Two priests have to find out if a young girl was attacked by an evil spirit or a human molester to save her life.
Exorcism films have struggled to surpass William Friedkin’s iconic “The Exorcist” (1973), and while Jang Jae-hyun’s “The Priests” doesn’t dethrone the classic, it stands as one of the better entries in the genre. Jang, who later directed the critically acclaimed “Exhuma” (2024), demonstrates an early fascination with spiritual warfare, blending Catholic exorcism rituals with Korean folk horror, a thematic preoccupation he would refine in his later work.
“The Priests” follows Father Kim (Kim Yoon-seok), a seasoned and cynical priest, and his reluctant apprentice, Deacon Choi (Gang Dong-won), a troubled young man wrestling with his faith. Their mission: to save Young-shin (Park So-dam from “Parasite”), a teenage girl who survived a suicide attempt under mysterious circumstances. The Church suspects demonic possession, but the truth may be even darker – was she abused, or is something far more ancient and malevolent at work?
Choi’s skepticism clashes with Father Kim’s dogmatic approach. Haunted by the traumatic death of his sister – mauled by German shepherds in his youth – Choi struggles with guilt and resentment toward religious tradition. Meanwhile, Father Kim, a hardened realist, views Catholicism as the only bulwark against humanity’s capacity for evil. Their dynamic, initially adversarial, evolves into a compelling partnership as they confront a 5,000-year-old demon with a penchant for psychological torment.
The film distinguishes itself with its fusion of Catholic and shamanic exorcism rites. Before the priests begin their ritual, a shaman attempts to expel the entity, only to suffer a grotesque, bloody fate. This collision of faiths, also explored in “Exhuma,” raises intriguing questions: Is evil beyond the reach of any one religion? Can ancient folk traditions hold power where modern doctrine fails?
Jang employs eerie visuals—swarming insects, grotesque bodily contortions, and surreal nightmares—to amplify the horror. The demon’s tactics are psychological as much as physical, preying on the priests’ deepest fears. One particularly unsettling sequence involves a piglet, used in a desperate attempt to lure the entity out, a grim nod to the biblical Gadarene swine.
At its core, “The Priests” follows “The Exorcist” blueprint: a grizzled veteran and a doubting novice battling for a possessed girl’s soul. Yet Jang injects fresh layers, particularly in his critique of institutional failure. Beyond the Church’s bureaucratic hesitation, the film subtly condemns the Korean government’s ineptitude in crises. This theme resonates in a country still reckoning with tragedies like the Sewol ferry disaster.
While the narrative treads well-worn ground, strong performances, especially Kim Yoon-seok’s world-weary gravitas and Park So-dam’s unnerving possession, keep it engaging. The screenplay strikes a balance between dread and drama, culminating in a finale that, while not revolutionary, delivers satisfying horror moments.
“The Priests” doesn’t reinvent the exorcism genre, but it executes its formula with enough style, cultural specificity, and atmospheric terror to stand out. For fans of “The Exorcist” or “The Wailing,” it’s a worthy-if occasionally derivative-addition to the canon.
Available on Digital, and on Blu-ray™ and DVD exclusively through Amazon, July 15th
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