Seldom do we see such gripping and captivating dramas in dramaland. Dramas that start strong and stay like that throughout their run. The guest is a near-masterpiece of the genre, that wasn't afraid to actually go for it, wasn't there for cheap scares, didn't base its plot on jump scares and did not settle for thriller character cliches.

Two aspects were aced here, being so well executed, that actually made me overlook any possible minor plot hole or mediocre acting that passed through the episodes.

Plot-wise, taking a leaf out of pretty much every psychological/religious drama scenario, we get a pretty classic story of a superior evil spirit who possesses someone, kill some people and years later relatives of those gather by chance to avenge their loved ones deaths. What a great way to make the story personal and lure you in. It just always works, doesn't it?

But what exactly made this drama truly great? The cinematography. When it comes to thriller, you need two things, a good enough plot (innovation doesn't always equals quality) and excellent editing. The story is there and believe it gets carried on wonderfully, with its twists, its cliffhangers, teasing and confusing the viewer to keep things fresh and it does always work. However, what exceeded my expectations here was the montage and effects.

The drama focuses on exorcism. Being a religious thriller enthusiast, I've devoured more than half of Hollywood's exorcism-themed movies (the original 1977 version of the exorcist still being the best), I can safely say, they freaking delivered! The music, the editing, the montage, the colors, the atmosphere, the sound effects, the cuts, the directing, everything was top notch. Creating and cultivating a creepy, gloomy, ominous, sinister and ultimately terrifying aura that not only draws you in, but also sends shivers down your spine, makes your eyes water and pretty much makes you wanna sleep with the lights on. Thriller goal met!

The drama can be separated in two parts. The first 8 episodes focused more on separate sub stories that all tied up and were obviously connected in the end, simultaneously helping the main characters from some kind of bond which will be instrumental for the drama to work later on. While the latter 8 episodes focused on the actual goal of the story, find and vanquish the evil spirit!

The drama a started extremely fast paced, the first couple of episodes were exhilarating, it does get slowed down later on, but finds its pace quickly. While this did bother me, the flawless creepy atmosphere of the whole thing made up for it. The drama does not get dragged, although you do get your average classic unnecessary lengthy kdrama conversations while setting the story and I could stay and mention some possible plot holes I stumbled upon, but who really cares. Insignificant details In the great scheme of things. I will, still, praise the development of the story and the number of twists they pulled on us. Special mention though, should be the game they played with our minds, keeping us guessing who the bad guy is without getting annoyed, for like 7 episodes or so. My attention span is way lower than this usually.

The second aspect that worked wonders here were the characters. I especially enjoyed how flawed they were, not your average hero-y people you'd find in similar dramas. I can understand why they could be seen as irritating, they indeed were, but that made them that much more human to me and I loved that. Moreover, I adored their relationship. It felt too real. They never stopped fighting and the drama lacked random cute moments between them, but you could see how they grew to care and depend on each other. Nice writing there. The actors also had commendable chemistry and it showed.

I should mention that the drama features some (neccessary to be honest) comic relief which was quite constant too. I enjoyed that too.

As far as the acting is concerned, imma give a shoutout to almost every supporting actor here, cause their role in making this work was instrumental. The main cast was good, but not exceptional or particularly memorable. Nevertheless, I especially enjoyed Kim Hye Eun, who was luscious in every scene!

Off to the hard part, this is a totally worth watching drama, a must watch if you want. Nonetheless, it is scary, and if you got issues with possession, exorcism, religious things, blood, noises of bones cracking, creepy smiles and generally cannot watch a horror film alone, you... might want go rethink this. Still, I would definitely recommend you try or force a friend or loved one to sit through it together. I can easily guarantee they will have fun if they are fans of the genre. This is s good one, not to be missed!