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Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Listicle: 10 horror movies Hollywood wishes it had made
When Evil Lurks (2023). The Spanish supernatural drama was jointly produced by Argentina and the US. Brothers Pedro and Jaime discover that a man in their village has been infected by an unborn demon. But in trying to contain the threat, they release a dark entity. What follows is paranoia, featuring dismembered corpses, possessed villagers, and disturbing transformations. Plenty of jump-scares here, and lots of gore. But also despair and a sense that no one can really be trusted. The Spanish film When Evil Lurks is full of paranoia, dismembered corpses and possessed villagers. In Raw, Justine, a vegetarian, tries rabbit kidneys and starts craving human flesh. Uh-oh. Raw (2016). Before there was Substance, there was this French gem. Justine, a vegetarian, tries rabbit kidneys for the first time at veterinary school. Uh oh! Soon, she's developed a craving for human flesh. Everyone looks delicious. As she navigates classes, the peer pressure and hazing rituals throw life into chaos. Dance parties turn savage, dorm rooms are awash in blood. And amid it all, her sister has dark secrets of her own. The horse scene will NOT remind you of The Godfather. The Korean film Exhuma explores the consequences of opening up an ancestor's grave. Exhuma (2024). Korean horror is its own special hell. What does a rich family do when their newborn son falls mysteriously ill? They heed a shaman and (it's right there in the title) open up an ancestor's grave. Big mistake. It unleashes a malevolent entity and suddenly the baby is the least of anyone's problems. Cue bloody rituals, balls of fire, ominous rain, secrets buried under secrets and ghouls that must be vanquished. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is based on a real-life psychiatric institution that's believed to be haunted. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018). Based on a real-life psychiatric institution that South Koreans have long believed to be haunted. It's also a movie about a movie: A web crew goes looking where they shouldn't, when two boys go missing in the abandoned wards. What starts as an attention-seeking stunt soon turns eerie. There are whispers in the dark, doors slam shut on their own. Bad vibes all around. Can they hold on to their sanity? And to their cameras? The line between civility and cruelty blurs in the film Speak No Evil. Speak No Evil (2022). The 2024 remake, with James McAvoy, is just a polite version of the OG. A Dutch couple invites a Danish family to spend the weekend at their house. So far, so safe. But as the weekend unfolds, the hosts make stranger and stranger requests, crossing more and more lines – and it seems rude to refuse. The line between civility and cruelty blurs as we realise that evil thrives not on gore, but on the lack of resistance. The Tamil mindbender Black is both nerdy and scary. Black (2024). The Tamil mindbender is both nerdy and scary. A couple decides to escape to a quiet peaceful town to work out their problems. But wait. What's happening? Responses come to calls that were never made, mysterious gifts shatter on their own and reappear whole, and the house next door shows signs of human activity when it's not supposed to. It's two stories in one, each influencing the other. Plus, a statue of an angel that's more than it seems. In the Mexican-Peruvian tale Huesera: The Bone Woman, pregnancy turns into something terrifying. Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022). Pregnancy is hard. But in this Mexican-Peruvian tale, it's horrifying. Valeria's problems start as soon as she announces her first pregnancy. Why is she obsessively cracking her knuckles? Did she see a woman jump out the window? How is she still walking? Did she just hear her bones snapping again? Is it just stress? It's more than a metaphor for commitment phobia – there are real monsters involved. The Wailing is about a Korean village infected by a mysterious illness, followed by a series of murders. The Wailing (2016). When a stranger arrives in a small Korean village, a mysterious illness spreads, followed by a series of brutal murders. As corpses are reanimated and more locals get possessed, a local police officer turns to a shaman, with mixed results. His own daughter's health hangs in the balance. It's one man against a pandemic. And every saviour could be a wolf in disguise. The film's deleted ending has its own fandom on Reddit. No surprise there. Lupt, a Hindi indie, follows a family that's on the verge of losing it after their trip goes awry. Lupt (2018). You know things are going to get weird when a workaholic dad grudgingly takes time off to take the family on vacation in this Hindi indie. Getting there is half the fright: Inexplicable sightings, disturbing visions of ghostly children, and a mysterious hitchhiker that seems to be following the family everywhere. The scarier things get, the more the family starts to crack. Dad realises that the haunting isn't random. It's tied to an old truth that no longer wants to be ignored. The Medium, a Thai mockumentary, follows the niece of a shaman who might be posessed. The Medium (2021). The Thais mixed horror with mockumentary for this one. When the niece of a shaman shows signs of possession, the family believes that she is being controlled by the same goddess that supposedly possessed him. But this is no ordinary spirit; the girl acts stranger and more disturbing by the day. Time for a boss-level ritual. It backfires. She just gets crueller. Perhaps the goddess had nothing to do with the possession? From HT Brunch, July 05, 2025 Follow us on
The Star
03-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Great hex-pectations for polls
The outcome of this week's presidential elections in South Korea may still be unknown, but shaman Yang Su-bong says the winner came to her in visions years ago. South Koreans go to the polls today to choose their next president, a snap vote triggered by ex-leader Yoon Suk-yeol's disastrous declaration of martial law in December. And for Yang, a traditional Korean 'mudang', it's clear that liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung will emerge victorious – a prediction that chimes with all major opinion polls that put Lee well ahead in the presidential race. The latest Gallup survey show 49% of respondents viewing Lee as the best candidate, while Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) was trailing on 35%. 'From the beginning, I've seen Lee Jae-myung becoming president,' Yang said at her office in the western port city of Incheon. 'I saw a presidential aura,' she explained, adding that she faced 'criticism and even threats' for her prediction. 'But I can't lie about what I see.' Shamanism has shaped culture and belief on the Korean peninsula for centuries. South Koreans still regularly turn to them for advice on everything from their love lives to important business decisions and cities, and the registrar of the country's largest shamanic organisation lists 300,000 practising in the country. But the folk religion has also come under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons – two presidential impeachments have been linked to undue influence allegedly wielded by shamans. Former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office in 2017 in an influence-peddling scandal involving claims of, among other things, participation in shamanistic rituals. Ousted ex-leader Yoon and his first lady Kim Keon-hee have also been accused of turning to sketchy shamans when making decisions – including, it is alleged, the fateful martial declaration. Claims like that provoke an 'intense emotional reaction' in South Korean society – in part because the country's history is full of leaders led astray by unscrupulous spiritual advisers, Lee Won-jae, a sociologist at South Korea's KAIST university, said. 'When it comes to dramatising politics, there's nothing quite as effective as invoking shamanistic themes,' he said. 'Mudang' or shaman act as intermediaries between the world of spirits and everyday life. Their elaborate 'gut' ceremonies can be hours-long affairs, with cacophonic music, singing and prayers used to ward off evil spirits or hope for a good harvest. Hit thrillers like last year's Exhuma – which features a group of shamans fighting an ancient evil spirit – have piqued public interest. And some shamans now even turn to social media to ply their craft, livestreaming on YouTube and offering advice over video calls. Shaman Lee Dong-hyeon, who goes by Ohbangdoryeong – 'guardian of the five directions' – says he was approached by local politicians after predicting Yoon's untimely fall three years ago. 'To become a truly great person, you must learn to carry burdens,' he said. Yoon 'lacks that destiny', he said. And 'despite his age, he lacks judgement', he said. Ohbangdoryeong engages in 'sword rituals' – licking the sharp blade of a knife in a bid to receive messages from deities. He isn't so sure that frontrunner Lee will help end South Korea's political turmoil. 'Things will stabilise for two years, but then there will be bloodshed – political purges,' he darkly predicted. Fellow shaman Hong Myeong-hui agreed that turbulent times could be ahead. She said conservative contender Kim Moon-soo has a 'quiet fire' in him. But liberal Lee's 'energy is fast and consuming, like a wildfire in spring', she said. 'His term will be stormy,' Hong said. 'Prophecy isn't for pleasing people – it's for truth. And truth can be uncomfortable.' No matter if the predictions ring true, what is clear that the new president will have to helm South Korea through a period of economic turbulence, as the trade-dependent nation will be facing steep tariffs from the United States while struggling with sluggish demand at home. — AFP
The Sun
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Great hex-pectations: Shamans divided on South Korea's political destiny
INCHEON: The outcome of this week's presidential elections in South Korea may still be unknown, but shaman Yang Su-bong tells AFP the winner came to her in visions years ago. South Koreans go to the polls on Tuesday to choose their next president, a snap vote triggered by ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous declaration of martial law in December. And for Yang, a traditional Korean 'mudang', it's clear that liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung will emerge victorious -- a prediction that chimes with all major opinion polls that put Lee well ahead in the presidential race. The latest Gallup survey show 49 percent of respondents viewing Lee as the best candidate, while Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) was trailing on 35 percent. 'From the beginning, I've seen Lee Jae-myung becoming president,' Yang told AFP at her office in the western port city of Incheon. 'I saw a presidential aura,' she explained, adding that she faced 'criticism and even threats' for her prediction. 'But I can't lie about what I see.' Shamanism has shaped culture and belief on the Korean peninsula for centuries. South Koreans still regularly turn to them for advice on everything from their love lives to important business decisions and cities, and the registrar of the country's largest shamanic organisation lists 300,000 practising in the country. But the folk religion has also come under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons -- two presidential impeachments have been linked to undue influence allegedly wielded by shamans. Former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office in 2017 in an influence-peddling scandal involving claims of, among other things, participation in shamanistic rituals. Ousted ex-leader Yoon and his first lady Kim Keon Hee have also been accused of turning to sketchy shamans when making decisions -- including, it is alleged, the fateful martial declaration. - 'Intense emotions' - Claims like that provoke an 'intense emotional reaction' in South Korean society -- in part because the country's history is full of leaders led astray by unscrupulous spiritual advisors, Lee Won-jae, a sociologist at South Korea's KAIST university, told AFP. 'When it comes to dramatising politics, there's nothing quite as effective as invoking shamanistic themes,' he said. 'Mudang' or shaman act as intermediaries between the world of spirits and everyday life. Their elaborate 'gut' ceremonies can be hours-long affairs, with cacophonic music, singing and prayers used to ward off evil spirits or hope for a good harvest. Hit thrillers like last year's 'Exhuma' -- which features a group of shamans fighting an ancient evil spirit -- have piqued public interest. And some shamans now even turn to social media to ply their craft, livestreaming on YouTube and offering advice over video calls. Shaman Lee Dong-hyeon, who goes by Ohbangdoryeong -- 'guardian of the five directions' -- says he was approached by local politicians after predicting Yoon's untimely fall three years ago. 'To become a truly great person, you must learn to carry burdens,' he told AFP. Yoon 'lacks that destiny', he said. And 'despite his age, he lacks judgement', he said. - 'Truth can be uncomfortable' - Ohbangdoryeong engages in 'sword rituals' -- licking the sharp blade of a knife in a bid to receive messages from deities. He isn't so sure that frontrunner Lee will help end South Korea's political turmoil. 'Things will stabilise for two years, but then there will be bloodshed -- political purges,' he darkly predicted. Fellow shaman Hong Myeong-hui agreed that turbulent times could be ahead. She said conservative contender Kim Moon-soo has a 'quiet fire' in him. But liberal Lee's 'energy is fast and consuming, like a wildfire in spring', she said. 'His term will be stormy,' Hong said. 'Prophecy isn't for pleasing people -- it's for truth. And truth can be uncomfortable.' No matter if the predictions ring true, what is clear that the new president will have to helm South Korea through a period of economic turbulence, as the trade-dependent nation will be facing steep tariffs from the United States while struggling with sluggish demand at home.
The Sun
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Shamans divided on South Korea's political destiny
INCHEON: The outcome of this week's presidential elections in South Korea may still be unknown, but shaman Yang Su-bong tells AFP the winner came to her in visions years ago. South Koreans go to the polls on Tuesday to choose their next president, a snap vote triggered by ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous declaration of martial law in December. And for Yang, a traditional Korean 'mudang', it's clear that liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung will emerge victorious -- a prediction that chimes with all major opinion polls that put Lee well ahead in the presidential race. The latest Gallup survey show 49 percent of respondents viewing Lee as the best candidate, while Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) was trailing on 35 percent. 'From the beginning, I've seen Lee Jae-myung becoming president,' Yang told AFP at her office in the western port city of Incheon. 'I saw a presidential aura,' she explained, adding that she faced 'criticism and even threats' for her prediction. 'But I can't lie about what I see.' Shamanism has shaped culture and belief on the Korean peninsula for centuries. South Koreans still regularly turn to them for advice on everything from their love lives to important business decisions and cities, and the registrar of the country's largest shamanic organisation lists 300,000 practising in the country. But the folk religion has also come under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons -- two presidential impeachments have been linked to undue influence allegedly wielded by shamans. Former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office in 2017 in an influence-peddling scandal involving claims of, among other things, participation in shamanistic rituals. Ousted ex-leader Yoon and his first lady Kim Keon Hee have also been accused of turning to sketchy shamans when making decisions -- including, it is alleged, the fateful martial declaration. - 'Intense emotions' - Claims like that provoke an 'intense emotional reaction' in South Korean society -- in part because the country's history is full of leaders led astray by unscrupulous spiritual advisors, Lee Won-jae, a sociologist at South Korea's KAIST university, told AFP. 'When it comes to dramatising politics, there's nothing quite as effective as invoking shamanistic themes,' he said. 'Mudang' or shaman act as intermediaries between the world of spirits and everyday life. Their elaborate 'gut' ceremonies can be hours-long affairs, with cacophonic music, singing and prayers used to ward off evil spirits or hope for a good harvest. Hit thrillers like last year's 'Exhuma' -- which features a group of shamans fighting an ancient evil spirit -- have piqued public interest. And some shamans now even turn to social media to ply their craft, livestreaming on YouTube and offering advice over video calls. Shaman Lee Dong-hyeon, who goes by Ohbangdoryeong -- 'guardian of the five directions' -- says he was approached by local politicians after predicting Yoon's untimely fall three years ago. 'To become a truly great person, you must learn to carry burdens,' he told AFP. Yoon 'lacks that destiny', he said. And 'despite his age, he lacks judgement', he said. - 'Truth can be uncomfortable' - Ohbangdoryeong engages in 'sword rituals' -- licking the sharp blade of a knife in a bid to receive messages from deities. He isn't so sure that frontrunner Lee will help end South Korea's political turmoil. 'Things will stabilise for two years, but then there will be bloodshed -- political purges,' he darkly predicted. Fellow shaman Hong Myeong-hui agreed that turbulent times could be ahead. She said conservative contender Kim Moon-soo has a 'quiet fire' in him. But liberal Lee's 'energy is fast and consuming, like a wildfire in spring', she said. 'His term will be stormy,' Hong said. 'Prophecy isn't for pleasing people -- it's for truth. And truth can be uncomfortable.' No matter if the predictions ring true, what is clear that the new president will have to helm South Korea through a period of economic turbulence, as the trade-dependent nation will be facing steep tariffs from the United States while struggling with sluggish demand at home.
France 24
02-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Great hex-pectations: shamans divided on South Korea's political destiny
South Koreans go to the polls on Tuesday to choose their next president, a snap vote triggered by ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous declaration of martial law in December. And for Yang, a traditional Korean "mudang", it's clear that liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung will emerge victorious -- a prediction that chimes with all major opinion polls that put Lee well ahead in the presidential race. The latest Gallup survey show 49 percent of respondents viewing Lee as the best candidate, while Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) was trailing on 35 percent. "From the beginning, I've seen Lee Jae-myung becoming president," Yang told AFP at her office in the western port city of Incheon. "I saw a presidential aura," she explained, adding that she faced "criticism and even threats" for her prediction. "But I can't lie about what I see." Shamanism has shaped culture and belief on the Korean peninsula for centuries. South Koreans still regularly turn to them for advice on everything from their love lives to important business decisions and cities, and the registrar of the country's largest shamanic organisation lists 300,000 practising in the country. But the folk religion has also come under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons -- two presidential impeachments have been linked to undue influence allegedly wielded by shamans. Former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office in 2017 in an influence-peddling scandal involving claims of, among other things, participation in shamanistic rituals. Ousted ex-leader Yoon and his first lady Kim Keon Hee have also been accused of turning to sketchy shamans when making decisions -- including, it is alleged, the fateful martial declaration. 'Intense emotions' Claims like that provoke an "intense emotional reaction" in South Korean society -- in part because the country's history is full of leaders led astray by unscrupulous spiritual advisors, Lee Won-jae, a sociologist at South Korea's KAIST university, told AFP. "When it comes to dramatising politics, there's nothing quite as effective as invoking shamanistic themes," he said. "Mudang" or shaman act as intermediaries between the world of spirits and everyday life. Their elaborate "gut" ceremonies can be hours-long affairs, with cacophonic music, singing and prayers used to ward off evil spirits or hope for a good harvest. Hit thrillers like last year's "Exhuma" -- which features a group of shamans fighting an ancient evil spirit -- have piqued public interest. And some shamans now even turn to social media to ply their craft, livestreaming on YouTube and offering advice over video calls. Shaman Lee Dong-hyeon, who goes by Ohbangdoryeong -- "guardian of the five directions" -- says he was approached by local politicians after predicting Yoon's untimely fall three years ago. "To become a truly great person, you must learn to carry burdens," he told AFP. Yoon "lacks that destiny", he said. And "despite his age, he lacks judgement", he said. 'Truth can be uncomfortable' Ohbangdoryeong engages in "sword rituals" -- licking the sharp blade of a knife in a bid to receive messages from deities. He isn't so sure that frontrunner Lee will help end South Korea's political turmoil. "Things will stabilise for two years, but then there will be bloodshed -- political purges," he darkly predicted. Fellow shaman Hong Myeong-hui agreed that turbulent times could be ahead. She said conservative contender Kim Moon-soo has a "quiet fire" in him. But liberal Lee's "energy is fast and consuming, like a wildfire in spring", she said. "His term will be stormy," Hong said. "Prophecy isn't for pleasing people -- it's for truth. And truth can be uncomfortable." No matter if the predictions ring true, what is clear that the new president will have to helm South Korea through a period of economic turbulence, as the trade-dependent nation will be facing steep tariffs from the United States while struggling with sluggish demand at home. © 2025 AFP
