When I checked out the trailer for Holy Night: Demon Hunters, I was immediately smitten. It looked like an action horror movie in the vein of Blade or Vampires$, which is a favorite genre of mine. While it turned out to have a lot more in common with The Exorcist, I was not disappointed.
Holy Night: Demon Hunters is set in a Seoul Korea that is under siege by demon possession. The cops and priests have only one place to turn to when the supernatural takes over the bodies of innoncents and that is the titular Holy Night. They are a trio of people who have all survived encounters with evil spirits and have wrestled some of their power away, powers that they now use in direct opposition to the lords of hell. The group is comprised of Ba Woo (Don Lee /Ma Dong-Seok), who is possessed of immense strength; Sharon (Seohyun), an exorcist; and Kim-kun (David Lee), a videographer and support person.
Ma Dong-Seok does double duty as both the star and one of the writers in the film and is excellent in the lead role. He has starred in many great movies, like The Gangster, the Cop, and the Devil, and Western audiences will probably recognize him as Gilgamesh from Marvel’s The Eternals. He has a significant screen presence and is a skilled martial artist, which is showcased in the movie’s many great action scenes.
The film does an excellent job of balancing the fight scenes and the exorcism scenes, which have superb special effects and dramatic tension. You believe that the Holy Night is the only thing standing between the city and the denizens of hell. The movie was a lot spookier than I had anticipated, but it was a great flick to watch in the dark with a giant tub of popcorn. It is currently in theaters for a limited theater release in the United States, and if you have the opportunity, check it out. If not, put it on your radar for when it shows up on a streaming service near you.
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