Holy Night: Demon Hunters

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.

If you go into supernatural shenanigans like this, you could either go the serious route if you have the budget for it, obviously some comic relief not entirely excluded or like in this case you try to make up for that budget by going into a ..let's put this politely .. "lighter route", BUT then you better have either some tight action or some hillarious comedic moments, preferably both.

For once it has too little of either and what we get is neither really tight nor hillarious. It has some moments, but those are rather rare.

And the script makes it quite clear early on, that for this to be enjoyed you can not possibly question any of the events in this films or its relations to each other.

Look, i absolutely looooooove Ma Dong-seok, the "south-korean bud spencer". In fact him being in it was sufficient for me to watch this film, but even him can not save everything.

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.