If you have been craving a good horror-mystery, Ju Ji-hoon's Light Shop should be your pick!
Last Updated: 08.22 PM, Dec 04, 2024
Various souls, most of them vicious, are left roaming around the streets trying to find their way back to life. They are all in coma and most are declared dead even if they have some life left in them. All of them end up in a Light Shop, whose owner Jung Won-yeong is just as mysterious.
Light Shop invites you into an intriguing, mysterious world full of hidden secrets. The theme of the show itself takes you into that world.
The first episode begins with a headshot of a woman standing in front of the, you guessed it, Light Shop. The dark lighting with the mysterious music simply add to what is about to come.
The story commences with Uhm Tae-goo's Hyun-min and Kim Seol-hyun's Lee Ji-young. Deep in the night around a forest, just out of the bus, with the woman in a white dress perfectly sets the tone for the horrors that are to foow. Seol-hyun is so brilliant in her role that she leaves you intrigued instantly.
Park Bo-young in the role of nurse Young-ji leaves you hooked. You know she's going to play a big role from the get-go and sure enough, you want to keep waiting to finding out more about her. She ends up being the sweetest character to exist, at least so far.
Ju Ji-hoon's entry on the show comes much later, and as expected, it's a memorable one. He is already in the 'light shop,' taking account. He catches your eye for more reasons than one. His character development is beautiful and leaves you with a puzzle waiting to be solved.
What's brilliant about the series is the scenes switch. They are so seamless you feel like you're living a movie inside many other. The direction and music make the series a brilliant experience.
Shin Eun-soo's Hyun Ju leaves a big impact too. She's the closest actor to Ji-hoon, who plays the role of the shop owner Jung Won-yeong. There is, of course, a big surprise awaiting when it comes to his character too.
Kim Min-ha takes the limelight as Yun Seon-hae too. There's a story she wishes to say, and it demands your attention. Her character is the most relatable you'd find in the series.
Kim Seon-hwa in the role of Hye Won leaves a striking first impression. She makes sure to scare the living hell out of you.
Every scene since leaves you nail-biting. The one scene, almost towards the end of episode 2, leaves you shattered for two helpless beings.
The bus scene in episode 3 absolutely sets the tone for brilliance. It brings in more mysteries and solves them too.
Baek Sung-woo as the detective is something else. He also has a story to tell and you want to shut up and listen.
While keeping the scare alive, Light Shop also gives us small moments - one where those working in the morgue try to comfort the souls which are hurting because they are neither in this world or the otherworld.
Even if after a point, you are almost certain about what will happen, there's always something new. The end result might be the same, but the methods are new, and that's just as appealing.
As expected from the series, you are left hooked and wondering to the very end. The series begins and ends with Seol-hyun and she does full justice to it.
Light Shop is for everyone, whether you love horror or not. If you love horror, get ready to feel alive again. If you aren't a horror fan, try again. Every actor in the series leaves you craving for more. Only four episodes are out so far, and it promises to only get better hereon.