SBS’ Revenant (2023) is an occult thriller drama that follows a folklore professor who has the special ability to see spirits, a struggling young woman who gets possessed by a demon, and two detectives who investigate a series of mysterious deaths.
Since its pilot episode, the drama has been garnering high viewership ratings in South Korea and overseas through Disney Plus. Having seen seven episodes so far, here are three key points that I find outstanding about the drama:
Korean folklore.
One remarkable thing about South Korea’s production of dramas is the creative infusion of their rich culture into their content. From historical locations to traditional games to foods, drinks, music, and fashion, they manage to both entertain and educate the world about their society through their shows.
Screenwriter Kim Eun-hee known for her excellent work of historical zombies in Kingdom (2019-2020), explores another Korean folklore in Revenant (2023), this time presenting ghost creatures and the folk religion, Shamanism, which plays a huge part in the drama’s buildup of chilling mystery and horrors.
Besides folklore professors who try to solve cases of demon possession and mysterious deaths, it also includes scenes showing how local villages practice their rituals and traditional beliefs and customs passed on from ancestors such as expulsion of bad luck and welcoming good fortune.
Storywise, folklore professor Gu Gang-mo, dedicates his life to dig deep into the world of evil spirits, visiting villages, conducting local surveys, observing rituals, and publishing books containing essential facts on shamanism, demonic objects, and ghost stories, which leads him to his petrifying demise.
Following a series of spooky events, his estranged daughter, Gu San-yeong, who becomes possessed with a cunning spirit and a wealthy folklore professor, Yeom Hae-sang, who sees demons become involved in investigating the supernatural mysteries together, unraveling abandoned ominous events and connecting dots from past to present. Ditto, two detectives cross-examine a series of strange deaths with cues that look similar from the old cases.
In their quest, they manage to discover essential elements that point them to the practice of shamanism, giving viewers a haunting experience that revolves around an old village named Jangjin-Ri, a cryptic story about the Dukdali tree, the mirror reflections, strange noises, juvenile ghosts, various rituals, chants, and a missing girl with a red hair accessory suspected to be kidnapped by a powerful shaman back in 1958.
The plot may not be as action-packed as Kingdom (2019-2020), but it delivers enough mental suspense in uncanny situations revolving around ghosts and evil spirits.
Psychological horrors.
It’s such a brilliant idea for screenwriter Kim Eun-hee to infuse psychological insights into the horror narrative, aligning the notion of human greed, crime, and suicide with demon manipulation. “There was an invisible hand, a real culprit behind suicide cases,” says folklore professor Yeom Hae-sang.
In fact, the vivid visuals of suicide provide more hair-raising feels for me than the appearance of ghosts in the background. Rated 15+, every episode always begins with a disclaimer that the drama contains depictions of suicide and that viewer discretion is advised, which is right because the scenes of suicide presented look quite disturbing and might trigger some viewers.
Gu San-yeong, the leading female character played by Kim Tae-ri, struggles with suicidal thoughts and often attempts jumping off the bridge when she’s feeling weighed down and helpless about life. However, after some time of contemplation, she pulls back, “I’ve wanted to run away all my life. But still, I tried my best to hang on.”
Following her father’s death, she receives a red hair accessory, unbeknownst to her, possesses a generational curse—a vengeful spirit begins to latch onto her and people she dislikes suddenly commit suicide.
More spirits of darkness begin to emerge around her such as the hungry spirit that covets other people’s valuable things, resulted from the powerful desires raging within an individual, reflecting human greed.
Entwined with the drama’s supernatural elements, the real-life horrors of humanity slowly progress in the succeeding episodes, unraveling mysteries and plot twists after another and raising the thought that humans indeed are more terrifying than ghosts. “Current society has become more heartless. And the hungry ghosts have become more rapacious,” states folklore professor Yeom Hae-sang.
Kim Tae-ri.
Known as one of the notable Korean actresses in her generation, Kim Tae-ri has proven once again her range in acting—in whatever genre, she has the knack to make her characters stand out.
We’ve seen her portray an orphaned pickpocket in The Handmaiden (2016), a feisty noblewoman in Mr. Sunshine (2018), and a bubbly and strong-willed fencing prodigy in Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022).
In Revenant (2023), she unmasks a dual personality, skillfully switching from a struggling life to a cunning demon. The way she interprets despair by the bridge, terror around evil spirits, feistiness when challenged, and devilishness when possessed, all quite convey pure mastery in her craft, holding her audiences captive in every way. To add, her evil stares and laughter are on point.
Similarly, Oh Jung-se never fails to perform with excellence as he’s known to be an actor who can portray many faces. After leaving a mark on his bullied role in Weak Hero Class 1 (2022), Hong Kyung noticeably transforms into an introvert yet sharp-witted detective in Revenant (2023), displaying capability and unforced chemistry with co-actors.
Beyond a doubt, all actors are commendable with their skills in portraying their characters but Kim Tae-ri is absolutely the scene-stealer of the show.
Conclusion.
Revenant (2023) is a psychologically chilling and ghostlily intriguing drama that keeps you seated as it builds tension and unravels mysteries in a slow yet progressive suspenseful manner. Unlike other horror shows, it is not action-packed but rather leads you to a cogitative process of scrutiny with the characters and creepy visuals that linger long.
Overall, it’s a brilliant and must-see horror-thriller drama but viewer discretion is advised and not meant to be watched alone at night.
No. of episodes: 12 | Cast: Kim Tae-ri, Oh Jung-se, Hong Kyung | Screenwriter: Kim Eun-hee | Director: Lee Jung-rim | Original network: SBS | Available on: Disney Plus | Images: Disney Plus
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