Fans of the original ‘The Wrath’ may be disappointed with this noticeably less scary remake, whereas those who are new to the ‘The Wrath’ may enjoy this straightforward horror mystery thriller.
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A remake of the 1986 classic Korean horror film, ‘The Wrath’, set in the Joseon era, stars singer-actress Son Na-eun from girl band Apink in her first lead role as Ok-boon, a young peasant who has been arranged to be married to the last surviving son of an upper class family run by matriarch Lady Shin, played by Seo Young-hee (‘Bedevilled’, ‘Madonna’). Lady Shin is desperate for an heir, for her family’s bloodline to continue. Her plan is for Ok-boon to bear a son, which Ok-boon does after her first night with her husband.
Meanwhile, a powerful vengeful spirit lurks and haunts the Shin household. The spirit slowly and deliberately kills off servants and members of the family. Fearful that the spirit will harm Ok-boon’s son, Lady Shin engages an exorcist, but the spirit proves too powerful for him. The minute the exorcist steps into the estate, he starts vomiting. But Ok-boon is no damsel in distress. She’s lived through tough times as a child and, according to the exorcist, she’s psychically gifted, symbolised in a swastika scar on her upper arm. Despite the exorcist’s pleas that she leaves the house as soon as possible, Ok-boon decides to stay, determined to see things through.
Son plays Ok-boon with an inner grit, belied by her baby face. Meanwhile, Seo plays the malicious Lady Shin with great melodramatic relish.
Performances from the rest of the cast are uniformly good. Yet fans of the original ‘The Wrath’ may come off disappointed with this noticeably less scary remake, whereas those who are new to the ‘The Wrath’ may enjoy this straightforward horror mystery thriller.
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