[Herald Interview] ‘Exhuma’ director Jang Jae-hyun won't make sequel

South Korean supernatural mystery thriller “Exhuma,” which has been sweeping not just the domestic box office, but box offices across Asia, will not release a sequel nor a spinoff, the movie’s director told reporters Thursday.

“Exhuma,” which opened in Korea on Feb. 22, has topped the local box office for 27 consecutive days, aggregating 9.52 million admissions as of Thursday. Captivated by its immersive storyline, filmgoers are already eager for a sequel or spinoff to find out what happens next to the four central characters -- a feng-shui expert, an undertaker and two young shaman exorcists -- and their personal stories.

Director Jang Jae-hyun simply said there will be no sequels nor a spinoff to look into the detailed past lives of Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik), Young-geun (Yoo Hae-jin), Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun).

“My theory in film production just doesn’t align with that. I can make one, only if I go easy on it. Only if I meet a good story, I can think about making more stories (surrounding the characters), but improvising stories just for commercial success is not in line with my plan of production,” Jang told reporters in an interview in Seoul on Thursday.

So why is the audience so fascinated by “Exhuma”? What was the trigger behind it?

“There is nothing that I’ve intended to do. I didn’t mean to make a movie that targets certain people or manias,” Jang said. "I just kept reminding myself that I should make a movie that is interesting to watch because I’m the very first audience to my movie."

“It was during the pandemic when I was writing the screenplay and it became very clear to me that I should make an entertaining film, make every single scene thrilling. So I turned away from going for safe options, seeking out something new and challenging,” he added.

“Exhuma” has also garnered exceptional attention in Indonesia, becoming the most successful Korean film there to date. It marked the greatest opening record for a Korean film released in Vietnam.

“Again, it has to do with the pure joy that a movie can offer to the audience. I tried to focus on portraying genre fun and I think that appealed to a various range of audiences around the globe,” he added.

After watching the film, many viewers have been interpreting hidden messages and finding Easter eggs in each scene. Some YouTubers have been covering Korean shamanism, its culture around burial and the colonial history, weaving together the topics with the subtext of the movie.

“I honestly enjoy the attention the movie and the ‘core’ of the movie has been receiving. Topics on shamanism, feng shui and funerals are getting public attention and being talked around, and I think such phenomenon is something good, because they are deeply attached to the Korean culture,” he added.

“Exhuma” is currently available in local theaters as well as in 133 countries around the world, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan and Mongolia. It is slated to open this month in the US, Canada, UK and Australia.