6.2??!! Such a low rating for what is undoubtedly the most important and reinvigorating horror-genre offering since 'The 6th Sense.' I know 10/10 reviews are easy to ignore for the glaring bias they wear on their sleeves and their usual (in)capacity for analysis/critique on the film at hand. But I can't help that this almost-entirely unknown Korean occult thriller is possibly the best 'horror' movie I've ever watched.
The film is expertly layered. While seemingly disparate and disjointed at first, the eventual coalescing of narratives towards the end creates an unforgettable mind-blowing plot climax that, in not so subtle ways, turns the morality and metaphysical meandering expressed by the characters completely around in the last thirty minutes of this two hour slowburning masterpiece.
'Svaha' is the kind of intellectually stimulating mystery that comes around and gets its due recognition once in a generation. What starts out as a supremely grim and foreboding horror story slowly unravels it's threads after doing a deftful job of conjuring what is probably one of, if not THE, most tantalizing and discomforting clouds of atmospheric dread mounted on the big screen since William Friedkin blessed us with The Exorcist. What starts out as a clearly defined set of Good and Evil characters--and their likewise motivations--slowly morphs into an engaging visual essay on viewing morality through the lens of balance instead of human emotion or tradition scripture; these traditional Judeo-Christian/Postmodern(seemingly contradictory, I know) concepts of right and wrong get run through the Boddhisatva ringer as the wool is pulled from our eyes and the scales fall. What we are ultimately left with is one of the most memorable conclusions to a plot arc I've ever seen on film.
Unfortunately, not all viewers feel the way about The Sixth Finger that I do. I'm utterly amazed at the low scores that nagged about the plot's 'ultimate incoherence' or 'lack of real direction.' These negative comments couldn't be further from reality than they already are. The story wraps up in an arresting, lyrical fashion that almost gives the viewer a sense of genuine epiphany on the nature of eschatology, not to mention a heartfelt concern for the characters openly seeking salvation after realizing the true nature of their 'faith based acts' and how it upended the lives and fates of all involved.
While Svaha is billed as a horror film, I liken it more to an Occult Mystery/Thriller since the horror elements rapidly disipate after the first half hour of run time. The religious and philosophy deep dives substitute ominous string music as the film goes from horror, to forensics, to religious occult mystery in the blink of an eye.
To describe Svaha is to spoil it; it has to be experienced without preconceptions or subjective thoughts. But bottom line: it HAS to be experienced. Genre fans looking for that long-sought-after intellectual psycho-horror should look no further than Svaha. And brush up on the tenants of the major and minor schools of Buddhism while you're at it. It will markedly improve your ability to string together the ideas explored in Svaha, making them much easier to digest if you're a layman to the whole "religious beliefs" thing.
I hope Svaha reaches a wider audience and moves away from being an unknown cult horror classic. It deserves to be seen and taken seriously in its thematic endeavors. It's one of the most emotionally invested scripts I've seen in a Korean movie and IMO puts The Wailing's hamfisted attempt at creating an ambiguous ending to near-total shame. This is a horror movie with serious questions and even more serious answers, and we lowly viewers will undoubtedly get those answers eventually when the film finally peaks at its apex.
5/5 -- 10/10 -- A+ This is what a religious horror centered around faith-disillusionment and Buddhist ideals would look if Terrence Mellnick directed a philosophical horror film' (Thin Red Line has its utterly horrifying moments, like seeing the young landmine victims in the bush for the first time). Must watch for all horror buffs and Korean Cinema gurus!! Take a break from the gore-gasboard slashers and give your brain some exercise instead 👍
The film is expertly layered. While seemingly disparate and disjointed at first, the eventual coalescing of narratives towards the end creates an unforgettable mind-blowing plot climax that, in not so subtle ways, turns the morality and metaphysical meandering expressed by the characters completely around in the last thirty minutes of this two hour slowburning masterpiece.
'Svaha' is the kind of intellectually stimulating mystery that comes around and gets its due recognition once in a generation. What starts out as a supremely grim and foreboding horror story slowly unravels it's threads after doing a deftful job of conjuring what is probably one of, if not THE, most tantalizing and discomforting clouds of atmospheric dread mounted on the big screen since William Friedkin blessed us with The Exorcist. What starts out as a clearly defined set of Good and Evil characters--and their likewise motivations--slowly morphs into an engaging visual essay on viewing morality through the lens of balance instead of human emotion or tradition scripture; these traditional Judeo-Christian/Postmodern(seemingly contradictory, I know) concepts of right and wrong get run through the Boddhisatva ringer as the wool is pulled from our eyes and the scales fall. What we are ultimately left with is one of the most memorable conclusions to a plot arc I've ever seen on film.
Unfortunately, not all viewers feel the way about The Sixth Finger that I do. I'm utterly amazed at the low scores that nagged about the plot's 'ultimate incoherence' or 'lack of real direction.' These negative comments couldn't be further from reality than they already are. The story wraps up in an arresting, lyrical fashion that almost gives the viewer a sense of genuine epiphany on the nature of eschatology, not to mention a heartfelt concern for the characters openly seeking salvation after realizing the true nature of their 'faith based acts' and how it upended the lives and fates of all involved.
While Svaha is billed as a horror film, I liken it more to an Occult Mystery/Thriller since the horror elements rapidly disipate after the first half hour of run time. The religious and philosophy deep dives substitute ominous string music as the film goes from horror, to forensics, to religious occult mystery in the blink of an eye.
To describe Svaha is to spoil it; it has to be experienced without preconceptions or subjective thoughts. But bottom line: it HAS to be experienced. Genre fans looking for that long-sought-after intellectual psycho-horror should look no further than Svaha. And brush up on the tenants of the major and minor schools of Buddhism while you're at it. It will markedly improve your ability to string together the ideas explored in Svaha, making them much easier to digest if you're a layman to the whole "religious beliefs" thing.
I hope Svaha reaches a wider audience and moves away from being an unknown cult horror classic. It deserves to be seen and taken seriously in its thematic endeavors. It's one of the most emotionally invested scripts I've seen in a Korean movie and IMO puts The Wailing's hamfisted attempt at creating an ambiguous ending to near-total shame. This is a horror movie with serious questions and even more serious answers, and we lowly viewers will undoubtedly get those answers eventually when the film finally peaks at its apex.
5/5 -- 10/10 -- A+ This is what a religious horror centered around faith-disillusionment and Buddhist ideals would look if Terrence Mellnick directed a philosophical horror film' (Thin Red Line has its utterly horrifying moments, like seeing the young landmine victims in the bush for the first time). Must watch for all horror buffs and Korean Cinema gurus!! Take a break from the gore-gasboard slashers and give your brain some exercise instead 👍