Metamorphosis (2019 South Korean film)

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]

Metamorphosis
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKim Hong-seon
Written byKim Hong-seon
Produced byHyun-joo Jung
Starring
CinematographyYoon Ju Hwan
Edited byShin Min-kyung
Music byKim Jun-seong
Production
company
Dana Creative
Distributed byAcemaker Movieworks
Sega Sammy Entertainment
Shudder
Release date
  • August 21, 2019 (2019-08-21) (South Korea)
Running time
113 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$12.9 million[1]

Plot

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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

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Main

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  • 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

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Special appearance

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  • 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

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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

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  1. ^ "Byeonshin". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Metamorphosis (2019)". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  3. ^ Brennan, Patrick (16 July 2020). "METAMORPHOSIS Review – Possession Picture Offers Nothing New". Dread Central. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  4. ^ Weinberg, Scott (October 19, 2020). "The 75 Best Horror Movies of 2020". Thrillist. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  5. ^ Schwartz, William (31 August 2019). "[HanCinema's Film Review] "Metamorphosis"". HanCinema. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
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