Revenant is a South Korean horror drama series by Kim Eun-hee, who also wrote the popular horror series Kingdom. This Disney + release series has a total of 12 episodes and is an average of over 60 minutes long. This series stars Kim Tae-ri, Oh Jung-se, Hong Kyung, and several other local stars. We know South Korean horror films that often use elements and their local culture. Will this series be able to provide a different thing from other South Korean horror series and movies?
A young girl, Gu San-yeong (Tae-ri), suddenly received news of her father’s death, whose identity had been hidden by her mother. His father turns out to be a professor of folklore who died unnaturally. San-Yeong received a gift from his father, a hair clip that opened his inner eye. Since that moment, the girl has been possessed by an evil entity that controls her body and mind to commit unnatural acts of murder. Elsewhere, a young professor, Yeom Hae-sang (Jung-se), gets a message from San-yeong’s father to protect his daughter. The case, which at first appears to be an ordinary murder, seems related to dozens of unnatural killings since the 1950s. All clues point to one large company led and owned by Hae-sang’s grandmother.
The plot, which totals over 12 hours, is complicated and complex. Information after information and clues comes and goes so quickly in each episode. One case appears to switch to another case promptly. One unanswered question, another question immediately arose. Flashback segments make it even more difficult to understand the plot. Not to mention, the supernatural realm does not have human reason and logic. These things make this series so tiring to watch. Moviegoers used to plots like this can pick up on the story’s core, but it’s impossible not to miss one small clue without repeating the series.
The plot is generally divided into three segments based on the main character, San-Yeong, the young professor, and the detective team from the police. Throughout the series, these three segments are presented simultaneously, dominated by investigative action to uncover the mystery of serial murders and the mastermind behind it all. Sometimes, San-yeong conducts investigations with the professor or the professor and the detective team, and vice versa. The collaboration between San-Yeong and the professor is noted as the most diverse and dynamic because they are the two key figures in the story. Flashback inserts are used in each segment, sometimes answering one mystery, sometimes opening up a new one. One important scene in the middle of the episode, when the detective team tries to summarize all the murders on a whiteboard, helps us outline the traces of the previous plot.
The plot begins to clear from episode 8 to the final. The investigative plot begins to focus on finding the ghost’s identity and looking for five objects that, if sealed, can destroy the evil spirit. Surprise after surprise occurs before the climax. The conclusion ends satisfactorily, even though the evil spirit’s motives are still in question. Is the ghost just a sacrifice, or is it a wandering spirit that the shaman uses to perpetuate the wealth of his service users? What advantage is there for the entity in killing its victims if it can do whatever it wants?
If Revenant is called a pure horror genre, it feels wrong. There aren’t many scary scenes to refer to because the “jump scare” is almost zero. There are no scary-faced startling figures here. The frightening side is built by the terror of the ghost, who can control the minds of his victims. The shadow of the evil spirit San-Yeong with her hair is enough to make us shudder. The side of suspense and mystery is built through the investigative side, which is often inserted by the action of evil spirits preying on their victims. The musical illustrations help build the tension of the scenes, even though the execution can be a little too much at times. If only this series were more concise, the story could run effectively, and the horror side could be more dominant.
Revenant is a mystery horror that combines horror elements with a complex investigative side through the strength of its local elements. One interesting note in this series is its resemblance to local cultural concepts we know in Java. In Revenant, this concept is developed in a complex way with detailed descriptions. Other local elements are also presented, such as traditions/ceremonies of rejecting evil spirits, portals to the world of spirits and humans, amulets against evil spirits, and many others. These kinds of things are the difference between Asian and Western horror. Revenant is an ideal example that our horror filmmakers can emulate to combine local and modern elements in a classy way without sacrificing its traditions and cultural values.
