Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. I have always been a lover of horror movies and today I am going to review one of my favourite horror movie and share a real incident connected to it. Also, there's no spoilers today so read without any worries. To be honest, I find it very exciting to sit in a dark room, there's silence all over and waiting for that next scary moment. I know many people who like the genre of romance or action and they do not like horror, some people say there isn't any good movie of horrors and some say that it doesn't scare them, they find it funny. Well, I think most of them are scared to watch so they came up with excuses. Because there are plenty of horror movies which can scare you to death. Anyway, horror genre has always been my favourite. I know many horror movies follow the same formula with jump scares and creepy music, yet every now and then I find one that feels completely different. Incantation is one of those movies. I can guarantee if you watch it alone in a dark room, you will definitely feel something.
You know what? I did not plan to watch it at first because I thought it must be one of the worst ones. But then I had seen people talking about it online saying it was one of the scariest horror movies they had ever watched. So, I was intrigued to watch the trailer and I still thought people might be exaggerating because that happens a lot with horror movies. But then my friends were saying that we must watch this movie as it's on hype. I also had researched about it online and found many positive reviews, so yeah, my curiosity won. I decided that it was finally time to watch it.
There was only one small problem. Even if I watch a movie from a different country I usually prefer watching dubbed movies, because most of the time I eat during movie time. So, I can't keep my eyes on the subtitles and food at the same time. Moreover, I like focusing on the scenes instead of reading subtitles. Unfortunately, there was no English dub available at that time, so I had to watch it with English subtitles. Yes, I know if we watch the originals in their actual form then it can make the experience more enjoyable, but it's not like I avoid it intentionally. Anyway, after just a few minutes, I forgot that I was reading subtitles because the movie pulled me into its world so well.
The more I praise, the more it feels less because the movie turned out to be really good. Everything felt so real was because of the sound design. Every little sound, every strange noise, every whisper felt incredibly realistic. I won't lie but I was lowering my volume at some moments, because with the volume turned up I was feeling scared. Honestly, I could feel that intensity and as if I was inside the movie instead of simply watching it. It didn't feel like they exaggerated any background sounds because it was very natural. I won't lie but I kept looking around my room wondering if something would move around my room. I am a bit delusional, hehe.
Let's get into the real incident which had happened while watching the movie, I will probably never forget about it. I forgot to mention, I was watching this movie with one of my girl friend. She came over because we hadn't meet in a while, so we both wanted to do something. That's why we were watching this movie together. Back to the incident. So, there was a creepy sound was playing in the background during one of the scenes, it was a chant. It slowly became louder, making the whole atmosphere feel uncomfortable. Then I don't know what happened but I could still hear the sound even after I paused the movie. My heart started to beat fast because of fear. I asked my friend if she can hear it too, and she said "Yes." Then we looked outside the window wondering where it was coming from. But we couldn't not find the source of it. It was really strange. Well, I do not believe in ghosts but I believe there are some entities out there which is not visible to our eyes. For that reason, I was feeling more scared. This is the link of the sound that was creeping me out, watch it at your own risk. When I searched for it, I didn't have the courage to replay it so I just copied the link for you guys. I think it felt more creepy when it was playing in the movie.
The scariest part is that the sound was almost exactly the same as the one used in the movie and we were hearing it in real life. I have watched so many horror movies but never faced such things. This was my first and maybe the last experience? I hope it's the last. After checking everything, my fear had already kicked in. I would have thought that I'm imagining things but how can my friend hear it as well?
Because of that moment, we actually stopped watching the movie for a while. Yes, it scared us that much. At that moment, nobody wanted to continue. I cannot remember the last time a horror movie made me pause it because I was genuinely scared. That alone says a lot about how effective Incantation is.
I haven't discussed about the movie plot yet, so here's a brief summary. It's about a woman who's name is Li Ronan, she and her friends goes to a religious village and learns about something they shouldn't. Later they breaks a religious taboo while investigating a mysterious rituals. Guess what? A terrible curse started to follow them. After that incident, years passed and Ronan now has a daughter but the curse begins affecting her child, and Ronan desperately tries to protect her. So, you will get to experience the story between the past and the present. It's like a slow burn where everything is revealed slowly.
If the movie had revealed everything immediately then I wouldn't have enjoyed it this much. When small pieces of information are given as an audience I was also curious and it made me want to investigate more. Even if you had your answers for previous questions, you would still get two new questions in mind. Honestly, the mysterious vibe kept me interested from beginning to end.
Also, the found-footage style was creative and I have seen many movies using the same concept but they don't know how to do it properly. The movie will make you think what if it's real, everything feel as if it was shoot with a real camera it didn't feel like I was watching a normal movie. It made every scene feel more believable, almost like watching real events unfold. Everything felt so natural and I even forgot I was watching a fictional movie.
The cast deserves a praise for making it possible. The emotions felt real specially Ronan's fear and desperation to save her daughter. I was literally panicking with her. The young little girl also did an amazing job, she was truly adorable. Their relationship made the story more emotional instead of being scary all the time. I was feeling sad for Ronan because she was struggling a lot as she did not deserve all of these. Which made me wonder why every time something bad happens with the innocent people.
I am glad the movie relied more on atmosphere than on constant jump scares. Of course, there were a few jumpscare which was too good and those moments were one of the best part of the movie. I usually hate jump scare, because in other movies it's included multiple times. But the real horror came from the feeling that something terrible was always nearby. I felt uncomfortable in the room even though my friend was watching the movie with me. Actually, we both were scared and still wanted to finish it.
The movie also uses religious beliefs, symbols, rituals and psychological fear in a very interesting way. So, if you don't like these kind of concepts then it would be better not to watch it. They didn't focus of violence or gore that much. The movie leaves everything for your imagination and I believe what you imagine is much scarier than what you actually see.
Of course, no movie is perfect. Since it is a found-footage film, the camera sometimes shakes a lot, which may not be enjoyable for everyone. Also, whenever I suggested this movie to someone they wouldn't watch it, because there was no english dub. People who dislike reading while watching might find it a little difficult. But I think the English dub wouldn't be able to create such atmosphere and portray it so fluently as it was in korean. The story's atmosphere are strong enough that these small issues wouldn't matter for someone who loves horror movies.
After finishing the movie, I understood why so many people recommended it. It's more than a horror movie which isn't filled with cheap scares. Even now, when I remember that strange moment with the background sound continuing after I paused the movie, I still get goosebumps. I still have no clue why and how it had happened. But it made the whole experience unforgettable.
If you are like me daring hehe, then you should definitely watch this movie. I highly recommend giving Incantation a chance. When you watch it at night with the lights off don't use your mobile or chat with anyone just focus on the movie only. Turn the volume up if you really want the full experience. Just be prepared—you might end up pausing the movie like....I did.
In the end, Incantation is one of the most memorable horror movies I have ever watched. The experience was terrifying and unforgettable. It is definitely a movie that every horror fan should watch at least once. Add it to your watch list now! I would love to know if it was upto your taste and was it worth it, just like the way I have described.
The images are taken from tmdb
Rating: 100/100
