Kim Jae-joong. Provided by Yonhap News.

“What if a Korean shaman faced a Hindu demon in Japan?”

The film ‘Shrine: Whisper of the Evil Spirit’, where K-shamanism meets J-horror, signals an unusual brand of occult.

At the press screening of the film ‘Shrine: Whisper of the Evil Spirit’ held on the 8th at CGV Yongsan I Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, actors Kim Jae-joong and Gong Seong-ha attended and shared a range of stories about the work.

‘Shrine: Whisper of the Evil Spirit’ is a shamanism occult horror film that depicts the story of Myeong-jin (Kim Jae-joong), a male shaman, who, while tracking a mysterious case that began at an abandoned shrine in Kobe, Japan, confronts the identity of an evil spirit.

Kim Jae-joong. Provided by Yonhap News.

On the day, regarding why he chose the project, Kim Jae-joong said, “Since the director is Japanese, the traits of J-horror we know and K-horror blended well,” and “expecting that new feeling, I decided to take on the challenge.”

He continued, “When I first received the script, Myeong-jin was a very Korean character,” and “so I tried to study a shaman character commonly seen within Korean shamanism, but the director wanted a completely different character.”

He said, “The director wanted a Korean-descended shaman-like form with abilities common to all nations, and wanted me to display abilities that go beyond what we ordinarily think,” and “as I kept communicating with the director, the character developed into the imaginary person who had been in his head.”

Gong Seong-ha likewise cited working with director Kazuyoshi Kumakiri as a reason for choosing the project. Gong said, “As I reviewed previous works by the director, I became curious about the way he would direct this script,” and “at that time the script also came to me with good timing, and I felt I really wanted to try it.”

Gong added, “The director really loves horror films,” and “I thought he had a strength in mise-en-scene, and in fact he even drew the costumes himself as well as the storyboards. That made the process very enjoyable.”

Gong Seong-ha. Provided by Yonhap News.

Kim Jae-joong revealed that the character Myeong-jin changed greatly during the process of revising the script. He said, “At first he was a person with a wide emotional range, like waves, but as it went through multiple revisions he gradually changed into a gentle and lonely character“ and ”at first I worried the role might have become dull, but the director explained that the film needed a figure to anchor its center.”

He continued, “It was hard because I had to keep suppressing and hiding the emotions I wanted to express,” and “but toward the latter part there are scenes where the emotions explode, so I actually felt a sense of release.”

Gong Seong-ha. A still from the film ‘Shrine: Whisper of the Evil Spirit’.

Gong Seong-ha, who plays Yumi, a manager for a Korea-Japan cultural exchange project, said, “I was not originally someone who often watched horror films, but working on this project made me interested,” and “the acting that required me to keep being startled, trembling, and reacting was far more explosive than in my previous works. I was able to feel catharsis as an actor.”

Additionally, Gong said, “We even held rehearsals all day for an important scene,” and “I kept looking up references at the lodging and consulting related materials, preparing that one scene throughout the production.”

Kim Jae-joong. A still from the film ‘Shrine: Whisper of the Evil Spirit’.

Finally, the two actors themselves introduced key viewing points of the film.

Kim Jae-joong said, “I think this work fills what was lacking in existing K-horror,” and “there are many devices hidden that allow for different interpretations even after watching the film. I hope viewers will enjoy interpreting their own ending.”

Gong Seong-ha said, “Set in Kobe, Japan, the film weaves together varied elements such as a Korean shaman, an evil spirit, and a Protestant pastor within a single work,” and “the unique atmosphere created by these disparate elements coming together will also be a point of interest.”

Meanwhile, ‘Shrine: Whisper of the Evil Spirit’, starring Kim Jae-joong and Gong Seong-ha, is the first horror film by director Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, and it opens on the 17th.