Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman (2023)

“Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman” is a Korean movie released in 2023, based on the webtoon “Bingui” (“Possession”). It’s a Crime and Mystery Thriller with Action, Comedy, Horror and Fantasy.

♦ It Doesn’t Matter. The Exorcism is Fake! Isn’t It?

In “Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman”, Dr. Cheon‘s grandfather was a chief shaman. Even though he is not a believer, he still runs a start-up exorcist business with his friend Kang In-Bae. He even has a YouTube exorcism channel ~ “Heavenly Cheon TV” ~ where he shares videos of him exorcising spirits. He uses specialized equipment to create the “theatrics” ~ wailing sound, wind, fake blood, etc. It’s a scam but it’s a very lucrative scam.

• DID YOU KNOW? Per Dr. Cheon: “According to DSM-4 of American Psychiatric Association Koreans suffer from 2 disorders stemmed from culture-bound syndrome. One is ‘anger syndrome’ and the other … ancestral spirit possession, S-H-I-N …”

In other words … it’s all in their heads! So if he can convince his clients through his fake exorcist methods that he made their torment go away, they will happily pay him for it. Technically, he provides psychiatric treatment. After all, he is called “Doctor”. Since he actually ends up helping them … is it really a scam?

Ordinarily, he charges $10,000 to do the job. But one day a client, Yoo-Kyung, walked into his business and paid him $50,000, upfront to take “a job”. He would receive another $50,000 when the job was finished. He had to go with his client to a location in Gwechun, Chungcheong province, and he had to leave immediately! WHOA! $100,000??? Of course, he accepted.

Dr. Cheon always carried two things with him. A bell tied to a red string that he wore like a bracelet and a sword. His grandfather told him that whenever he was around an evil spirit, the bell would ring. For as long as he had been performing his fake exorcism the bell never rang. However, when he arrived at Gwechun and stood in front of a child who was supposed to be possessed, the bang rang. For the first time ever … the bell rang!

Dr. Cheon realized that the child he was standing in front of was possessed by a vile spirit. Yoo-Kyung has a special gift. She can see ghosts, especially evil spirits. She saw the spirit that was in the child when he left the child’s body, she told Dr. Cheon exactly where the spirit was in the room.

He wielded his sword that he always carried with him. Even though he did not see the spirit, Dr. Cheon aimed at the spot where Yoo-Kyung said he was. The wicked spirit felt the blade of the sword and was once again imprisoned in the darkness he had been trying to escape.

“‘Seolgyeong’ is a weaponized talisman that seals vile spirits with Buddhist sutras and patterns.” Dr. Cheon had a brother who had inherited his grandfather’s skills and knew how to make Seolgyeongs. However, both the brother and the grandfather were killed. Dr. Cheon never wanted to become a shaman, but he searched for years trying to find out who killed them.

Dr. Cheon was known to the spirits as the “Chilsung sword wielder”. Although he had been performing only fake exorcisms for a decade, it turns out he actually had the power to perform real exorcisms.

Main Characters:

• Dr. Cheon (Gang Dong-Won)
• Kang Do-ryung / In-Bae (Lee Dong-Hwi, “Glitch”)
• Oh Yoo-Kyung (played by Esom, “Taxi Driver”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 5.9 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.7 out of 10 stars
• Rotten Tomatoes: 4 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as My Drama List.

This Korean film is similar to the K-drama series, “Sell Your Haunted House”. The film was about an hour and a half, and fun to watch on the weekend. “Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman” appears to be very popular. It was surprising to see all the different sites that published reviews.

• A Round-Up of Supernatural Korean Dramas for Your Watch List | PopGeeks

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• Movie Review: A Korean sword, sorcery and ghost-busting action, “Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman” | Movie Nation
• An Action Fantasy with Horror Elements – Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman (2023) Review | Voices From The Balcony
• 18th London Korean Film Festival: “Dr. Cheon and The Lost Talisman” Review (Closing Night) | VIEW OF THE ARTS
• At The Movies: Dr Cheon And The Lost Talisman offers laughs and spooky thrills | The Straits Times
• How ‘Dr. Cheon And The Lost Talisman’ Became Kim Seong-Sik’s Debut Film | Forbes

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

GSCinemas. “Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman | Official Trailer.” YouTube Video. YouTube, October 10, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IJ_3yMA_Lc.‌