The Unordained: Dark Nuns (2025) Review

 Director: Kwon Hyeok-jae

Notable Cast: Song Hye-kyo, Jeon Yeo-been, Lee Jin-uk, Moon Woo-jin, Huh Joon-ho, Kim Guk-hee, Massimo Fierro

Right at a decade ago, in 2015, Jang Jae-hyun burst onto the scene with his exorcism horror film, The Priests, a feature-length expansion of his 2014 short, 12th Assistant Deacon. This film garnered considerable attention and buzz in South Korea, and fans of the region flocked to see this highly effective and absolutely unnerving piece of horror cinema. Now, in the current year 2025, we get a return to this dark and chilling, spiritually driven world with a "sequel" of sorts. I wouldn't quite call it a traditional follow-up, but Dark Nuns ties back into the first film. Thankfully in more ways then one, and yes, before we even get going here, I do absolutely think a third film will be made, and hopefully it doesn't take another decade before that happens, for reasons I won't spoil here.

Grave Calling: Exhuma (2024) Review

 Director: Jang Jae-hyun

Notable Cast: Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hai-jin, Lee Do-hyun, Kim Jae-chul, Kim Min-jun, Kim Byung-oh

"And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken" - Ecclesiastes 4:12

Horror films that deal with religious aspects have been around for decades, and I know titles are flooding to mind as you read this, so no need to name-drop anything. Faith and spirituality are truly remarkable and beautiful ways of life for many humans. Regardless of what you may or may not believe in, what awaits beyond death's door, with our understanding of this life, good or bad, can be exciting or terrifying. Since this is a spooky piece of cinema, as you can imagine, the supernatural forces that be aren't the friendliest lot around, and that is the very basis for Exhuma, the newest outing by acclaimed horror director Jang Jae-hyun, who previously won audiences over with his works Priests (2015) and Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019). He continues his religion-themed horror here, this time delving into shamanism, among many other things, and what awaits the viewer embarking on this chilly and bloody adventure is a lot of thrills and a whole lot of pissed-off evil spirits.