Alice Oscura, Featured Writer
Disclaimer: The following contains some spoilers.
During a recent viewing of a South Korean horror/thriller titled Dark Nuns (2025), I stumbled upon the fact that the film was actually a sequel to The Priests, which was released in 2015.
The Priests is a supernatural horror/thriller directed and written by Jang Jae-Hyun (Ehuma – 2024). The plot follows a troubled exorcist, Father Kim (Kim Yoon-Seok), who is constantly reprimanded for his obsession in trying to exorcise a demon that has possessed a high school student, a girl named Young Shin (Park So-Dam), after a hit-and-run accident involving two priests from the Rosicrucian Order. His unreasonable obsession with Young Shin’s case raises more than a few eyebrows among prominent members of the clergy, who begin to suspect that there might be something more sinister, perhaps even immoral, behind Father Kim’s relationship with the young girl.
The clergy decide to send in Deacon Choi (Gang Dong-Won), who’s a rebellious Roman Catholic university student, under the guise of being Father Kim’s latest assistant. Deacon Choi is told to report all of Father Kim’s activities back to the clergy in order to determine if the allegations brought up against Father Kim are true. However, the once skeptical Deacon Choi soon realises that Father Kim’s intentions are genuine and that demons do exist.
The Priests certainly doesn’t display anything newer than we’ve already seen from Western exorcism and possession-based films. What makes it stand out among the crowd is the fact that it presents aspects of Roman Catholic exorcism to a society whose culture is steeped in Shamanic beliefs and ritualistic practices. The result is a slow-burn, intriguing story that demands your attention from the opening sequence to the ending credits. The film offers little in terms of terror and fright but prefers instead to focus more on creating that tense, suspenseful atmosphere.
South Korean actors Yoon-Seok and Dong-Won gave solid, emotionally driven performances, while the standout performance would have to go to Park So-Dam, who, despite having to spend almost her entire performance confined to a bed, manages to throw herself headfirst into blending the innocence of her character, who suddenly becomes the unwilling vessel for a powerful demon. The special effects are nothing to write home about but serve their purpose of successfully contributing positively towards the main storyline. Some of the weaker plot points would be the doctor who was supposed to monitor Young Shin’s vitals during the exorcism. His role felt a bit misrepresented, as well as that of Young Shin’s parents. It felt a bit strange to me that the other adults never insisted on being present in the room to supervise what Father Kim and his assistant were doing, especially with the allegations circulating about Father Kim and Young Shin.
Jang Jae-Hyun successfully manages to create a universe where the very existence of humans is being threatened by demons who are meant to appear in the form of 12 manifestations to indicate the commencement of Revelations. The demon’s main purpose is to ensure mankind’s imminent destruction through possession. These manifestations are being monitored by members of the clergy for Rosicrucian Order who informed Father Kim about the young girl’s possession. This aspect of the universe is expanded upon a bit more in the film’s sequel Dark Nuns which was released in January of this year.
Dark Alice Score: 7 out of 10
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Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers’ curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. Read More