''Monstrum'' (Korean: 물괴) is a 2018 South Korean

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by Heo Jong-ho. It stars

Kim Myung-min Kim Myung-min (, born October 8, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the television series '' Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin'' (2004), '' White Tower'' (2007), ''Beethoven Virus'' (2008), ''Six Flying Dragons'' ...

Kim In-kwon Kim In-kwon (born January 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor. Known for playing memorable supporting characters, he starred in his first leading role in the sleeper hit ''He's on Duty'' (2010), followed by ''Almost Che'' (2012), '' Born to Sing'' ( ...

Lee Hye-ri Lee Hye-ri (; born June 9, 1994), better known mononymously as Hyeri, is a South Korean actress, singer, and television personality. She rose to fame as the youngest member of girl group Girl's Day, and was named as the "Nation's Little Sister ...

and

Choi Woo-shik Choi Woo-shik (; born March 26, 1990) is an South Korean-Canadian actor based in South Korea. He first gained widespread recognition for his leading role in the film '' Set Me Free'' (2014). He then co-starred in the films ''Train to Busan'' (201 ...

. The film was released on September 12, 2018. It was chosen to compete in the

Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...

, screening there on 13 October.

Plot

Set in 1527 during King Jungjong's reign where plague is spreading in Joseon and rumors are rife that a mysterious vicious creature called "Monstrum" is roaming around the country.

Cast

as Yun-kyum *

as Sung-han *

as Myung **

Joo Ye-rim Joo Ye-rim (Korean: 주예림; born on 11 October 2011) is a South Korean child actress. She began her acting career in 2018, with TV series '' Mistress'' since then, she has appeared in number of television series and films. She is known for h ...

as child Myung *

as Hur *

Park Hee-soon Park Hee-soon (; born February 13, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He graduated with a Theater degree from Seoul Institute of the Arts, and was a member of the Mokwha Repertory Company from 1990 to 2001. He became active in film beginning 2002, a ...

as King Jungjong *

Lee Geung-young Lee Geung-young (born December 12, 1960) is a South Korean actor. He graduated from the Department of Drama in Seoul. He debuted in 1977 and after completing his mandatory military service, he debuted in 1982 as the 10th public relations actor fo ...

as Sim Woon *

Park Sung-woong Park Sung-woong (born January 9, 1973) is a South Korean actor. Following his acting debut in '' No. 3'' in 1997, Park has starred in several movies and television series, notably as a gangster in ''New World'' (2013) and a serial killer in '' T ...

as Jin-yong *Lee Kyu-bok as Mo-gae * Kim Min-seok *

Hong Ji-yoon Hong Ji-yoon is a South Korean actress under KeyEast. She is best known for her roles in television series '' My First First Love'' (2019) and ''Woori the Virgin'' (2022). Career Hong Ji-yoon made her debut in tvN's ''Criminal Minds'' in 2017, ...

as Mother *Lee Do-kyung *Han So-yeong *Soo Mi

Production

Principal photography began on April 10, 2017. Production ended in

Yangpyeong County Yangpyeong County (''Yangpyeong-gun'') is a county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Climate Yangpyeong has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen: ''Dwa'') with cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers. Korean War Yangpye ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

on July 21, 2017. Filming took place in various locations such as

Paju Paju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county (''gun''). The city area of Paju is ,"Paju (Gyeonggi-do Province)." ''Naver Encyclopedia of Knowledge''. Naver, 2015. 4 Mar. 2016. ...

Yangju Yangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yangju is located south of Dongducheon and north of Uijeongbu, not far from Seoul. History * 1395 - Renamed to Yangju. * January 1, 1963 - Uijeongbu is separated and becomes a city. * Apr ...

, Gwangju City and

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World ...

Release

The film was released domestically on September 12, 2018, on 1,183 screens. The film received age 15-rating for violence, bloody images, and some frightening sequences. The film set to released in VOD service and digital download on October 8, 2018.

Reception

Critical response

Shim Sun-ah from ''

Yonhap News Agency Yonhap News Agency is a major South Korean news agency. It is based in Seoul, South Korea. Yonhap provides news articles, pictures and other information to newspapers, TV networks and other media in South Korea. History Yonhap (, , translit. ' ...

'' gave a mixed review and wrote, "''Monstrum'' is the first creature action movie set in the Joseon era and has a suspenseful and entertaining premise, but it is ruined by a predictable plot. One highlight of this film is the design of the monster and splashy special effects. On another positive note, the movie constantly arouses the curiosity of viewers regarding the identity of the strange monster recorded in history, the secret behind the creature and, most importantly, whether the creature's existence is true or not." At the 2018 Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, the film won the Panorama Fantàstic Audience Award.

Box office

The film finished first place on its opening day, attracting 105,255 moviegoers with gross, placing ''

Searching Searching or search may refer to: Computing technology * Search algorithm, including keyword search ** :Search algorithms * Search and optimization for problem solving in artificial intelligence * Search engine technology, software for findi ...

'' and new release '' The Predator'' on the second and third place respectively. The film continued to top the box office on its second day of release. However, the film dropped to second place during the weekend, tailing ''

'' on the lead by attracted 421,479 moviegoers with . As of October 4, 2018, the film earned from 720,721 total attendance.

References

External links

* * * * {{Shudder films and documentaries 2010s monster movies 2010s historical action films 2018 films South Korean historical action films Films set in the Joseon dynasty 2010s South Korean films