Geo-rok-han: de-mun heon-teo-seu

After a series of strange encounters, a team of paranormal experts is brought together to investigate claims of a pact made with a Satanic demon to acquire superhuman strength to carry out their orders on Earth, and must put their skills to the test to stop the deadly forces.

This was a rather fun one-sided genre effort. Most of the fun here stems from the enormously entertaining and over-the-top set pieces in play that try to infuse an action film aesthetic into a supernatural demon possession film. With the setup establishing the use of high-energy exploits to determine the cause of possession affecting the various individuals in their care as the full extent of the cult comes to fruition, the series of encounters that come about here, letting that play out, have a dynamic quality to them. From hard-hitting brawls knocking out nameless cultists, to the actual exorcism tactics that are employed to try releasing the demonic figures holding the victim captive, these scenes work incredibly well at letting the hard-hitting choreography shine in the way it should. As the narrative builds toward its second half, the action reaches a fever pitch. Scenes of Eun-seo unleashing her demonic powers-flipping cars into explosions or launching people across rooms-amp up the stakes. The team's chemistry, developed through earlier missions, is brought into sharp focus during the climactic confrontation. With traditional exorcism tropes, including grotesque makeup and violent transformations, intercut with cultists attempting to sabotage the ritual, the finale becomes a breathless combination of horror and spectacle. The scale of destruction and the special effects used to portray the escalating chaos lend the story a surprisingly grand, even global, scope as the cult's ultimate goals are revealed. When this is mixed together with more traditional genre elements showing the supernatural and inhuman powers of the possessed, trying to prevent their rescue attempts in grand stunt-filled setpieces, there's quite a lot of fun to be had here. Beyond that, the film stumbles somewhat in terms of its story. A lot of this is due to the frantic pacing that renders this with little time necessary to delve into matters more fully, so that there's a greater understanding of what's at stake. The entire purpose of the society and how the team operates, even who most of them are, are just flat-out ignored to the point of getting their names and points of being involved with each other being casually dropped at random intervals if they're not inferred from the interactions they have with the possessed or their minions. That leaves the film to feel as though it's missing a prequel that sets everything in motion, or highlights why the cult is starting the process, but it is so that all goes by so quickly for the sake of a rushed and cramped storyline. That would also explain how the over-the-top finale works with the high-concept demon slaying, body-hopping, and general confusion generated here seems to provide no answers, even though it relies on fervent demonic imagery to carry itself out, which is the main issue to be had with this one.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.

This film attempts to blend gritty supernatural action with a character-driven drama, but the result is a convoluted and ultimately unmemorable cinematic experience. The film suffers from a severe lack of narrative focus, meandering aimlessly between its demon-hunting premise and an underdeveloped personal tragedy without ever truly committing to either. The supposed "intense" interactions between the characters feel forced and contrived, lacking the genuine spark necessary to engage the audience.

The dialogue, often laden with clichéd pronouncements about faith and destiny, feels painfully artificial. It's as if the writers simply strung together a series of tired genre tropes without any regard for natural conversation. While the film boasts some stylish action sequences, they are too few and far between, and are ultimately undercut by a confusing plot and thin character development. "Holy Night: Demon Hunters" is a film that looks and sounds the part of a thrilling supernatural action movie, but its lack of originality and hollow emotional core prevent it from ever being a compelling journey.

Is it worth watching? No. It's a messy and forgettable film that promises a thrill but delivers a chore.

It's quite clear that Ma Dong Seok, known for his commanding screen presence and action-packed roles, was brought into this film to attract viewers. Unfortunately, this particular film doesn't make good use of his strengths. Almost any generic muscle-bound actor could've filled the part with the same result.

The film is essentially a possession story, and not a very original one at that. What makes this attempt especially disappointing is its identity crisis. The movie seems torn between being a horror film and an action thriller. To justify Ma Dong Seok's inclusion, several action scenes are thrown in, but they feel disjointed and out of place. They don't add depth or excitement; instead, they disrupt the pacing and tone, making the film feel uneven and confused about what it wants to be.

It lacks tension, suspense, or the kind of creeping dread that defines a good horror movie. At the same time, it doesn't deliver enough high-stakes action to satisfy fans of that genre either. Instead, it drifts somewhere in the middle - bland, forgettable, and uninspired. Even the visuals and sound design, which are usually reliable tools in horror, do little to elevate the experience. It's a film that plays it too safe on both fronts and ends up leaving no lasting impression.

If you're a fan of Ma Dong Seok, you're better off watching some of his earlier films like Train to Busan, The Outlaws, or The Roundup. Those roles played to his strengths and gave him much more to work with, both in terms of character and action.

Personally, I found it difficult to stay engaged. I actually fell asleep halfway through and only pushed myself to finish it for the sake of closure - and even then, the ending offered little payoff.

In the end, this film is a missed opportunity. It's not scary enough to satisfy horror fans and not exciting enough for action lovers. It tries to straddle both genres and ends up falling flat.

Despite casting big names like Ma Dong Seok and Seohyun, the film still fails to hold its own. The emotional depth falls short of satisfying the audience, and the plot points are largely unremarkable. The storyline feels disjointed and highly predictable, with no unexpected twists to speak of.

The portrayal of the possessed character and the overall plot easily draw comparisons to The Exorcist, which inevitably invites unfavorable parallels. Seohyun's exorcism logic appears chaotic - a muddled mix of different spiritual practices that lacks clarity and cohesion.

Although the film runs just 90 minutes, it tries to cram in too many convoluted elements, only to rush the ending, leaving a sense of abruptness and dissatisfaction. Ma Dong Seok, known for his strong presence in action roles, is surprisingly underutilized here, and the film fails to leverage his strengths effectively.

Not Ma Dong Seok's best movie but watching him is always fun. Nothing new that hasn't been done before but this time the exorcist isn't a Catholic priest because apparently, they're not allowed to for reasons I forgot. Seohyun is a beautiful priestess with a back story not yet clear, perhaps in the sequel we will find out more.

Honestly not quite sure why Ma Dong Seok made this supernatural movie apart from his usual action which usually does well. Fighting demons with his fists doesn't sound plausible at first but his are supernatural fists this time so I guess it works. The CGI is nothing to write home about. Acting wise, nobody did a bad job but the possessed girl did especially well.

All in all a fun watch if you're not looking for anything serious requiring much logic, and Korean movies usually are free from token characters shoved in just to check a box so it's always a win for me to be able to watch an entire movie without hidden agenda squeezed in. If there is a sequel, will still watch.