“Metamorphosis” Korean Theatrical Poster
Director: Kim Hong-Sun
Cast: Bae Sung-Woo, Sung Dong-Il, Jang Young-Nam, Kim Hye-Jun, Cho Yi-Hyun, Kim Kang-Hoon, Jung Yun-Ha, Baek Yoon-Sik, Kim Lee-Kyung
Running Time: 113 min.
By Paul Bramhall
The current South Korean fixation with bad-ass priests continues with Metamorphosis. Capping off the holy trilogy of 2019, following the release of The Divine Fury (MMA priests!) and Svaha: The Sixth Finger (occult detective priests!) earlier in the year, the latest entry is easily the most straightforward of the trio, in that it pits a priest whose struggling with his own demons against, you guessed it, an actual demon. So far, so The Exorcist (or for a more recent example, Korea’s own The Priests).
The fourth movie from director Kim Hong-seon, since his 2012 debut The Traffickers Hong-seon has stuck to what he knows best with the crime genre, helming middling efforts like The Con Artists and The Chase. Known for his gritty aesthetic, it’s not entirely unreasonable to believe that the horror genre could be the one for him to shine. Hong-seon has enlisted Bae Sung-woo as the priest in question this time. Arguably one of the busiest working actors in Korea, Sung-woo is instantly recognizable from the myriad of supporting roles he’s played over the last 10 years, with perhaps his most impactful one being that of an office worker who murders his own family in 2014’s Office.
Metamorphosis opens with Sung-woo performing an exorcism of a girl who’s been possessed. The scene is an effective one, with some welcome usage of practical effects for gore, and in many ways it’s an opening which sets the tone for the remaining duration. As effectively executed as it is, the sight of a girl tied down to the bed and firing off expletives like they’re going out of fashion is one we’ve seen a hundred times before, so if Hong-seon’s latest isn’t looking to break the mould, it better do what it does exceptionally well. Nearing the culmination of the exorcism, a moment of weakness causes proceedings to take a turn for the worse, climaxing in the demon promising it’ll return to tear Sung-woo’s family apart.
It’s a line that shifts the narratives focus to the family in question, as we’re introduced to Sung-woo’s estranged brother (Sung Dong-il, RV: Resurrected Victims), along with his wife (Jang Young-nam, Confidential Assignment) and three kids (Kim Hye-jun, Another Child, Jo Yi-hyun, Homme Fatale, and Kim Kang-hoon, Exit). After the families affiliation with Sung-woo sees them need to relocate, they settle into a house purchased through an auction over the other side of town, where they believe a fresh start awaits. Of course, this is a horror movie, so their expectations are dashed pretty quickly. From a mysterious neighbour who keeps them up all night with what sounds like some kind of sawing, to the fact that certain members of the family begin to act in increasingly disturbing ways.
The change in focus proves to be a good move, as Hong-seon displays a deft hand at ramping up the suspense in what’s supposed to be the safety of the new family home. What exactly is the neighbour doing every night that’s so noisy, and why are certain family members acting so out of character. It’s not a spoiler to say that the demon in question manifests itself as a shape shifter, able to take on the form of anyone in the family unit. As a result, the tension the scenario brings is closer to the type found in John Carpenter’s The Thing than it is your typical supernatural horror flick. Both ourselves as the audience and the characters onscreen begin to question if who they’re interacting with really is who they look like, or is it the demon?
In all fairness, when it is the demon it should be rather obvious. From Dong-il’s visit to his daughter’s bedroom in the middle of the night to eye her up and down, to Young-nam’s feral eating habits at the breakfast table, it’s clear that somethings not right. The fear of the unknown, combined with the more traditional visceral shocks, keep Metamorphosis a suitably edgy experience, and one that successfully plays on the fear of those closest to us not being who we think they are. Events eventually lead to the family giving Sung-woo a call, in the hope that he’ll be able to get to the bottom of what’s going on, and have things return to normal.
Ironically it’s Sung-woo’s return that begins to show cracks in the coherency of Metamorphosis. Sung-woo himself puts in an admirable performance, but there are aspects of the plot which raise certain question marks. The best example of this is a scene in which he explains that Hye-jun must be the demon, as he reveals the water he poured for everyone is holy water, and she’s the only one that didn’t touch it. By the logic established so far, then the assumption is that the real Hye-jun is somewhere else, however the implication is that the demon has actually possessed Hye-jun, which up until this point hasn’t been the case.
There are also throwaway lines in the script that indicate deeper meanings, but never come to fruition, such as when Dong-il muses on how lucky they were to secure the house, and how he couldn’t believe no one else bid on it. Presumably that’s because there’s some kind of evil associated with the house itself, but no, the line is never re-visited. I can only guess it really was the case that it just so happened nobody else bid on it. The biggest faux pas in Metamorphosis though comes when a main character is killed off, and not only does it cause literally no impact whatsoever, but nobody even seems to notice they’ve gone! Whether it’s a pacing issue, or that somehow it looked like it was adequately covered in the script, onscreen it comes across as completely bizarre.
Sung-woo’s return also introduces a character played by the legendary Baek Yoon-sik (Inside Men). Both Yoon-sik and Dong-il co-starred in Hong-seon’s previous movie, The Chase, and clearly enjoyed working with him enough to return. Yoon-sik plays a senior priest residing in the Philippines, who’s called upon by Sung-woo to come and assist with exorcising the demon. Yoon-sik’s presence is always a welcome one, and brings a sense of gravitas to proceedings the same way an actor like Ahn Sung-ki does. Tragically the Philippines settings also has him wrestle with a scene that involves a sermon being delivered in English, and a round table discussion that has a group of foreign priests arguing amongst themselves as to what kind of demon it is comes across as unintentionally amusing.
With an effectively tense build-up, Hong-seon ultimately can’t sustain it for the duration, and while the finale of Metamorphosis ticks all the boxes to conclude the tale, it still feels underwhelming in its execution. With such a saturated market for exorcism movies, being able to conclude one effectively in a way that feels fresh must be a challenge for any director, however here there’s no real sense of impact or catharsis. Not for the first time in a Korean production (Train to Busan, I’m looking at you), the elements that deliver the most entertainment – in this case the gory imagery and the uneasy tension – are forsaken in the finale to indulge in some unwarranted melodrama.
Despite this though, Metamorphosis still manages to be an entertaining slice within the exorcism sub-genre (disclaimer: I’m not even sure if that’s a thing, but let’s assume it is). The gory effects work is a highlight, particularly the neighbour’s house and the discoveries that reside inside it, harking back to the likes of early 00’s thrillers like Tell Me Something. My main issue with Hong-seon’s latest is that it should have been so much more.
Metamorphosis is at its best when witnessing the demons effects on the family, as tempers begin to fray and seeds of discord begin to bear fruit, with legitimate scares being wrung from the demons outbursts of violence in the guise of different family members. When these elements are the focus then the tension is palpable and there’s a genuine sense of fear, both of which dissipate once the script decides to play with its own logic, sacrificing the one thing that gave it a unique slant compared to its contemporaries. With the right expectations, or if you’re simply a fan of watching men in dog collars take on the forces of evil, then there’s enough here to warrant a watch.
Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10
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