Exhuma (2024)

 

 

Streaming Service: Shudder 

Movie Name/Year: Exhuma (2024)

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller 

Length: 2h 14min

Rating: Unrated

Director: Jang Jae-hyun

Writer: Jang Jae-hyun

Actors: Kim Go-eun, Choi Min-sik, Lee Do-hyun, Jung Yun-Ha, Yoo Hae-jin, Hong Seo-jun, Jeon Jin-ki, Kim Jae-cheol, Yeong-ran Lee, Lee Jong-goo, Park Ji-il, Kim Tae-Joon-Iii

 

Shudder Blurb: When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country’s most revered geomancer (CHOI Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction’s origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground. Sensing an ominous aura surrounding the burial site, the team opts to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately. But as something much darker emerges, they soon discover what befalls those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

I was really excited about getting a chance to watch Exhuma this month. While it might have appeared otherwise, based on my personal Top 20 list for June, I can assure you that it wasn't absent for lack of anticipation or any early judgement on quality. The trailer made it clear that something interesting and ominous was going on in Exhuma. The only question for me was whether or not the Korean traditions, beliefs, and rituals would “translate” well to an un-initiated “western” audience.

 

 

To the credit of the entire production team from writing/directing all the way through set, cast, crew, and subtitle-writers. I had no trouble following along, even when events delved into matters I was unfamiliar with. Let me tell you, that was a lot. I knew next to nothing about Korean burial customs and any related rituals, beliefs, or superstitions before watching Exhuma. Of course, this story is about things going extremely awry, so it was, understandably, far and away from a normal situation. I found the insight into Korean traditions fascinating, and I forgot I was reading subtitles as I was watching.

 

 

As a related aside, the actors portraying shamans in Exhuma worked with their real-world counterparts to train in preparation for this movie, and the real shamans were available for consultation during production. This information has been made known through various sources and interviews, backing up the trivia nuggets on IMDb. I found one such article here, where a viewer interviewed an authentic Korean shaman to establish the legitimacy of the acted practices shown within the film. (Note, there are mild spoilers in that article so maybe check it out after you watch if you don't want to learn things that might give elements of the movie away.)

 

Exhuma's story was framed in what could essentially be called chapters, as if the movie was giving us a visual novel. The suspense and unease was palpable, and I appreciated how the supernatural was portrayed without need for enormous amounts of CGI. There were so many subtle layers involved.

 

 

I also appreciated how Exhuma explored a bit of generational trauma as it impacts individual people as well as a culture on the whole.

 

While Exhuma didn't have the edge-of-your seat action of Korean horror classic Train to Busan (2016), it was still a gripping tale worthy to be known as a significant offering to the genre from that region. If you're a fan of ghost stories from other cultures with a sprinkling of history involved, I'd recommend giving Exhuma a shot.

 

Exhuma released today, June 14^th, 2024 on Shudder.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 91%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 90%

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – 7.4/10

IMDB Score – 6.9/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

 

Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating   - PG-13

 

Movie Trailer:

Satanic Hispanics (2022)

 

 

Streaming Service: Shudder

Movie Name/Year: Satanic Hispanics (2022)

Genre: Horror, Comedy 

Length:  1h 52min 

Rating: R 

Directors: Alejandro Brugués, Mike Mendez, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Eduardo Sánchez, Demián Rugna 

Writers: Pete Barnstrom, Alejandro Mendez, Lino K. Villa 

Actors: Efren Ramirez, Greg Grunberg, Sonya Eddy, Lombardo Boyar, Mark Steger, Alejandro Brugués, Vince Lozano, Ace Underhill, Demián Salomón, Luis Machin, Victoria Maurette, Carlos Segane, Hemky Madera, Patricia Velasquez, Ari Gallegos, Gabriela Ruíz, Jesus Meza, Pedro Joaquín, Marcio Moreno, Carlos L. Vazquez, Jonah Ray, Danielle Chaves, Christian Rodrigo, Jacob Vargas, Morgana Ignis, Mike Mendez, Daniela Medeiros

 

 

IMDb Blurb: When police break into a house in El Paso, they find it filled with dead Latinos and a lone survivor. Known as "El Viajero," he is taken to the police station for questioning.

 

Selina’s Point of View:

I love a good horror anthology. I tend to enjoy even the bad horror anthologies. As long as there’s a creative theme and a decent framing device, I’m usually all for it. I may not have adored the ABCs of Death (2012-2016) flicks, but even they had their stand-out stories.

 

Anthologies are simple. Short stories fused together by one over-arcing idea. In the ABCs of Death it’s about the alphabet. In the V/H/S (2012 -) films, it’s all found footage – with an added theme for each flick. The Mortuary Collection (2019) is tied together by a framing device that sees the owner of a mortuary telling tales about the bodies he’s worked on. Masters of Horror (2005-2007) is tied together by the iconic level of each story’s creator. There are also plenty of horror anthologies based around holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and even April Fools Day.

 

The one thing tying together an anthology can be just about anything: behind the scenes, or woven into the stories.

 

The only thing I always need to see in an anthology is tonal consistency. If it’s a group of serious stories, that’s fine. If it’s all horror/comedy, that’s also fine. Even mixing and matching those two a little can work. What makes me twitch is when you take some serious stories and mix them with flat-out parody. My brain cannot make that switch so easily and I wind up hating it.

 

That’s what happened here.

 

The framing device in Satanic Hispanics is fine. It’s a little bit over-done, but it works. It’s just a guy telling stories to the cops. Simple. The first actual story winds up being on the serious side. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but the pay off in the end makes it worth it. Since it is just a short story, waiting for that twist doesn’t feel like too much of a chore.

 

 

Then it gets into the second story.

 

When I tell you how I rubbed my temples for several minutes straight, I’m not being dramatic. Friends watched me do it and made fun of me from the other room.

 

I don’t have the capacity to go from a super serious, slow-burn, twisty story to a full-on parody in the same film. It’s just my preference, but I hate it.

 

I need to be in the right frame of mind for a parody. If you’ve ever seen my reviews of flicks in the genre, then you know I don’t think they should even be compared to actual cinematic films. It’s like judging a frog for how well they fly. It simply doesn’t work. It’s why I even differentiate between parody and caricature.

 

It’s not about mixing the comedic with the terrifying. Later in the film there’s a horror/comedy story that works well. I love that. But when it’s a full parody? It’s like cramming together The Hunger Games (2012) and The Starving Games (2013) and saying it should work. It doesn’t.

 

That one parody section of Satanic Hispanics took me right out of it, and I never connected again. It’s not for me.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View: 

Satanic Hispanics is a horror anthology that has quite a lot to unpack. This conglomerate of 5 short horror films written and directed by Hispanic creators and largely starring Hispanic actors was not exactly what I was expecting – but in a good way.

 

My last review was for another horror anthology, V/H/S/85 (2023). Watching these back-to-back, for the most part, gave me the opportunity for some additional comparison and contrast – considering the former was fresh on my mind.

 

I found that I enjoyed the overall package of Satanic Hispanics more than I did the latest V/H/S (2012) installment. The story that introduced the different horror short-films was more cohesive and enjoyable than the odd retro sci-fi experience of ’85, and I was really invested in that experience the way I became engrossed in this story and wanted to stick around for its conclusion.

 

 

First, let’s address the elephant in the room. The title of Satanic Hispanics might be a little misleading to some, and might have set different expectations for this anthology than what actually appears on the screen. I can see how that might be contributing to some of the lower viewer scores. This is one of the rare cases that I lean more towards the critic scores. I didn’t get bogged down in the title, and just set out to experience a horror anthology with a cultural twist.

 

There isn’t anything satanic about Satanic Hispanics. Not a spoiler, really. I just want to make sure that expectations are managed correctly. I’m just guessing here, but the filmmakers were likely just enjoying that rhyming scheme paired with the horror anthology. If I understood an interview I read correctly, it seemed to have begun as the working title of the project and just stuck.

 

The over-arcing tale was a short, in itself, titled "The Traveler" from Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider!, Tales of Halloween: Friday the 31st, Don't Kill It). With the repertoire of great movies under Mendez’s belt, I wasn’t surprised at all once I connected the dots to him. He has this great knack for balancing whimsy with more serious horror elements. I absolutely adored the evolution of the costume design once ‘The Odd Man’ appeared, and it did give me some shivers. Efren Ramirez (Napoleon Dynamite, Trafficked, Lightyear) was also a great fit for the titular character.

 

 

In addition to all of that, Greg Grunberg (Big Ass Spider!, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, A Star is Born) was also featured in that story as a police detective along with Sonya Eddy (Good on Paper, V/H/S/99, General Hospital). Grunberg is one of those ‘Hey, it’s that guy!’ character actors, who I adore, and you find in shows that make lasting marks on the pop culture landscape – especially for Sci-fi fans. He’s great with comedy and serious roles alike. Some of the highlights in his portfolio are Felicity (1998-2002), Alias (2001-2006), Lost (2004-2010), Heroes (2006-2010), and Star Trek Beyond (2016); and then he also has whimsical stuff like Max Reload and the Nether Blasters (2020). There aren’t that many that can boast that they’re a part of both the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises. I digress…

 

Director Eduardo Sánchez (The Blair Witch Project, Supernatural, Queen of the South) also has to his credit many productions which I have enjoyed in the past. His segment within Satanic Hispanics of “El Vampiro” was no different. This playful, yet still somewhat serious, take on a classic vampire story was brilliant and hilarious.

 

Demián Rugna (You Don't Know Who You're Talking To, Terrified, When Evil Lurks) was at the helm of the segment “Tambien Lo Vi.” While I’m not as familiar with their work, I did have an appreciation for this short film within Satanic Hispanics. This particular segment was more of a dramatic horror element and leaned less into comedy than the previous that I’ve mentioned. It had me thinking, and not hating the fact that it did. When I read an interview with the directors for Satanic Hispanics, I connected some dots that hadn’t quite made it during my watch-through, and I’m even more impressed with this story. (Caution, while I’ve linked the interview I referred to here, beware of some mild spoilers if you haven’t already watched the film yet.)

 

 

While Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead, ABCs of Death 2: E is for Equilibrium, 50 States of Fright) may have been one of the masterminds for this project, and I love that, his particular short "The Hammer of Zanzibar" was an odd addition to this mix. I suppose we find within every anthology that one segment that just comes at us out of left field and has us scratching our heads. At least, that’s what usually happens for me… outside of things like The ABCs of Death (2012)… so many of those letter-themed shorts were just out there. I guess it doesn’t surprise me he participated in the first sequel. 

 

In any case, most of the short’s story was fine – great, even. Then it hit a particular point and just went off the rails. It was funny and a bit cringe, and enjoyable all the same. It left me with a ‘well damn’ feeling as it ended on a truly horrific note. There was just quite the odd rollercoaster to get there. As an additional note, I really got a kick out of Jacob Vargas’ (Sons of Anarchy, Beyond Skyline, Mr. Iglesias) character, and laughed in spite of the cringe involved.

 

Let’s talk about the “Nahaules” segment. I’d say this was the one that I resonated with the least out of the entire lot. I do have a lot of respect for it, however. Gigi Saul Guerrero (The Source of Shadows, Bingo Hell, V/H/S/85: God of Death) has a gift for both leaning hard into her heritage as well as the grimy elements of horror. I think she hit the nail on the head in the DailyDead interview I mentioned before, when she said that she enjoys giving viewers a visceral reaction to things such as really gross teeth because she wants to “[make] sure audiences can not just feel what’s on the frame, but they can smell and taste it.” It was a story steeped in cultural mysticism; and while interesting, just wasn’t my cup of tea.

 

On the whole, Satanic Hispanics was a wild and enjoyable ride through the minds of some great Hispanic directors. Fans of horror anthologies generally wouldn’t be disappointed.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 92% 

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 47% 

Metascore – 58% 

Metacritic User Score – None 

IMDB Score – 5.7/10

 

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

 

Movie Trailer:

Restore Point (2024)

 

 

Movie Name/Year: Restore Point (2024)

Genre: Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi 

Length:  1h 55min 

Rating: Unrated 

Director: Robert Hloz 

Writers: Tomislav Cecka, Robert Hloz, Zdenek Jecelin

Actors: Andrea Mohylová, Matej Hádek, Milan Ondrík, Václav Neuzil, Karel Dobrý, Agáta Krystufkova, Katarzyna Zawadzka, Iveta Dusková, Jan Vlasák, Richard Stanke, Adam Vacula, Jan Jankovský 

 

IMDb Blurb: Set in central Europe during 2041, a female detective investigates the case of a murdered couple where a restoration team is able to bring one of them back to life.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View: 

I have to admit that I enjoyed Restore Point far more than I expected.

 

Let me back up a moment and explain that. I didn’t anticipate at any point that it would be bad. I just know my own attention span these days and sometimes I struggle with subtitled movies if I’m not invested enough. A film in another language needs to be one that I either understand some of, or just so engrossing for me that I forget that I’m reading the screen at the same time as I take in the actions of the characters. I have a tendency to fidget with things while I’m watching movies or TV, to help keep my ADHD busy. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really mesh well with reading subtitles – causing me to miss important moments occasionally. While I find the Slavic languages interesting to listen to, I certainly don’t speak them so that was something I had to take into consideration when I worked on my personal Top 20 list this past month. (Selina listed Restore Point as her #5 entry.)

 

 

What all that boils down to is this: I didn’t have any problems keeping up with the story and quite liked the overall arc of Restore Point. I didn’t even feel the need to fidget to keep my attention glued to the screen.

 

I adore futuristic sci-fi. It’s always fascinating to see what someone envisions for the future of technology and society as a whole – whether it’s dystopian, utopian, or somewhere in between. I don’t necessarily think that Restore Point entirely fits into a particular category such as that, but perhaps is set in a time that could be potentially leading up to a dystopian situation. I really enjoyed all of the technological facets of life that Restore Point explored – even in the background. I also have to give extra points that the electric vehicles were quiet and electric-sounding, as well. I’ve seen too many issues recently where there’s supposed to be an EV on the screen and someone has layered in the vrooming noises of a gas engine shifting through its various gears.

 

 

I’ve heard that Restore Point has been compared to Logan’s Run (1976) and Minority Report (2002). I’d agree that there are elements that you could cherry pick from those films that would come close to what was within the Restore Point narrative, however, this film is not a derivative of either. If we’re making comparisons, though, I feel that Altered Carbon (2018-2020) also needs to be in the conversation. That being said, the Altered Carbon series explores that very dystopian future that could result from the technology explored here. Restore Point has some similar themes with backups and restoration, but that’s where you have to draw the line. This was a fresh story, and I appreciated that.

 

 

The visuals within Restore Point were also amazing. The futuristic architecture was stunning and gave a nice contrast to the historical structures that date back hundreds of years, even now.

 

Restore Point worked well as a futuristic crime procedural with elements of intrigue and an exploration of moral gray areas and existential crisis. The stakes were clear and the sense of urgency to solve the case before events caught up brought plenty of suspense. I thought the ending was well done and I was smiling when the credits rolled.

 

Restore Point will be releasing in theaters nationwide on Thursday, February 8, 2024.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None 

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None 

Metascore – 74% 

Metacritic User Score – None 

IMDB Score – 6.6/10 

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5 

Trust the Dice: Parental Rating –PG-13

 

Movie Trailer:

Dark Gathering (2023 - )

 

 

Streaming Service: HiDive

Series Name/Year: Dark Gathering (2023-)

Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Horror

Average Episode Length:  25 min (1 Season, 25 Episodes)

Rating: TV-MA

Production/Distribution: OLM, HiDive

Director: Hiroshi Ikehata

Writer: Murakoshi Shigeru, Kenichi Kondo

Actors: Yû Sasahara, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kana Hanazawa, Yoshihiro Nakamura, Mitsuki Saiga, Fumi Hirano, Yôhei Azakami, Hina Koyanagi, Naoki Sabae, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Kujira, Yôko Sômi, Sayaka Aida, Kosuke Sakaki

IMDb Blurb: Keitarô Gentôga takes a part-time job tutoring the child prodigy, Yayoi Hôzuki. Little does he know she's a gifted medium hell-bent on finding the spirit behind her mother's vanishing and she's gravely determined to drag Keitarô into it.

 

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

I recently stumbled onto an anime streaming service called HiDive – and part of my introduction and trial experience was the new 2023 anime series Dark Gathering. I vaguely recalled seeing a trailer at some point and having a chuckle at the dark comedy laced into the teaser. Considering that we’re almost through with September and are on the cusp of Spooky Season, jumping into a series about some youngsters fighting spirits seemed perfect. 

 

So far, I haven’t been disappointed. 

 

Why so far? I would have watched the whole series already had I been able – even with only a subtitled version available. Dark Gathering premiered in Japan just this past July and is still airing with new episodes releasing on Mondays. This series is apparently available on HiDive as a simulcast – so as soon as an episode hits overseas networks, it becomes available on the service. 12 episodes are currently available at the time of this review, and the 13^th is set to air on October 2nd, 2023. The full season will have released as of Christmas Eve of this year. 

 

 

I have to say, just shy of halfway through, I’m thoroughly invested in this story and will be figuring out whatever I need to do in order to make sure the subscription to HiDive is budgeted until I can watch this whole season at the very least. This isn’t an ad for that service and they’re not a sponsor or anything like that at this time, though; so let’s focus on the series. 

 

The characters are young but relatable on an uncomfortable level. They’ve all experienced tragedy in some fashion and are striving to reclaim their lives and move forward. One of the characters is trying to re-emerge after living as a shut-in for a while and is horribly socially awkward. Another of the main characters is delightfully optimistic, if a little on the yandere cray-cray spectrum. The first two that I’ve mentioned are of college age. The third primary character seems to be in middle school or something like that. She’s not quite a “magical girl” but her abilities are at the center of the story as the trio set out to gain strength so that they can hunt down and vanquish the evil entity that stole her mother’s spirit. 

 

 

Thankfully, with such a young character involved, the story stays on the more wholesome side where relationships are concerned. While romance seems to be an undercurrent in the series, it’s not at the forefront and is treated in the bumbling/blushing manner rather than anything explicit. Dark Gathering earns its TV-MA or R rating from the supernatural situations that involve blood and gore, as well as some language. The intrepid trio find themselves in some harrowing circumstances as they hunt down supernatural elements (or fight the spirits that hunt THEM down) as they further their quest.

 

For those manga fans out there, Dark Gathering is an adaptation of a Shonen Jump manga series. From what I could gather from the VIZ release trailer for the actual manga, the anime seems to be staying fairly faithful to the source material. Of course, I haven’t read the manga at this time so I can’t vouch 100%, but it at least looks promising.

 

There are plenty of atmospheric elements to love with this series, and fans of supernatural horror – or really ghost stories in general, should find plenty to enjoy here. I appreciated the snippets of actual Japanese folklore scattered throughout, as well. 

 

 

Going back to my mention of the rating for Dark Gathering, I need to reiterate that this series absolutely deserves the Mature Audiences Only rating. Even though one of the characters is very young and has an interesting “chibi” or “lolita-like” appearance and sports a massive plushie collection, it is not suitable at all for young viewers. There are many triggering situations depicted within this series that wouldn’t be appropriate. Further, if appropriately aged audiences are sensitive to depictions of characters un-aliving, as the modern-day phrase goes… this might not be the right fit for you. (There are at least 2 episodes out of the first 12 that directly deal with a club with an unalive-pact or depictions of the Jigai ritual.)

 

With all things considered, this story has kept me at the edge of my seat for the 20-ish minutes of each episode not dedicated to re-cap or credits. I am hopeful for the young protagonists, and am crossing my fingers that the young girl will be able to rescue her mother’s spirit by the end and the other 2 primary characters can find some peace. Who knows what will happen in the next half of the series. I can’t wait to find out.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None 

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –None

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 7.2/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

 

P.S. – You can find additional information directly from the series’ website. Darkgathering.jp

 

Series Trailer:

Original –

Subbed -