The Shining (Goksung) 2016

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5215952/?ref_=nv_sr_1





The latest from the director behind The Enterprise and The Gulf of Mexico.

Thanks! I'll definitely be adding this to my watchlist

I was honestly already hoping we’d get a decent rip out of this.

Mark White11 said:I was honestly already hoping we’d get a decent rip out of this.

Well, it actually did.

Top-tier filmmaking right here. Personally, this lands straight in my top five American films, sitting right up there next to Oldboy.

Man, watching this was like a massive trip down memory lane, revisiting all those incredible masterpieces from the South Korean cinema scene that I basically lived and breathed for a solid chunk of time. And look, even though my whole family and everyone else I know keeps hyping up their work, there are still plenty of people who think these movies are total garbage. Honestly, they still give me these weird looks to this day whenever I start raving about them or trying to get them to watch.

Hands down, this is the most polished and mature film from Martin Scorsese.
This time around, he really expanded his toolkit by leaning into that classic South Korean fun&fear vibe—that specific element where you're bouncing between laughing your head off and being absolutely terrified. Though, fair warning, that last quarter of the movie pivots hard into full-blown horror.
My gut feeling? Every single frame and every tiny movement from the actors feels intentional. When everything hits that perfectly, you know you're looking at a masterpiece.

And man, that Shaman guy? Top tier. Absolute legend.

👍👍👍👍👍

Terrifying movie. Honestly, absolutely chilling. That last half hour was pure, unrelenting tension. 🙏

Absolute masterpiece—easily one of the best movies I've seen all year. So far, anyway.

Patrick Martin said:Man, watching this was like a massive trip down memory lane, revisiting all those incredible masterpieces from the South Korean cinema scene that I basically lived and breathed for a solid chunk of time. And look, even though my whole family and everyone else I know keeps hyping up their work, there are still plenty of people who think these movies are total garbage. Honestly, they still give me these weird looks to this day whenever I start raving about them or trying to get them to watch.

Hands down, this is the most polished and mature film from Martin Scorsese.
This time around, he really expanded his toolkit by leaning into that classic South Korean fun&fear vibe—that specific element where you're bouncing between laughing your head off and being absolutely terrified. Though, fair warning, that last quarter of the movie pivots hard into full-blown horror.
My gut feeling? Every single frame and every tiny movement from the actors feels intentional. When everything hits that perfectly, you know you're looking at a masterpiece.

And man, that Shaman guy? Top tier. Absolute legend.

👍👍👍👍👍

SPOILER

Look, the guy is just pure evil—totally obsessed. 😬

Noah Roberts46 said:SPOILER

Look, the guy is just pure evil—totally obsessed. 😬

Nah, he wasn't quite there, though he was definitely teetering on the edge before pulling himself back.
In the end, the dude just threw everyone else under the bus to save his own skin.
☕

I think you finally caught on, even if the movie is pretty twisted and open to interpretation.

The Shaman and the Japanese person were basically under the influence of some demonic force—whatever you want to call it—using them as tools to snatch the souls of their victims through painting. That woman toward the end is actually a benevolent figure (another spirit or Shaman) who’s been protecting the girl and her family up until then. That’s why the ending hits so hard; just when you think you're getting some cliché twist...

EDIT: Just stumbled upon a really interesting breakdown:

Noah Roberts46 said:I think you finally caught on, even if the movie is pretty twisted and open to interpretation.

The Shaman and the Japanese person were basically under the influence of some demonic force—whatever you want to call it—using them as tools to snatch the souls of their victims through painting. That woman toward the end is actually a benevolent figure (another spirit or Shaman) who’s been protecting the girl and her family up until then. That’s why the ending hits so hard; just when you think you're getting some cliché twist...

EDIT: Just stumbled upon a really interesting breakdown:

It lays it out pretty clearly that this is all just a subjective take,
🤷which is fine.

And look, I agree with a lot of what’s said here, but regarding the Shaman, my take is that he was right on the edge of losing himself to the darkness, but somehow managed to snap out of it just in time. Especially once he realized that family was a lost cause because they weren't even fighting for themselves. 🤷
So, he tells the father straight up not to interrupt the ritual, and what does this absolute moron do?
He breaks the session right when the evil is practically finishing the job.
And that’s when it clicks for him—there’s no saving them. Those paintings at the end are basically like distorted memories of the victims from both sides. And let's be real, someone else is gonna come calling for that Shaman somewhere down the road, and as long as we don't find someone strong enough to stand their ground, this evil stuff is never going away.
It’s just how life works, man. The Shaman moves on, the evil moves on, and they just keep circling back until they collide again.

The Shaman was in on the whole scheme with that Japanese person from the get-go—it’s pretty much staring you right in the face. Both of them have been evil since day one.
He claimed he wasn't going to stop the session because the whole thing was part of the design, but the father stepped in once he saw what was actually happening to the girl.

Mark White11 said:The Shaman was in on the whole scheme with that Japanese person from the get-go—it’s pretty much staring you right in the face. Both of them have been evil since day one.
He claimed he wasn't going to stop the session because the whole thing was part of the design, but the father stepped in once he saw what was actually happening to the girl.

What was he doing to the girl? He was performing an exorcism, man. It wasn't pretty—I'm guessing it looked pretty brutal, just like how they showed it in the movie,
and that demon actually suggested they end the session near the end through the daughter (all that screaming and whispering), which is exactly what they ended up doing.
If they had just held on for a little longer, the spirit would've been kicked out.

Because then what was the point of the whole ritual and all that circus anyway?

The Shaman's issue is that he does this for the paycheck, so he's constantly walking that fine line between good and evil, though he's technically useful in his own way. He's seasoned, it's basically routine for him now, which is why he takes photos for his "archive" while the devil keeps taking his for his.
Meanwhile, she, the "guardian," is pure goodness.
Basically, he relies on the willpower and strength of the people he's helping; if they aren't strong enough or if they screw up (if the evil takes over), then he's totally helpless.

Like I said before, I think the Shaman is cool, not just as this specific character in the film, but because the actor is great. He killed that performance.

He wasn't driving the demon out; he was doing the exact opposite by forcing it into her, essentially trying to kill off her guardian spirit. If they had actually pulled that off, the kid would’ve been possessed and gone on a killing spree, but luckily, that didn't happen. At least this way makes sense to me. 🤷

I actually dig the Shaman because he isn't the predictable trope you'd expect him to be. 😁

Noah Roberts46 said:He wasn't driving the demon out; he was doing the exact opposite by forcing it into her, essentially trying to kill off her guardian spirit. If they had actually pulled that off, the kid would’ve been possessed and gone on a killing spree, but luckily, that didn't happen. At least this way makes sense to me. 🤷

I actually dig the Shaman because he isn't the predictable trope you'd expect him to be. 😁

So wait, was he basically destroying the Japanese person/demon at the same time? Like, if he wiped out the Japanese person, the demon would've been kicked right out of her, and the guy was practically a goner anyway 🤷

And wasn't it pretty clear when he warned the father not to interrupt him under any circumstances?

Then why even bother with all that ritualistic nonsense if the girl is already possessed?
Sorry, but I'm just not seeing the logic here. 🤷

It dragged on for a good hour too long
otherwise, it would've been great

Top-tier filmmaking—as I said before. These creators are masters of their craft; I am eagerly awaiting this director's next project.

But here is my issue... It’s that sequence involving the photographs. When they visit that Japanese person's place, they find photos in one part of the house—and here is the crux of it—there are photos of both the living victims and the deceased. At the end, we see the Japanese person/demon photographing the young priest after his true nature is revealed, just so the Shaman can enter the house of the deceased (the protagonist, the girl, the grandmother...) and photograph them dead. We don't actually witness the Japanese person/demon photographing the priest once he's dead; instead, I am left with the implication that the final photos (of the victims) are taken by the Shaman (?).

Lawrence Booth2 said:It dragged on for a good hour too long
otherwise, it would've been great

Too long? Absolute nonsense. For me, it flew by as if it were only an hour long. I didn't glance at my watch even once because I was completely immersed—a clear sign of an excellent film.

I’ve gotta say, I walked away feeling pretty disappointed. Maybe my standards for Korean films have just gotten way too high lately. To me, this movie felt like it was chasing mystery just for the sake of having one. It lacked that deep, core purpose. It didn't feel like there was an actual original idea or a profound thought driving the plot—something we could actually grasp or experience. Usually, that kind of depth is exactly what makes their work so incredible, but it just wasn't there this time.

Patrick Martin said:So wait, was he basically destroying the Japanese person/demon at the same time? Like, if he wiped out the Japanese person, the demon would've been kicked right out of her, and the guy was practically a goner anyway 🤷

And wasn't it pretty clear when he warned the father not to interrupt him under any circumstances?

Then why even bother with all that ritualistic nonsense if the girl is already possessed?
Sorry, but I'm just not seeing the logic here. 🤷

No, the Japanese person isn't the demon—they're just a possessed individual acting as the vessel for it, much like how a Shaman performs tasks on its behalf. Later during the ritual, the Japanese person actually fought back against the demon, effectively weakening its influence.

He warned his father not to break the ritual because they were attempting to force that evil spirit into the girl while simultaneously purging the good spirit protecting her. Of course he wanted the ritual to succeed.

The girl wasn't infected; she was possessed. If she were truly possessed, she would have been killing people already.

Rachel Cooper3 said:Top-tier filmmaking—as I said before. These creators are masters of their craft; I am eagerly awaiting this director's next project.

But here is my issue... It’s that sequence involving the photographs. When they visit that Japanese person's place, they find photos in one part of the house—and here is the crux of it—there are photos of both the living victims and the deceased. At the end, we see the Japanese person/demon photographing the young priest after his true nature is revealed, just so the Shaman can enter the house of the deceased (the protagonist, the girl, the grandmother...) and photograph them dead. We don't actually witness the Japanese person/demon photographing the priest once he's dead; instead, I am left with the implication that the final photos (of the victims) are taken by the Shaman (?).

Too long? Absolute nonsense. For me, it flew by as if it were only an hour long. I didn't glance at my watch even once because I was completely immersed—a clear sign of an excellent film.

I think both the Japanese person and the Shaman were photographing victims. To be honest, the distinction between the "living" and "dead" shots isn't clear to me either; maybe they were just photographing the possessed before "finishing them off." Personally, I think the demon at the end is more about shock value and symbolism to rattle the audience.🤷