Korean Horror Feature ‘Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning’ Will Court Global Buyers At European Film Market

Korean sales agent Finecut will present the cg animated horror feature Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning to potential buyers at this year’s European Film Market, the industry portion of the prestigious Berlin Film Festival.

Exorcism Chronicles is based on Lee Woo-hyuk’s best-selling novel Toemarok, which sold over 10 million copies. It’s produced and animated by Locus Animation Studios, best known for animating the 2020 feature Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs. Kim Dongchul, an artist on Red Shoes, makes his directorial debut with Exorcism Chronicles. The film is currently in post-production.

Pitched as an origin story, the animated feature adaptation will track the adventures of four individuals infused with special powers based in religion, myth, and the supernatural. The quartet includes an excommunicated priest, a telekinetic woman, a man whose sister was taken from him by a malevolent spirit, and a child with arcane magic powers.

Finecut shared a brief synopsis of the film, which reads:

Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning focuses on Father Park, a doctor-turned-priest who must protect a naïve yet powerful child from his corrupt master within a secretive, magic-wielding temple or risk repeating the same tragedy that he took up the cross to prevent.

According to Finecut, “This adaptation emphasizes the mise-en-scène of the mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere constructing a unique world where superheroes intermingle with occult elements.”

Describing Locus’s aesthetic approach to the film, Finecut said the project is being “produced in a cartoon-render style that combines the artistic aesthetic of 2d animation with the visual depth of 3d.”

In May of last year, Locus posted a very brief clip on the official Exorcism Chronicles X (formerly Twitter) account that gives a bit of an idea of what Finecut is talking about.

드디어 살짝 공개해보는 퇴마록 찍먹 영상 – ①
(공식티저는 아니지만 보여드리고 싶었어요!!( ˃̵⌓˂̵)#퇴마록 #애니퇴마록 #Ani_TMR pic.twitter.com/uBWA8gTo9S

— 애니메이션 『퇴마록』 OFFICIAL (@Toemarok_Ani) May 10, 2023

A small collection of still images is also available on Locus’s website.

In it’s release, Finecut also revealed that Locus is producing a cg-animated version of Yumi’s Cells, a popular comic previously adapted as a live-action/animation hybrid series by CJ ENM’s Studio Dragon with animation services provided by Locus.