The Wailing (2016): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
The Wailing is a 2016 mystery thriller directed by Hong-jin Na, starring Jun Kunimura and Jeong-min Hwang. It runs 2 hours 36 minutes and earned $49.9 million worldwide. Critics gave it 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and 81 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.4/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 36m (156 min)
- Director
- Hong-jin Na
- Original language
-
Korean - Studio
- Well Go USA Entertainment
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The Wailing About?
The premise of The Wailing without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A mysterious stranger's arrival in a quiet rural village brings an unsettling atmosphere and growing suspicion. As unexplained illnesses and disturbing events plague the community, fear and violence erupt among the residents. A local police officer investigates the escalating crisis while his daughter falls ill, leading him to seek help from a shaman. His search for answers unleashes an ancient and terrifying power, endangering the entire village.
The Wailing Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- village
- shaman
- investigation
- priest
- murder
- exorcism
- written by director
- police
- small town
- south korea
- rain gear
- nosebleed
+38 more Show fewer
- two word title
- police protagonist
- police station
- motorcycle
- husband wife relationship
- mother daughter relationship
- witness
- hanging
- hanged woman
- dead deer
- fever
- medicine
- rape
- burned out house
- knife
- fishing
- dead woman
- worm
- japanese man
- south korean
- korean
- disease
- falling downhill
- hunter
- police car
- mushroom
- police partner
- carcass
- deer carcass
- woods
- glowing eyes
- eyes glowing red
- struck by lightning
- deacon
- collage
- photo collage
- shrine
- photograph
The Wailing Cast
Jun Kunimura leads the cast, with Jeong-min Hwang. Directed by Hong-jin Na.
- Director Hong-jin Na
More from Hong-jin Na
More films directed by Hong-jin Na, best-rated first: The Yellow Sea and The Chaser.
The Wailing Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave The Wailing 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and 81 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.4/10.
-
IMDb 7.4 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 99% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 82%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 81 Metascore
User score 7.8
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 74% User score
See on TMDB -
Letterboxd 4.0 /5
3K ratings
See on Letterboxd
The Wailing Plot Summary
What happens in The Wailing from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
A Japanese man has recently settled in a quaint village nestled within the South Korean mountains, residing in an isolated house. As a mysterious illness begins to sweep through the community, villagers experience a concerning rash that escalates into violent, murderous episodes followed by stupor and ultimately, death.
Amidst this chaos, police officer Jong-goo dives into the investigation, crossing paths with an enigmatic young woman named Moo-myeong, whose name translates to “no name” in Korean. She provides Jong-goo with unsettling insights about the Japanese stranger before vanishing without a trace. A local hunter shares a chilling account of sighting this nearly naked stranger consuming a deer, his eyes glowing ominously red. Jong-goo finds himself deeply disturbed, having had dreams of this individual as detailed by the hunter.
Full summary
The whole story of The Wailing, scene by scene
The Wailing Box Office
The Wailing grossed $49.9 million worldwide. $786,633 came from the US and Canada and $49.1 million (98%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$49.9M
- US & Canada
- $786.6K
- International
- $49.1M
The Wailing Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 2 trailers.
- Trailer Trailer 2
How Well Do You Know The Wailing?
9 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 9
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
What mysterious illness affects the villagers in 'The Wailing'?
Cars in The Wailing
22 cars on screen, including the 2011 Hyundai Avante and the 2002 Hyundai Grandeur XG.
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2011 Hyundai Avante Important role -
2002 Hyundai Grandeur XG Important role -
2002 Kia Bongo Frontier Important role -
1998 SsangYong Musso Important role
The Wailing Also Known As
32 alternative titles, including “Gok-seong” and “Gokseong”.
- Also known as
-
- Gok-seong
- Gokseong
- Goksung
- החלילן
- הקינה
- En presencia del diablo
- En Présence du Diable
- El lamento
- Kvílení
- Gok-sung
- 哭声／コクソン
- 哭声／コクソン：2016
+20 more Show fewer
- 哭声
- Goksung - La presenza del diavolo
- El Extraño
- The Strangers
- The Wailing: Die Besessenen
- Lament
- Kara Büyü
- O Lamento
- Kokszongi sirató
- Риданието
- Виття
- Јецаји
- 哭聲
- ദി വെയിലിംഗ്
- Вопль
- היללה
- ฆาตกรรมอำปีศาจ
- Verksmas
- Tiếng Than
- Jecaji
Seen The Wailing?
Movies Like The Wailing
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The Wailing, The Village and The Widow.
The Wailing FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, post-credit scenes and language of The Wailing, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The Wailing?
The Wailing runs 2 hours 36 minutes (156 minutes).
When was The Wailing released?
The Wailing was released on June 3, 2016.
Who directed The Wailing?
The Wailing was directed by Hong-jin Na.
More films by Hong-jin Na Who is in the cast of The Wailing?
The Wailing stars Jun Kunimura and Jeong-min Hwang.
How much did The Wailing make at the box office?
The Wailing grossed $49.9 million worldwide ($786,633 domestic, $49.1 million international).
How is The Wailing rated?
The Wailing has 7.4/10 on IMDb, 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, 81 on Metacritic and 74% on TMDB.
Does The Wailing have a post-credit scene?
No. The Wailing has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is The Wailing in?
The original language of The Wailing is Korean.
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