Some people will find The Wailing terrifying of that I have no doubt. Tonally we start off with gruesome death, although gruesome is mainly in the mind, the actual victims are in shadow, there are blood sprays seen up the walls but for overall grue there really is not as much as you believe there is. Always a good sign when a filmmaker is confident enough of their own storyteller to let the viewer’s imagination do the heavy lifting. But what we start off with is a funny film. I can honestly say the first third of the film is definitely comedic but in a situation way rather than comedy characters. Jong-goo, superbly played by Do-won Kwak, is at best an average cop, bumbling at times, not punctual, the antithesis of the usual protagonists in these types of films that are either heroic or tragic or all parts between. For me this grabbed my attention immediately.
As the film progresses so does the development of Jong-goo whose foolish ideas, bravado and impulsive decisions become less comic and more tragic and serious. There are still flashes of almost slapstick humour as one character is struck by lightning and staggers about, a shaman has more showman and charlatan about him and preens around but the tone is not completely lost. After all, if you are honest, life can be like that, one minute you are in a Charlies Chaplin film, the next it is a murder film. A no point is the murders, violent events, passed off with quirky or clever remark.
It is difficult to describe too much more of the film and story without ruining it for a first-time viewer, suffice to say the ending lays it all on the line and seems to be straight forward and easy to comprehend, although if you think back through the previous two or so hours, maybe not so much. This is the trick of director Na Hong-jin I honestly believe he wants you to interpret what you have seen, what you take away from it is personal to you. Is it a metaphor on religion, tradition, or on the difference between different communities or how you view people, how you trust them, the trust in traditional superstition or logic? It can be and I believe is all of these things but is overall a good horror film.
The cinematography is beautiful with the claustrophobic and chaotic village presented as such then beautiful almost prehistoric forests magnificently portrayed in verdant green crowned in soft white mists.
If anything detracts from this magnificent horror film perhaps the running time could have been snipped back a bit. The middle third was baggy, where the film flips over from comedic to horrific, it felt a bit clunky and the friends traipsing around the forest, getting involved in a fight with…. well I will not reveal it…. was not obviously necessary to the plot and if it had been removed entirely would have made no difference to the story. Some of the acting seemed a bit over the top and hysterical but whether this is a quirk of the genre or origin of the film I am not expert enough to know. These are only small quibbles though and all the actors acquitted themselves favourable.
If you want to watch something different, something that might make you think what the heck you have just seen, then as someone who is definitely not a horror-film aficionado I recommend The Wailing highly.
If this film has done anything it has made me want to seek out Na Hong-jin’s back catalogue, small as it is.
Review by Daniel C. NobleBlockedParent2021-11-18T14:18:40Z
'The Wailing' is a movie made for cinema and will not be appreciated by anyone who isn't a film buff. It's a very long film and, as you can tell by other "reviews" here, it's quite divisive. It's a slow-burn mystery that starts quite comical and satirical but slowly moves towards a horror with supernatural elements that uses deliberate ambiguity as a strength. It is beautifully shot and well paced and didn't feel like 2.5 hours long. If you can't spend that much time without checking your phone or leaving your seat then don't bother starting the movie. It's a very easy to follow film, everything is explained, but you will obviously miss these details if you lack attention and patience. One of the best "unhinged" performances by a child I've seen. The horror in terms of gore, prosthetics, and disgusting moments are really well done.
It's quite frustrating seeing comments where people admit they skipped to the end, or how someone's surface level understanding of 'The Wailing' gives a low score, which isn't valid feedback. Decide for yourself if you have any self-control. For fans of slow-burners and genre-hoppers like 'Hereditary' and 'Audition' and other Korean horror/thrillers like 'Memories of Murder', 'Oldboy', etc. where the mystery keeps getting thicker to a big revelation.