin, a baksu shaman played by Kim Jae-joong, travels to Japan after his junior colleague Yu-mi (Gong Seong-ha) asks for help. As the film traces the being behind the disappearance case, it mixes the conventions of Korean shamanism and Japanese horror with the foreign element of India's evil deity Rakshasa. The eerie abandoned shrine, a Buddha statue from India, a refined, sophisticated shaman, and a church pastor from a church that seems neither clearly Catholic nor clearly Protestant: these distinct images coexist and together create the peculiar atmosphere unique to 〈The Shrine: Whisper of the Demon〉. These transnational images do not always cohere, but several jolting set pieces and the director's meditation on fear still land. The film's insight—that evil finds the gaps in people, and those gaps stem from human loneliness and isolation, making human weakness scarier than supernatural beings—is especially compelling. The final scene, in particular, seems to crystallize why the director cast Kim Jae-joong in the lead: Kim's cool, icy screen presence meshes perfectly with the film's eerie tone, producing a striking sequence.

On the afternoons of the 8th and the 29th at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall, the film 〈The Shrine: Whisper of the Demon〉 held a press and distribution screening, followed by a press conference attended by actors Kim Jae-joong and Gong Seong-ha. The actors answered questions from local reporters who had seen the film.

Kumakiri Kazuyoshi directed his first Korean film with 〈The Shrine: Whisper of the Demon〉. Unable to attend the event in person because he had begun shooting a new project, Kumakiri sent a video message saying, "I would have liked to visit Korea in person to greet you, but since filming on my new movie has begun, I had to send my greetings by video. This film is not merely meant to startle audiences; it depicts the frailty of the human heart and the presence of evil seeping into the gaps inside people."

Kim Jae-joong takes on the role of Myeong-jin, a baksu shaman compelled toward the path of shamanism by a special ability—his first time tackling the occult-horror genre since his debut. Myeong-jin is not the stereotypical shaman; he is portrayed as a refined, sophisticated shaman. Kim said that when he read the script he questioned certain choices—such as a character using Buddhist terms a Korean shaman would not normally use or reciting strange incantations—but explained, "This was not at all the kind of shaman we typically see in Korea. The director wanted a hybridized character who exhibits abilities that transcend common sense and are universally recognizable. That intention was very clear." Kim summarized the film's appeal in one line: "While making the movie, I thought people are actually scarier than demons. It's a film with unconventional scares and imaginative elements."

Gong Seong-ha, who plays Yu-mi, a junior and project manager for a Korea–Japan village regeneration project who helps carry the story, also makes her first foray into horror with 〈The Shrine: Whisper of the Demon〉. On her first horror experience, Gong said, "Keeping up the constant trembling, screaming and shocked reactions was explosive; I felt a catharsis," expressing her affection for the new genre. Kim Jae-joong joked that what frightened him most on the eerie set was watching performers like Gong enact possession-like states; "Seeing them on set was so scary that even after becoming friendly, I almost pulled away for a moment. I honestly thought, 'They must be crazy about acting,'" he said, drawing laughter from the room.

The film was shot entirely on location in Kobe, capturing the bleak mood of the Japanese setting. It also includes numerous gory scenes that will satisfy horror aficionados. Kim recalled, "There were almost no daytime scenes. About 90% of the shoot took place underground, in abandoned tunnels and similar spaces, so the energy of those locations was not good." Gong shared an anecdote: "When we had blood makeup on and needed to use the restroom, we all squeezed into a small car to go up to the surface," a memory that drew rueful laughs. Kim added, "It felt like defeated troops being transported on a truck," prompting more laughter.

The film 〈The Shrine: Whisper of the Demon〉 opens on June 17.