'Dark Nuns' brings fresh twist to exorcism genre

Song Hye-kyo, Jeon Yeo-been lead cast

By Baek Byung-yeul

"Dark Nuns," a new occult movie, introduces a fresh twist to the exorcism genre by casting nuns in roles typically reserved for priests, distinguishing it from its 2015 predecessor, "The Priests," while continuing to explore themes of exorcism.

"In principle, nuns are forbidden from participating in exorcism rituals. I believe the most refreshing aspect of this film is their involvement in these prohibited rituals," its director Kwon Hyeok-jae said during a press conference in Seoul on Monday.

"The movie explores the journey of those who are not chosen or permitted, and they try to overcome difficulties, which I think is an interesting point."

This film's predecessor, "The Priests," was the first feature-length movie of filmmaker Jang Jae-hyun, who is better known for this year's hit movie "Exhuma." Featuring Kim Yun-seok and Gang Dong-won, the film depicted priests performing an exorcism on a girl possessed by a demon (Park So-dam).

Drawing over 5.4 million viewers, it not only succeeded at the box office but also paved the way for its genre in Korean cinema. This success prompted Zip Cinema, holder of the film's intellectual property rights, to greenlight a sequel.

In "Dark Nuns," top actor Song Hye-kyo plays the protagonist Sister Yunia, who is determined to save a young boy (Moon Woo-jin) in crisis. Jeon Yeo-been plays Sister Mikaela, who's also a psychiatrist and assists Sister Yunia. Lee Jin-uk portrays Priest Paul, Jeon's psychiatry mentor, who denies exorcism rituals and believes in overcoming challenges through medical means.

"Audiences will find it refreshing to see nuns rushing and struggling to save a boy, with scenes that are both common in exorcism rituals in typical occult movies, along with some unexpected additions," the director said.

Song, who left a strong impression as a school violence victim in the Netflix series "The Glory" (2022), returns to the large screen with a compelling performance. Calling co-star Jeon "my savior," Song said she had great chemistry with Jeon, adding that their ensemble greatly benefited the film.

"Yeo-been was my savior. Without Mikaela, Yunia couldn't have done anything alone," Song said.

In response, Jeon revealed that she had always admired Song, who boasts a long acting career, since her school days.

"Song was like a warm light on the movie set. She embraced everyone with her strong and quiet charisma," Jeon said.

Actor Lee mentioned that he once dreamed of becoming a priest when he was young and felt at ease wearing priestly attire.

"I felt comfortable when I put on the priest's robe (for filming). I once dreamed of becoming a priest when I was young. As I grew up, I realized how challenging it was and found myself (straying) away from that dream. Wearing this robe makes me want to listen to others," he said.

Director Kwon, who noted that he is a fan of director Jang and "The Priests," added that this sequel will highlight the aspects that appealed to audiences in the previous film.

“As we progress with the story from the nuns' perspective, new discoveries will emerge, which I think can either connect to or differentiate the movie from 'The Priests,'" Kwon said.

“Dark Nuns” will be released in theaters on Jan. 24.