The Haunted Palace: Spoiler-Free Mini Review
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Title: | The Haunted Palace (2025) |
Platform: | Viki, Wavve |
MDL & IMBD Rating: | |
Genre: | Period (Joseon) Romance/ Fantasy |
Episode Count: | 16 |
Parental Guidance Rating: | PG-13: Violence, scary images (aka fake looking ghosts), a brief storyline involving a rape but nothing explicit, |
Starring: | Yook Sung Jae (Goblin) Bo Na (Twenty One Twenty Five) Kim Ji Hoon (Flower of Evil) Kim Sang Ho (Typhoon Family) |
RBTS Rating: | 3.2/5 Stars (A middle of the road period fantasy drama without high highs or low lows.)  |
Cast From Left to Right: #YookSungJae, #BoNa, #KimJiHoon, #KimSangHo, #KimInKwon
Synopsis:
Yun Gap is a government officer who works in the palace. He has a good reputation and has a handsome appearance. One day, Yun Gap's body becomes possessed by an Imoogi creature. Soon afterwards, people start talking about him as if he has lost his mind. The Imugi who possessed Yun Gap is related to Yeo Ri, whose first love was Yun Gap. Yeo Ri is the only granddaughter of a famous shaman. She has a divine gift but refuses to accept her fate as a medium of spirit. Instead, she works as a glass craftswoman. The Imugi needs Yeo Ri's body to ascend to Heaven, but Yeo Ri won't allow it. After Yun Gap becomes possessed, Yeo Ri enters the palace filled with powerful female ghosts and evil spirits. Meanwhile, King Yi Seong is a reformist monarch who dreams of a strong Joseon nation. Weird and terrible incidents continue to take place within the palace. These are related to the powerful female ghosts who hold a grudge against the royal family. To get rid of the ghosts, Yun Gap, Yeo Ri, and King Yi Seong search for the secret of the female ghosts. @MDL
Spoiler-Free Mini Review:
The Haunted Palace is an aggressively middle of the road period drama. The highs weren't super high, but neither were the lows extremely low. It felt like a more mild version of The East Palace that sees our Shaman/Ophthalmologist Female Lead (the creativity of these writers feels more supernatural than the show) investigating a series of hauntings at the palace, unwittingly aided by a clingy Imgui who has taken the body of her first love. In Korean folklore, the Imugi are considered lesser dragons linked to water and agriculture, who can become full fledged dragons if they catch a fallen Yeouiju (orb.. thing) from heaven after 1,000 years of trials.
Kim Young Kwang plays the Imugi in the first episode and that was a mistake. Because why did you give us this glorious man, only to take him away. Yook Sung Jae (Yun Gap) did a solid job, but he lacked the charisma and charm of the originator. What could have been. Bo Na gave a good performance, but the vibe of the leads didn't quite match-- she and Kim Young Kwang were more suited. Kim Ji Hoon as the king was another awkward casting choice as the portrayal lacked the gravity needed and weakened the drama.
The story drags a bit in the middle, as almost all Joseon Period Dramas do, but it was still a fun time. There were certain things I could have done without, but overall it was nice to watch a Joseon fantasy again. I'm always chasing that Alchemy of Souls high lol.
Lastly, the glasses at the end were a crime against fashion; Joan Rivers is crying out from her grave.
Story=3 (Fine, ran out of steam towards the end), Acting= 3.5 (The acting was solid but too many characters felt miscast), Production Quality=3.5 (Fine, but the random imugi floating in the sky was an assault my eyes will not soon forget), Ending= 2.5 (Didn't like the resolution), Enjoyability= 3, Would I rewatch= Yeah
Trailer:
Director: #YoonSungShik (Mr. Queen)
Screenwriter: #YoonSooJung (Cheer Up!)
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