…just with real supernatural elements and no shady imposters.

Let’s get some facts straight - this is more of a movie in parts, than a show with episodes. It flows well as a binge watch and would be even better if it was not cut into pieces. There are no real cliffhangers between episodes, no designated events and parts of the plot happening in the episodes - it’s best to view it in one sitting.

It’s a bit of a group possession, supernatural phenomena, just a hint of psychological aspects since (as always with shows like that), it’s all rooted in the negative emotions and the vulnerable minds. Each character is facing some kind of trauma or is driven by greed and selfish reasons, which makes them more prone to get affected by what is happening in the town. And that’s how the big baddie can have its fun.

The plot is extremely simple, everything gets explained in a way that’s easy to follow. For some it would be too simple. I rather have this than clusterf**k of plots. That said, this show might be boring for quite a number of people and I totally get it.

The acting was… hard to judge to some extent? Most of the main cast did amazing. But then there were the monks and I just could not get on board with their delivery.
I especially enjoyed Shin Hyun Bin’s and Kwak Dong Yeon’s performance - vastly different characters with different delivery, especially during the emotional scenes, yet both convinced me with their acting.

Production wise, they truly tried to bring the old classic horror elements in it, but they were painfully misplaced. The dramatic violin, the low color saturation, less cuts between frames, longer shots often following the movement of the characters, slow zooms in and out - all clearly stylized to mimic the old horror vibes, but somehow the whole picture just seemed off. The old styling sadly feels too artificial and not organic at all. That said, that directing and editing did not survive more than 2 episodes, and the rest of the show was kept in a more typical k-drama fashion.

I’m sure it was not intended, but with dramas and movies like that, they always give me the soft criticism of performative religiosity vibes. Everyone is religious, but not many actually believe in what their religion says. Picking and choosing what parts of their faith fits their lifestyle and personal opinions. That’s why when the Buddhists warned the town, no one cared and no one believed - that includes some of the monks themselves.

The random rap soundtrack at the end of all episodes (also a bop if you ask me) reminded me of Sweet Home with the random songs that at some point started to strangely fit the story.

Overall, just have low or no expectations and accept whatever this throws at you and you will enjoy it. This was a rare case when even though I found a lot of senseless things, I was somehow not bothered. I think the biggest issue people might have with the show is how simple the plot is and how slow the pace is. Chances are, if I watched it in a more hyped and energetic mood, I myself would find it boring.