'The Guest' explores exorcism, supernatural power

Second from left, actor Kim Dong-wook, actress Jung Eun-chae and actor Kim Jae wook pose with other cast members of OCN's upcoming mystery thriller “The Guest” during a press conference at Amoris Hall in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of OCN

By Park Jin-hai

OCN, a cable movie channel leading in genre experiments, brings exorcism and Shamanism to the local drama market, currently crowded with courtroom dramas and crime thrillers.

The upcoming mystery thriller “The Guest,” directed by Kim Hong-sun who created the spine-chilling crime thriller “Voice” last year, tells the story of a psychic, a priest and a detective who join together to fight unusual crimes committed by supernatural powers.

Various social ills, ranging from the widening gap between the haves and have-nots to hatred and bullying at workplaces, lead to heinous crimes when people are possessed by demons.

“We see many hate crimes these days and I wanted to give a different perspective to these crimes through drama,” said Kim during a press conference at Amoris Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Thursday.

The director and actor Kim Jae-wook, who plays the role of an exorcist, went to the Philippines to meet a real-life exorcist and witnessed the priest's ritual of expelling demons from individuals. “I heard the priest saying that people invited the demons, not the demons taking over them randomly. Watching this drama, viewers might end up thinking that the source of the crimes could be the people,” said the director.

Actor Kim Jae-wook, credited for his depiction of the cold-blooded psychopathic killer Mo Tae-gu in director Kim's previous work “Voice,” plays a cynical and cold priest, Choi Yoon, who alienates people but is recognized for his ability as an exorcist. “For this drama, I thought a great scenario was a must. While reading the scenario, interesting and fresh visuals came to my mind,” said the actor. “My previous work with Kim also gave me the assurance that the director would paint a great picture of it, beyond what I could imagine.”

Actor Kim Dong-wook, who shot to fame after appearing in the hit fantasy film “Along with the Gods” series, plays the role of a psychic Yoon Hwa-pyung who can see the spirits, while actress Jung Eun-chae plays a passionate detective who doesn't believe in supernatural powers.

Veteran actor Lee Won-jong will play a male Korean shamanist.

Regarding the unusual marriage of exorcism and local shamanism, Kim said he was initially concerned that viewers might feel some distance to see the two in one drama. “Exorcism is a Western concept, originating with the Catholic Church. Korea has had shamanism as its counterpart with a long history. But, we found through research that the two can be compatible with each other in the sense that they both are part of healing,” Kim said.

He added that his directing was focused on showing how feeble and helpless people can be when faced with supernatural powers. “I wanted to make a high-end well-made thriller. While following the reasons why evil spirits can appear, I'm confident that viewers will get interested and hooked on the drama,” said Kim.

“The Guest” will be the first Wednesday-Thursday drama for OCN. The cable focuses on dramas, which major local broadcasting TV stations had considered as non-mainstream with a limited viewer base, and has been successfully expanding its influence.

It will premiere at 11 p.m., Sept. 12.