Ma Dong-seok's 'Holy Night: Demon Hunters' Set to Release

On April 2, a production briefing for the occult action film 'Holy Night: Demon Hunters' (거룩한 밤: 데몬 헌터스) was held at Lotte Cinema in Kondae, Seoul. The event featured Ma Dong-seok, who plays the role of Bau, a dark problem-solver who uses his fists to exorcise evil, alongside Seo Hyun as Sharon, a special ability exorcist, Lee Da-wit as Kim-gun, a multi-player who tracks demons, Kyung Soo-jin as Jung-won, who seeks exorcism, and Jung Ji-so as Eun-seo, Jung-won's sister possessed by a demon. Director Lim Dae-hee also attended the event.

'Holy Night' tells the story of a city thrown into chaos by a cult that worships evil, with a team of dark problem-solvers taking on the task of eliminating the forces of evil. Following the success of last year's occult film 'The Cursed: Dead Man's Prey' (파묘) and this year's hit animated film 'The Exorcist' (퇴마록), 'Holy Night' is set to further explore the occult genre in theaters this April.

Notably, Ma Dong-seok, known for his signature fist-fighting action in the 'Crime City' series, adds an occult twist to his character in 'Holy Night.' After achieving a record of over 10 million admissions with 'Crime City 4' (범죄도시4), he faced criticism for the declining quality of the series. In response, he announced a hiatus for the 'Crime City' series to reinvent his image with 'Holy Night,' which incorporates elements of the occult.

Ma Dong-seok, who not only stars in but also produced and planned the film, expressed his excitement about working with director Lim Dae-hee, who specializes in horror films. He stated, "I thought it would be great to mix action and fantasy into an occult film. I watched thousands of horror films from various countries while planning this project, and I wanted to incorporate different elements that resonate with different eras."

Director Lim Dae-hee, who has even written a thesis on the occult genre, shared his gratitude for Ma Dong-seok's support during the filming process, especially since it was his directorial debut. He noted, "I still have a lot to learn, but I analyzed several occult films to write my thesis. I lacked experience in action scenes, but Ma Dong-seok helped me a lot. It was an honor to work with him."

Ma Dong-seok acknowledged the challenge of avoiding self-repetition in his character portrayal, stating, "While my character has familiar traits, there are also fantasy elements. I will be playing a dark problem-solver with hidden secrets. The film includes boxing action, wire work, and special effects, and we faced some injuries during filming. We aimed to find new aspects of the fist-fighting action that fans expect from me."

Seo Hyun, who received the casting offer and responded within two hours, shared her enthusiasm for the project, saying, "I couldn't hesitate. The script was so interesting, and I wanted to work with Ma Dong-seok. I feel like I'm dreaming. I'm grateful to be part of my first commercial film with him. I plan to watch it in theaters multiple times when it releases."

Jung Ji-so expressed her love for the occult genre and the challenges of portraying a character that instills fear, stating, "This is my first time playing a character that scares others, and it was tough. However, Ma Dong-seok was very considerate behind the scenes."

Ma Dong-seok praised the chemistry among the cast, saying, "The chemistry is fantastic. While the film has a horror element, our interactions are great. We're even working on a webtoon to build the world of the film, and I would love to work with this team again."

'Holy Night: Demon Hunters' features a talented cast including Ma Dong-seok, Seo Hyun, Lee Da-wit, Kyung Soo-jin, and Jung Ji-so, marking director Lim Dae-hee's feature film debut. The film is set to be released on April 30.