Mulgoe / Monstrum (2018) - Twisted political intrigue meets bloody monster hunt - 9/10 (12/02/21)

Monstrum is a South Korean historical fiction movie that bears a resemblance to the excellent Rampant. The film takes place during the sixteenth century and follows two story lines that intertwine. One part of the movie focuses on a strange monster that brutally murders farmers and travelers in the country. The second part focuses on a political conspiracy that menaces King Jungjong.

This excellent movie convinces on numerous levels. The film is filled with brutal, gloomy and mysterious scenes that should equally please fans of action and horror movies. The locations have been chosen with care and bring the historical period back to life with poor villages, magnificent castles and isolated farms. The plot line is tense, dynamic and clever as the two stories intertwine progressively, fluidly and cleverly. The characters are particularly intriguing, especially the colourful lead characters who are investigating the sinister deaths. The entire movie leads to a dramatic finale culminating with explosive action scenes that will leave a lasting impression.

There are only two minor elements to criticize. First of all, the ending feels as if the scriptwriters had tried to pull a rabbit out of a hat. This breaks with the gloomy fanasty sequences and leads to a stereotypical happy ending. In addition to this, some important questions regarding the monster are left unanswered. Secondly, the film Rampant that was released at the same time has a very similar story line but is overall the slightly better movie because it's even more entertaining, intense and surprising. If you have watched and appreciated Monstrum, you must try out Rampant, too.

In the end, Monstrum is another excellent contemporary South Korean movie. This historical fantasy movie mixes a twisted political intrigue with a bloody monster hunt and leads to a spectacular finale. If you like this movie, you should definitely watch Rampant as well. Along with Train to Busan, these three films are among the very best horror and fantasy movies of the last decade as South Korean cinema has left Hollywood behind throughout the past two decades.