The Priests

The Priests is an exorcism film that delivers all of the expected tropes: spurts of blood, swarms of vermin, and a young girl tied to a bed, belching out vulgar threats in dead languages. But because this is a Korean exorcism film, it plunges even further into the abyss, with allusions to teen suicide and clerical molestation, as well as a dash of shamanism. The head priest is played by Kim Yun-seok (The Chaser), who excels as a world-weary man with a personal moral crusade, while Kang Dong-won (Woochi) appears as a fresh-eyed acolyte with demons of his own to exorcise. Park So-dam steals the film from under them as the possessed girl, devouring her every scene. If you want to witness one of South Korea’s biggest heartthrobs dashing through the streets of Seoul with a demon-possessed piglet, then this is the film for you. Presented with the support of Korean Cultural Center New York.