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1 year of Revenant: 5 reasons why Kim Tae Ri, Oh Jung Se starrer drama remains a masterful occult horror
Revenant starring Kim Tae Ri, Oh Jung Se, and Hong Kyung has completed 1 year today since its release. Let’s have a look at why this horror thriller remains an occult masterpiece.
Kim Tae Ri starrer folklore-based horror series Revenant premiered on June 23, 2023. Shortly after its release, the drama found itself a seat amongst the greatest occult masterpieces. There’s more than one reason behind this drama’s wild success and on its one-year anniversary, let’s have a look at them.
5 reasons Kim Tae Ri’s Revenant remains a masterful occult series
From the oh-so-talented actress Kim Tae Ri’s spellbound performance to the engrossing storyline, Revenant has everything to mold the perfect occult thriller which it did.
1. An engrossing plot with myriad terrors
Revenant’s carefully woven plot simultaneously builds a strong and stylish sense of horror that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The narrative revolves around a hardworking young woman Gu San Young (played by Kim Tae Ri).
From working as a delivery person to a chauffeur, she juggles many jobs to stay afloat with her divorcee mother. However, after her mother gets scammed by a voice phishing call, things become worse than before.
Amid the already troubled days, San Young’s father ‘takes his own life’ in his home, where he used to reside with his mother after his wife ran away with the daughter.
When the mother-daughter pays a visit to the father’s funeral, San Young receives a gift from the grandmother, an ancient braided headband, knowing that her father wanted her to have it.
This is when everything turns upside down. Since she touched the headpiece, she has been having mysterious visions. It doesn’t take long for her to realize when she gets possessed by an evil spirit with much vengeance.
Grappling to keep herself sane between the two identities, San Young joins forces with folklore professor Yeom Hae Sang. While on the journey to explore the truth and free herself from the grasp of the spirit, the woman learns many unheard things about her deceased father.
2. A good pace needed for horror series
While many may argue that at points Revenant unnecessarily drags, it is safe to say the series is classified as a slow burn, so it is only natural to build the plot points without haste.
As many critics cited, this brilliant occult piece actually has the right pace and the right amount of episodes (16) to explore the backstory behind the evil spirit who set out on vengeance through San Young’s body.
3. Masterful performance by actors
Kim Tae Ri - need we say more? She is undoubtedly one of the greatest actresses in the Korean industry and each of her works reflects her polished skills. Revenant is no exception, rather in this series, viewers get to witness a new versatility from The Handmaiden actress.
Sometimes she is Gu San Young, a woman trying to escape the evil spirit, and other times, she becomes one with the spirit, who wants to destroy everyone and everything that comes in her way of revenge.
It is not easy to juggle two characters with extremely different traits, especially when the switch between the two personalities is sudden and portrayed to evoke fear. Kim Tae Ri, with her brilliance nails this layered lead role.
Joining her is Oh Jung Se, who bags an important lead role for a change. He stars as the folklore professor Yeom Hae Sang. He gets as much screen space as Kim Tae Ri and he rightfully deserves so, given the fact his way of portraying the microest emotions will give you goosebumps.
This unlikely allyship is joined by Lee Hong Sae (played by Hong Kyung), a police detective and San Young’s school senior. As he investigates a string of wild suicides reoccurring in the city, he finds himself chasing clues that land him in between everything happening with San Young.
4. Kim Tae Ri and Oh Jung Se’s synergy
While Kim Tae Ri and Oh Jung Se excel in their respective roles, for Revenant to become an occult masterpiece, both the headliners needed to exude great synergy and they did.
These two talented lead actors perfectly balance each other’s pace and their on-screen interaction feels honest and grounded. Despite having different characteristics, Kim Tae Ri and Oh Jung Se don’t try to outshine each other.
5. Jaw-dropping cinematography
In any horror thriller, cinematography plays one of the key roles in inducing terror in viewers’ minds. In the few jump scares Revenant gives you, the cinematography team makes sure that viewers are shaking like a leaf.
In addition, the series features too many night scenes including the rainy ones, which are shot with extremely skilled low-light composition, bringing out the beauty of the dark.
If you are still not convinced that Revenant might just be an occult masterpiece, let us tell you, that this dark thriller involves almost anything and everything from Korean horror folklore.
From a mysterious evil spirit, a shaman with a haunting gaze to a dark history shrouded with suicides and survival, rumor says this will create a kind of chilling atmosphere you will not get over for days.
Revenant is available to watch on Disney+.
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