Once upon a time in a small village, there lived a wicked witch named Malina. She was known for her intimidating presence and her sinister spells. The villagers feared her, and children would tremble at the mere mention of her name. Malina had long, knotted hair that reached the ground, and her twisted nose resembled a vulture's beak. Her eyes glowed bright red, and her cackling laugh echoed through the woods at night. She would often sneak into people's homes, casting spells to bring misery and bad luck upon the inhabitants.
Posted by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard | Mar 18, 2022 | Read Time 4 min.
And through a series of some sort of reflection, Jin Hee met a child version of So Jin which told her that she couldn t perform a procedure on Jin Hee and asked her to wake up. The portrayal of shamanism in this series, which closely related to asian culture and introduction of several spirits such as inugami brought the sense of belonging closer to a korean drama.
She would often sneak into people's homes, casting spells to bring misery and bad luck upon the inhabitants. One day, a young girl named Lily caught sight of Malina in the forest. Lily's heart raced as she watched the witch concocting a potion.
The Cursed Drama Review
Back with another drama to review. I don’t really have intention to review this one much in addition that there’s not many noteworthy screenshot that could be use for this review. So bear with me, this gonna be full of text reviews instead.
— Spoiler, proceed at your own risk —
The Cursed is a story of a shaman’s daughter, which was possessed by evil spirit, Inugami. Because of inugami’s nature as being vicious and love for hatred and curses, its power is extremely strong when performing procedure. Now here, is a bit explanation about procedure. The terms procedure used here, or perhaps curse itself is like a voodoo (just to familiarise people that are not used to asian kind of thing). The person performing the curse is called performer in this series, though most of them are shamans.
I love how the series started, accentuated on the asian kind of thing, which in this case shamanism in contrast to many different ways in the world. There are dramas that portray exorcism or fighting with super human power but most of them are more towards western-like instead of asian. The portrayal of shamanism in this series, which closely related to asian culture and introduction of several spirits such as inugami brought the sense of belonging closer to a korean drama.
The series evolved in every episode on how they are going to fight against the evil spirit within the body of a huge corporation CEO. Much to the disappointment however, the series keep playing cat and mouse game. The only real battle that was noteworthy to mention was only during the very first time So Jin performed the procedure on Jin Jong Hyun. Jin Kyung as the corporation shaman was well prepared at that time with Tsukumogami to fend off the Inugami attack, along with several other talismans. Tsukumogami was destroyed but the procedure rebound back to So Jin instead.
It’s probably pretty frustrating whenever Jin Hee tried to convince Sung Joon about the superstitious belief yet Sung Joon waived them all off. However, it come up interesting when Sung Joon finally look at the perspective of his wife to force Lee Hwan to spit up the truth.
While the momentum of the drama kicks off quite fast, again, its another drama that failed to keep that very momentum till the very end. The final episode and the final battle between So Jin and Jin Jong Hyun and his “armies” of shaman from all around the world is laughable in my opinion. The very first time So Jin performed the procedure on Jin Jong Hyun, the whole room shake and even Tsukumogami drum was destroyed, but against all these shaman from all around the world, the place didn’t shake or nothing spectacular happened aside from all the shaman performing the force field fell down one by one, leaving only Otomo.
The drama also in my view, failed to deliver as to how So Jin managed to connect with the inugami that enters Forest. What happened was Jin Hee asked So Jin to do the procedure on her to take the lead and defeat the inugami in Forest. And through a series of some sort of reflection, Jin Hee met a child version of So Jin which told her that she couldn’t perform a procedure on Jin Hee and asked her to wake up. So Jin also mentioned that she has connect with the inugami and will try to hold on to it. And thus, Otomo said the inugami has disappeared.
The concept of the drama came off very interesting, trying to showcase dark magic and procedure in asian society, which many of us in asia could relate. While the story was interesting at first, the momentum drops pretty quick with all the cat and mouse game. Let’s not forget, why Jin Kyung bother to hire henchmen to kill when she can simply perform procedure to do so. Those henchmen are extras I guess, which otherwise the story with the policemen won’t even correlate. Like, how do they even try to catch without a proof.
The death of Jin Kyung and Ju Hwan were reported with high content of anandamide in their brain. Anyone care to explain what does that indicates? Like, why bother mentioning when there’s no explanation in the drama itself?
There are not many dramas that brings forward the concept of shamanism and playing with talisman thing yet. I remember there was a korean movie Jeon Woo Chi which brought that element in, which later followed by the drama version. Regretfully, while the movie was extremely good at showcasing the elements, the drama version was extremely terrible at it, more towards playing with magic instead of talismans.
So far, the best at this concept is only Tokyo Raven, which is a japanese anime. Unbeatable with this concept.
Gathering her courage, Lily approached cautiously and asked, "Why do you bring so much pain to our village, Malina?" The witch turned her gaze coldly towards Lily and responded with a wicked smile, "It is the power I crave. The fear in people's eyes is what fuels me. But be warned, little girl, meddling with me could lead to your own demise." Despite the warning, Lily was determined to put an end to the witch's reign of terror. In secret, she gathered a group of brave villagers who were willing to stand up against Malina. Together, they devised a plan to trap the witch in her own dark magic. They created a circle of enchanted stones, inscribed with protective symbols, and lured Malina towards it. Just as she approached the circle, Lily shouted ancient incantations that sealed the witch inside. The village rejoiced as the wicked witch was finally contained. The once fearful villagers could now roam around freely without the threat of Malina's evil spells. They thanked Lily and her group for their bravery, forever grateful for their courage in facing such a terrifying foe. As for Malina, she remained trapped inside the enchanted circle for eternity, never to harm another soul again. Her wicked spells were lost to time, and her fearsome presence faded into legend. And thus, the village lived happily ever after, knowing they were safe from the sary witch who once haunted their lives. The tale of Lily's bravery and the triumph over Malina's wickedness became a story that would be passed down from generation to generation, reminding all who heard it of the power of bravery, friendship, and the defeat of darkness..
Reviews for "The Hag's Lair: A Very Scary Witch Story"
1. Karen - ★☆☆☆☆
I was really disappointed with "A very scary witch story". The story felt very predictable and cliché. I felt like I had read this same plot a hundred times before. The characters were shallow and lacked depth, making it hard for me to connect with them or care about what happened to them. Overall, I found the book to be boring and unoriginal.
2. David - ★★☆☆☆
I had high hopes for "A very scary witch story" as I had heard good things about it, but it fell flat for me. The pacing was off, with the story dragging in some parts and rushing through others. The main character was annoying and made questionable decisions throughout the book, which made it difficult for me to root for her. The ending felt rushed and unsatisfying. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to the hype for me.
3. Sarah - ★★☆☆☆
I found "A very scary witch story" to be quite underwhelming. The writing style was confusing and inconsistent, making it difficult to follow the plot. The story lacked coherence and the world-building was weak. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, and I couldn't connect with the characters. It was a struggle to finish this book as I found myself losing interest quickly. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it to others.
4. Michael - ★☆☆☆☆
I was extremely disappointed with "A very scary witch story". The storyline was unoriginal and lacked any surprises or twists. The writing itself was mediocre at best, with clumsy descriptions and awkward dialogue. The characters were one-dimensional and their actions felt unrealistic and forced. I had high expectations for this book, but unfortunately, it fell short in every aspect. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling read.