The Essence of the Korean Occult, “The Cursed”
『Curse: to use supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone』
Shamanism has deep roots within Korean culture and, still to this day, shamans are commonplace in Korean society. The shamans of Korea offer various services to the public that include serving the ancestral gods, telling fortunes and performing various rituals. “The Cursed” begins its story as two women visit a shaman to request a curse be put on someone. The shaman they visit is known to be able to bring death on anyone by distorting their limbs using just three things: the target’s photo, the target’s belonging, and the name of the target in Chinese characters. This is called a “distortion curse (Bangbeop)” in the drama.
The shaman retreats to the back room with the materials she was given and asks a little girl to perform the curse for her. One of the women receives news that her target had suddenly fallen ill as soon as the shaman tells her that the curse is complete. After the two women leave, a mysterious woman arrives and asks the shaman why she did such a reckless thing then kills her. After the shaman dies, the house is set on fire and the little girl in the back room barely escapes with her life. The little girl has since grown up and is now in high school. The story of “The Cursed” truly begins as the girl plots to take vengeance against the mysterious guest who had taken everything from her that fateful night.
The show is about the people fighting against a great evil that tries to exploit the hearts of men who want to curse others. Yeon Sang-ho, the writer behind the show, has come into the spotlight following the success of the 2016 movie, “Train to Busan”, which he has directed. He is known as an avid fan of occult-themed works, and “The Cursed” is his first foray into screenwriting. Yeon Sang-ho states that he began writing “The Cursed” after being inspired by the current state of society where people’s identities are inextricably bound to the hate they have for their opposing social, economic, or political groups.
Despite its fictional subject matter, it is generally agreed upon that “The Cursed” tells a story that is grounded in reality and hits close to the bone. That is the reason why it has seen mainstream popularity despite its cult following. The show began with a national rating of 2.5% in its premier episode, which gradually increased to 6.7% by the final episode. There are currently talks of producing a second season and the possibility of a feature film based on the show. More Information (CLICK)
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Drama Information
Title : The Cursed
Premiere : 10-Feb-2020
Channel : tvN
Genre : Occult, Thriller
Episodes : 12ep X 60min
Director : Kim Yong-wan
Writer : Yeon Sang-ho
Cast : Uhm Ji-won, Jeong Ji-so, Sung Dong-il
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