REVIEW: ‘Holy Night Demon Hunters’ Holds Nothing Back

Holy Night Demon Hunters throws everything familiar with the exorcism genre against the wall, hoping it’ll stick. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this fast-paced supernatural thriller. Starring Ma Dong-seok, Seohyun, and David Lee, this imperfect adventure spares nothing from its exposition to its dive into found footage territory to its overarching cultist-driven evil bent on delivering Hell and everything it entails on Earth. Despite its issues and the questions left by the end, there’s something special underneath the chaos.

Crime is on the rise, fueled by an underground criminal network linked with the demonic arts. After the film introduces us to the demon hunters’ following case, it plunges us straight into a full-speed-ahead introduction to our trio of demon specialists in a frenetic, action-packed takedown. There’s Ba Woo (Ma Dong-seok), a powerhouse fighter whose punches knock the demon out of a person. He provides the power to keep the enemies at bay while powerful exorcist Sharon (Seohyun) does her utmost to save the souls of the possessed. Recording it all is Kim-hun (David Lee).

The first half of Holy Night Demon Hunters establishes its world, characters, and how possession works through the power of exposition, much of which is done with little subtly. This is all building up to the inevitable case that will shake the team to its core – the possession of Eun-so (Jung Ji-so). What was once considered a case of psychological distress by her older sister, Jung-won (Kyung Soo-jin), evolves into something sinister. With science no longer able to explain it, she seeks out the demon hunters to help. The question ultimately becomes whether or not they are strong enough to face whatever is growing inside Eun-so.

Seohyun and Jung Ji-so pull all the focus in Holy Night Demon Hunters.

From a storytelling perspective, Holy Night Demon Hunters is messy. It wastes no time plunging into the action, almost facilitating a feeling of whiplash as the story bounces between the hunters and our doomed sisters. The exposition allows us to understand little tidbits of our trio, with Ba Woo most exposed due to his guilt over past failures. While the exposition slows things down, it’s not long before writer-director Lim Dae-hee goes back to dialing things up, with either the demon hunters throwing down or Eun-so up to some creepy shenanigans.

With much of the promotion centering on Ma Dong-seok, his character surprisingly isn’t the main focal point. That’s not to say his Ba Woo is entirely on the backburner. Equipped with a tragic backstory, a battle with his literal demon, and action scenes that utilize Ma Dong-seok’s fighting prowess, Ba Woo is built to be the leader of this trio. However, it’s the two powerful women onscreen who command attention.

As Sharon, Seohyun exudes an otherworldly aura that penetrates the screen. With a stare, you immediately know Sharon is not to be messed with. Where Sharon is silently deadly, Jung Ji-so’s Eun-so is more overt. Pivoting between wide-eyed innocence and sinister rage, Jung Ji-so gives everything physically into her performance. Together, they are dynamic. All other actors fade into the background as Sharon and Eun-so go head-to-head, and they don’t disappoint.

There are some swings and misses, but the fun is never lost.

In these two characters’ exchanges, the Holy Night Demon Hunters evolve from a standalone film to one that sets up the universe’s future. This particular writing setup is not new, but it is frustrating after spending so much time on exposition earlier. It begs the question of whether or not the film would have been better suited for a limited series run. This comes into further focus when we’re treated to an end credits scene that hints at future battles the demon hunters will face.

Despite these frustrating writing sins, Holy Night Demon Hunters is still fun. Moments of humor sprinkled throughout ground the demon hunters, reminding the audience of their humanity in trying circumstances. The choice to flip back and forth between security camera footage and Kim-hun’s camerawork gives a found footage vibe fit for horror fans. The extra cheesiness in some scenes, particularly with VFX and directing choices later on, is more enjoyable than cringe-worthy. More films could be improved by embracing the cheese factor.

Holy Night Demon Hunters is all over the place but never stops being fun. Most characters are underbaked, but enough is set up in the writing and performances to leave us wanting more, should there be a future for this fictional universe. Come for Ma Dong-seok’s award-worthy punches, and stay for Seohyun’s dynamic onscreen charisma and power and the terrifying Jung Ji-so. And try not to think too hard about what’s happening, and go with the flow.

Holy Night Demon Hunters is now in theaters.