“We went to protect Exhuma filming set”: Shaman Lee Da-young shares behind the scene rituals on sets of Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun starring movie

On April 4, 2024, Shamans Lee Da-young and Gochunja made a guest appearance on the Haha Hajisik Salon YouTube channel, where they shared about behind-the-scenes rituals conducted on the Exhuma filming set in detail.

Part 2 of the Exhuma 10 Million Celebration series unveiled the new episode titled, 'Let's Dive into Exhuma's Behind-the-scenes that Even the Director Didn't Know!" Shamans Lee Da-young and Gochunja served as consultants for the film, where they guided Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun.

Lee Da-young shared that, as a shaman, they went to protect the filming set as they could not predict what kind of ghosts would appear during the shooting. She stated, as translated by X user @blueskypallette:

"We went to protect EXHUMA filming set. It's a film, but we don't what might happen."

---

Shamans elaborated on the rituals conducted on Exhuma filming site

Shaman Lee Da-young shared that they went to the Daesalgut filming set, used the real mantra and candles, and offered as they do in everyday life. It was done to prevent the appearance of any ghosts on the set. She elaborated on the dangers of real ghosts appearing on the set because Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun called them using real offerings, chants, and rituals.

She stated, as translated by X user @blueskypallette:

"Of course we came to the daesalgut filming set! The reason why my mother keeps going to the set was because (they) really use real mantras, candles, and offerings like we do. A person held a pine tree (lee dohyun), (if thing goes south) we don't know what kind of ghost will actually appear.."

She elaborated that shamans protected Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun. They reportedly ensured the safety of everyone on set by performing the ritual under scrutiny, as they could not predict what kind of ghosts might appear on the filming set. Lee Da-young shared, as translated by X user @blueskypallette:

"We went to protect #EXHUMA filming set. It's a film, but we don't what might happen. We protected #KimGoeun, who enchanted the scriptures, but it was #LeeDoHyun who was most dangerous. If you shout and called by drumming it we don't what kind of ghosts might actually appear on set."

Meanwhile, Shaman Go Chunja and Lee Da-young also spoke about Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun's preparations for the Daesalgut scenes of Exhuma. They mentioned, as translated by the X user @blueskypallette,

"Be it Kim Goeun or Lee Dohyun, the most important thing for them are not to look awkward as shamans. They don't want to just imitate shamans, but they want to 'become' shamans."

The stars apparently accompanied the shamans to other rituals.

"When I heard that I clapped my hands. They went to real rituals set for lots of time to get the sense of being shamans. 'Since you're the teacher, can we do this too?' We get asked a lot by them like this."

Additionally, the Shamans also cited a series of questions asked by Exhuma's Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun. They stated, as translated by X user @blueskypallette:

"Special case with Kim Goeun, she asked, "Teacher nim, can I whistle like this? Where should I look? What should I do with my hand gesture? Should the knife go this way or this way?" They asked such details passionately (that made me want to teach them more)."

They were also touched by Lee Do-hyun's memorization skills and stated:

"I am touched by Lee Dohyun too, since memorizing scriptures is difficult, it's not the language that we use, so (we) rather do it by understanding it. Rather than understand the scriptures, he memorized the whole thing! If I gave him today, he should memorized it already at the next practice session. If he gets it done, he could move to another thing to learn. They were very ambitious for that."

The supernatural horror film Exhuma hit South Korean theaters on February 22, 2024. It is helmed and penned by director Jang Jae-hyun, known for projects such as The Priests, Masquerade, and House of the Disappeared, among others.

The film features veteran actor Choi Min-sik, Lee Do-hyun, Kim Go-eun, and Yoo Hae-jin. It follows the occult and mysterious elements, which showcase the process of excavating ominous graves. The excavation unravels severe consequences, which had been buried underneath for a long time.

---

Exhuma earned $16.8 million in its opening week and emerged as the highest-grossing Korean film of 2024.