Metamorphosis (2019 South Korean film)
| Metamorphosis | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kim Hong-seon |
| Written by | Kim Hong-seon |
| Produced by | Hyun-joo Jung |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Yoon Ju Hwan |
| Edited by | Shin Min-kyung |
| Music by | Kim Jun-seong |
Production company | Dana Creative |
| Distributed by | Acemaker Movieworks Sega Sammy Entertainment Shudder |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$12.9 million[1] |
Metamorphosis (Original title: 변신, Hanja: 變身, Byeonshin) is a 2019 South Korean supernatural horror film written and directed by Kim Hong-seon and starring Bae Seong-woo, Sung Dong-il, Jang Young-nam, Kim Hye-jun, Cho Yi-hyun, and Kim Kang-hoon. The film received two nominations from Blue Dragon Film Awards (South Korea).[2]
Plot
[edit]When a troubled family moves into a new house because their pastor uncle was accused of murdering a child, things do not add up from the very beginning. The family members do not know that the face-changing devil, whom their uncle tried to expel from the child's body, has sworn to destroy the pastor's family at any cost.
Cast
[edit]Main
[edit]- Bae Seong-woo as Joong-soo, a pastor who failed to exorcise a girl possessed by a demon causing her to die
- Sung Dong-il as Gang-goo, Joong-soo's older brother and father of Sun-woo, Hyun-joo, Woo-jong
Supporting
[edit]- Jang Young-nam as Myung-joo, Gang-goo's wife
- Kim Hye-jun as Sun-woo, a college student
- Cho Yi-hyun as Hyun-joo, a high school student
- Kim Kang-hoon as Woo-jong, an elementary school student
- Jeon Mi-do as Girl's Mother
- Kim Se-hee as Girl
Special appearance
[edit]- Baek Yoon-sik as Balthazar
- Oh Dae-hwan as Man next door
- Ronnie Henares as Filipino Priest 1
- Joel Saracho as Filipino Priest 2
- Archie Adamos as Filipino Priest 3
- Troy Webb as Filipino Priest 4
- Bing Pimentel as Elder Filipino Nun
Reception
[edit]Patrick Brennan of Dread Central wrote, "Though visually inventive at times, Metamorphosis ultimately feels far too familiar to standout from the rest of the exorcism entries in horror today."[3] Scott Weinberg of Thrillist added, " A bit too long and beholden to similar possession flicks, but there's still some impressive filmmaking here."[4] William Schwartz of HanCinema wrote that while the film is "not particularly original", it "makes the smart decision to portray the spirit as a fairly mundane problem which exorcists deal with the same way a plumber might deal with a clogged pipe", and called the tension "absolutely superb" and the imagery "disturbing yet distinctly the work of a mortal hand, which makes it all the creepier."[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Byeonshin". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ "Metamorphosis (2019)". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Brennan, Patrick (16 July 2020). "METAMORPHOSIS Review – Possession Picture Offers Nothing New". Dread Central. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Weinberg, Scott (October 19, 2020). "The 75 Best Horror Movies of 2020". Thrillist. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Schwartz, William (31 August 2019). "[HanCinema's Film Review] "Metamorphosis"". HanCinema. Retrieved 27 December 2022.