“The Wailing” (2016) directed by Na Hong-jin, features an ensemble cast led by Kwak Do-won as Jong-Doo, Hwang Jung-min as Il-gwang, Jun Kunimura, Chun Woo-hee as Moo-Myung, and more. The film tells the story of Jong-Goo, a police officer whose life takes a turn when strange deaths start to plague his village, with rumors pointing toward an old Japanese man.
The Wailing (2016) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What is Happening in the Gokseong Village?
“The Wailing” opens in a small village in South Korea called Gokseong, a quiet place with a tiny population. Jong-Goo, a local police officer, wakes up early one morning after hearing about a death in a nearby house. After dropping his daughter off at school, he heads to the scene. There, he finds the bodies of a woman and her husband, who were killed by one of their friends but something about the killer seems disturbingly odd—his eyes are pure white, and his face is covered in bloody sores and wounds, almost as if he’s suffering from a severe infection.
When the police searched the killer’s house, they came across a shack filled with creepy objects—things that looked like they were used for dark rituals or sacrifices. Around the same time, a rumor began spreading through the village about a Japanese man who had recently moved there. People whispered that he was evil and somehow connected to the killings. Jong didn’t pay much attention to the gossip. He chalked it all up to superstition and figured the killer must have eaten some poisonous mushrooms that messed with his mind, driving him to such violent behavior.
A few days later, Jong was called to another horrifying crime scene. This time, a woman has torched a house, burning everyone inside. At first, it seemed like the fire was the cause of death, but when the autopsy report came back, it revealed that the victims had been stabbed to death before the fire was set.
What Does Jong-Goo Finds at the Old Man’s House?
Jong’s life takes a sharp turn when his daughter, Hyo-Jin, comes down with a fever that won’t break. As strange and unsettling events continue to plague the village, Jong-Goo and his fellow officers decide to investigate the Japanese man’s house. They were tipped off by a mysterious girl, Moo-Myung who claims that the man is an evil spirit, possessing villagers and driving them to attack their own families. One hunter even swore he saw the Japanese man feeding on a deer carcass, wearing nothing but a diaper, his eyes glowing red.
During the search, they come upon eerie shrines, countless candles, and photos of villagers pinned to the walls—dozens of them. Among the things is Hyo-Jin, Jong’s daughter’s shoe. Most of the people in the photos are either dead, responsible for horrific crimes, or barely surviving in the hospital. Jong-Goo checks Hyo-Jin’s diary and finds it filled with strange, unsettling drawings of eerie figures. He also notices odd markings on her body but what disturbs him the most is the sudden change in her behavior.
Once a sweet and cheerful girl, Hyo-Jin now has violent outbursts, screaming curses at her father and even threatening to kill the whole family. Jong-Goo confronts the Japanese man and demands he leave the village, warning him that things could get ugly if he doesn’t. When the man stays silent, Jong-Goo loses control. He grabs a pickaxe and begins to smash everything in the man’s house, even going as far as to kill his dog.
Why Does Jong-Goo Kill the Old Man?
In the days that follow, Jong-Goo and his family are plagued with problems. First, they find the carcass of a dead goat hanging outside their house. Then, Jong-Goo is struck with such severe back pain that he can barely move. Things take a turn when Hyo-Jin, while being babysat by the neighbors, stabs their son in the chest, killing him. Terrified of what might happen next, Jong-Goo finally listens to his mother-in-law’s plea and agrees to call a shaman for help. The shaman, Il-Gwang, arrives at Jong-Goo’s house and begins preparing to perform a ritual to cleanse Hyo-Jin and drive out the evil spirit tormenting their family.
The shaman, after hearing about the Japanese man, also blames him for the terrible deaths happening in the village. According to the shaman, the only way to stop the deaths is to either banish the old man or kill him before he performs a death-hex ritual. The next day, Jong-Goo and his friends set out to track down the Japanese man. They’re attacked by a reanimated corpse but manage to fight it off. Eventually, they find the Japanese man and kill him. As soon as the old man dies, Hyo-Jin’s health begins to improve, and it seems like things might finally return to normal.
The Wailing (2016) Movie Ending Explained:
Who Is The Real Demon?
Jong-Goo believed that with the Japanese man dead, the village would finally be free from the strange deaths, murders, and possessions but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Just a few days later, one of Jong-Goo’s friends, now possessed, slaughters his own family. The shaman also starts bleeding heavily from his nose and mouth when confronted by Moo-Myung, the woman in white, who demands that he leave the village. The shaman calls Jong-Goo in a panic and reveals to him that the true evil spirit is not the Japanese man but Moo-Myung. According to him, the Japanese man was only a shaman himself, trying to banish the real evil spirit with his rituals.
When Jong-Goo confronts Moo-Myung, she warns him not to go home. She claims the Japanese man has survived and will soon annihilate his family. She tells Jong-Goo that a demon is about to enter his house and kill everyone. Moo-Myung also accuses the shaman of being a liar, secretly working with the demon. She pleads with Jong-Goo to stay away and reconsider, but he ignores her warning and rushes back home. What he finds is devastating, his entire family is dead. Hyo-Jin appears, holding a knife, and turns on Jong-Goo, killing him and erasing what’s left of her family.
So, who is the real demon in “The Wailing?”
By all accounts, “The Wailing” isn’t a straightforward film but a deeply complex one, where every answer feels both right and wrong at the same time. At moments, it seems like the old man is behind all the deaths, but other times, suspicion falls on the mysterious woman.  However, the movie’s ending provides clarity. In the final scene, Yang I-sam enters a cave where the old man is hiding. When confronted, the old man reveals his true form, which happens to be a terrifying devil. This confirms that the old man was indeed the devil all along, possessing villagers and driving them to commit horrific acts. His goal was to spread chaos, fear, and distrust among humans, feeding on the darkness he created.
The shaman was also working with the devil, as revealed in the film’s alternate ending. It’s possible they struck a deal. The devil would terrorize people with supernatural deaths, creating the perfect opportunity for the shaman to step in, perform fake rituals, and make a fortune. There’s also a chance that Moo-Myung, the mysterious woman in white, was actually a benevolent spirit trying to save Jong-Goo and his family. Her warnings and actions could have been genuine attempts to protect them from the evil closing in.
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