‘HE is always here.’
The Priests aka The Priests: Exorcism is a 2015 South Korean supernatural horror film written and directed by Jae-hyun Jang (Svaha: The Sixth Finger; writer of House of the Disappeared), based on his short film 12th Assistant Deacon.
The movie stars Yoon-Seok Kim, Dong-won Gang, Byeong-ok Kim, Eui-sung Kim and So-dam Park.
Plot:
A young girl is possessed by one of the twelve manifestations of evil after a hit-and-run accident. Father Kim (Yoon-Seok Kim) and a young rebellious seminarian conduct one last exorcism to free her from the demon’s powerful reach. They all must battle within their dark inner past in order to save themselves and the world around them…
Reviews:
“It’s a very strong acting piece, it just often treads too familiar a ground for its own good. With a bit more of its own identity, The Priests could have been an amazing film, but unfortunately that is not the case. Still, a very entertaining movie worth scoping out, especially if you are looking for a well made possession film.” Blood Brothers
“It’s an eerie, suspenseful, and entertaining film about possession. Some of its subplots don’t fully develop and its first act isn’t perfect, but the film ultimately delivers an entertaining experience.” Cinematic Addiction
“Director Jang’s decision to presents the film from a different voice works but more screen time with Young-soo would have helped to flesh out her character and give the audience a more emotional connection to her fate. The ability to present a battle between good and evil without overwhelming special effect is beneficial to the project.” Flick Hunter
“Jang masterfully controls the mood, steadily cranking up the suspense and dread. He integrates a great deal Catholic imagery and demonic archetypes alongside distinctly Korean elements, such as Father Kim’s shaman colleagues (they are on refreshingly good terms). Altogether, it is a highly distinctive, metaphysically unnerving horror film…” J.B. Spins
” …Jae-hyun Jang finally delivers and gives the usual theatrics a highly entertaining workout. Besides all the usual bag of tricks, he has bugs and rats invading the room, the priests being taunted with hallucinations of sores on their skin, even a nifty trick where they spray themselves with ‘essence of women’ so that the demon cannot see them […] Park So-dam as the possessed teenage girl gives a fantastically good performance.” Moria
Related:
Release:
The Priests: Exorcism is currently available on Amazon Prime in the USA.
Cast and characters:
Yoon-Seok Kim … Father Kim
Dong-won Gang … Deacon Choi
Byeong-ok Kim … Professor Park
Eui-sung Kim … Dean
Ho-jae Lee … Father Jeong
So-dam Park … Young-shin
Jong-hak Son
Jo Soo-Hyang … Agnes
Filming locations:
Daegu, Yeongnam, South Korea
Original Korean titles:
검은 사제들 and Geomeun Sajedeul.
Technical details:
1 hour 43 minutes
