“KPop Demon Hunters” fuses demon-slaying action with bubblegum-pop attitude, creating a culturally rich, kid-friendly gateway to folk horror.
No time to read? Click the button below to listen to this post.
First and foremost, Imma need you to put the film’s soundtrack on while you read, available on Spotify or right here on YouTube. Please and thank you. Ok, now that the ambiance is appropriately set. A few preliminary questions to see if KPop Demon Hunters is for you:
- Did you lament the fact that Julie and the Phantoms never had a second season?
- Did you rock out to the wicked soundtrack and sassy-meets-sentimental vibe of Nimona?
- Generally, do you dig musically inclined flicks with a distinct attitude (e.g., Spider-Man: Into/Across the Spider-Verse, Turning Red, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)?
If you answered yes to even one of these questions, I’ll comfortably assert you (and/or your kiddo) will enjoy (potentially love) KPop Demon Hunters.
Before I dive fully in, let me frame why I felt compelled to write up my thoughts on this one.
When Clown in a Cornfield came out earlier this year, there was a lot of discourse in the horror community about “entry level” or “gateway” horror for young adult and teen audiences. I was in my feels a lot through all of that commentary (I won’t take this piece too far off course, but I am still mad about how the queer elements were translated from page to screen in that one).
While I never fully connected with the case made by Clown in a Cornfield defenders, following those threads caused me to reflect a lot: What content really welcomed me to the horror genre? What titles helped me tiptoe through adolescence and into an adulthood where I feel comfortable nestling in with some really dark shit.
For me, it was Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, Are You Afraid of the Dark, and The Addams Family. You know what all of these have in common? A solid blend of spooky vibes AND goofy laughs. Current generations are getting an embarrassment of riches, and KPop Demon Hunters should absolutely be on that list.
Just like the Hotel Transylvania series paves the way for Universal Monsters entries, KPop Demon Hunters does the same for folk horror.
The premise is simple: girlie KPop band (HUNTR/X) hunts demons. Boy KPop band (Saja Boys) is a group of demons trying to destroy the Honmoon, a barrier that seals demons out of the human world, so they can feed human souls to King Gwi-ma.
PLOT TWIST! HUNTR/X frontwoman, Rumi, realizes she is half-demon. Saja Boys frontman, Jinu, is far more human than he’d like to admit.
How this entire world and story are presented is visually moving (both in sentimental and spooky ways), culturally competent (lovely piece here by Korean reviewer Jae-Ha Kim), emotionally intelligent and sensitive (don’t miss the lyrics on these tracks, folks, oooof), and just a whole lot of fun.
Landing the point about how this qualifies as gateway horror can be seen in the imagery, sound, and dialogue. “We’re gonna eat your fans” is couched in humor; however, these demons are hungry and committed to killing.
Also, there is a train scene that was ABSOLUTELY a nod to Korean horror powerhouse, Train to Busan.
Standout scenes and choices for me are the plane and bath house fight sequences, Saja Boys’ stage performance of Your Idol (with Jinu dressed as Jeoseung-saja — the grim reaper, complete with traditional Gat), and how the “inner critic” or imposter syndrome impacts each of the HUNTR/X members and how they talk through their triggers and fears.
I also loved all the moments involving the tiger and magpie sidekicks (based on Minhwa, popular Korean folk paintings, shown below).
If you or your kiddos need some horror-lite in your life, with one helluva ear-worm laden original K-pop soundtrack (How It’s Done and Soda Pop? …y’all really gotta let go of this chokehold), KPop Demon Hunters must make the short list.
After fangirling hard over this directorial debut by Maggie Kang, you better believe I’ll be looking out for her next release.
Overall Rating (Out of 5 Butterflies): 4
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