''The Priests'' (; lit. "Black Priests") is a 2015 South Korean

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

thriller film written and directed by Jang Jae-hyun, based on his award-winning

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

''12th Assistant Deacon''.

Plot

A young girl who belongs to Father Kim's

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

becomes

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

tose after a

hit-and-run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...

accident caused by two priests. Father Kim suspects she is possessed by an evil spirit. Father Kim along with a rebellious young

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

named Choi try to exorcise the demon and confine it in a piglet. Members of a

Rosicrucian Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its ...

sect inform Father Kim that two of their priests were killed by this demon. During the exorcism, the demon manifests, inflicting unnatural bodily rashes. Choi initially runs out halfway through the exorcism attempt, but eventually decides to return, determined to finish what they started. Father Kim tells him to believe this ministry isn't in vain and the reward is in the Lord's hand (Isaiah 49:4). Choi replies by quoting Ezekiel 2:6, and affirms he is prepared now. When they try to free the girl from the demon's powerful hold, they realize that the demon they are facing is an ancient one named Malphas and is far more dangerous than they ever thought. However, they manage to confine it in the piglet, but the police arrive and try to arrest them for killing Young-shin, acting on a complaint by her extremely traumatized parents. Choi runs out with the pig, faces many obstructions but successfully drowns it in the river as instructed by Kim (Luke 8:33). Young-shin who was considered dead shows signs of life, and Father Kim's and

Brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

Choi's rashes disappear.

Cast

Kim Yoon-seok Kim Yoon-seok (born January 21, 1967) is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. Kim began his career in theater and it subsequently led him to be cast in minor roles in films and television dramas. His breakout role came as the vi ...

as Father Kim *

Gang Dong-won Gang Dong-won (born January 18, 1981) is a South Korean actor. Early life Gang Dong-won was born January 18, 1981, in Busan, and grew up in Changwon of Gyeongsangnam-do. His father, Gang Cheol-woo, was an engineer and later vice president ...

as Deacon Choi *

Park So-dam Park So-dam (born September 8, 1991) is a South Korean actress. She came into popular recognition in the 2015 film ''The Priests'' and the TV series' ''Cinderella with Four Knights'' (2016) and ''Record of Youth'' (2020). She achieved internationa ...

as Young-shin *

Kim Eui-sung Kim Eui-sung (; born December 17, 1965) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in films ''The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), ''Office'' (2015), '' The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo'' (2015) and ''Train to Busan'' (2016); ...

as Dean of clergy *Son Jong-hak as Monsignor *

Lee Ho-jae Lee Ho-jae (born January 3, 1973) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Lee debuted with the crime thriller ''The Scam (2009 film), The Scam'' (2009). It won Best New Director at the 46th Grand Bell Awards, 46th Grand Bell Awards i ...

as Father Jeong *Nam Il-woo as Abbot *

Kim Byeong-ok Kim Byeong-ok (born October 11, 1960) is a South Korean actor. A veteran supporting actor, he is best known for his role as Mr. Han in '' Oldboy''. Career In 2015, he was featured in a controversial Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: En ...

as Professor Park * Cho Soo-hyang as Agnes *Park Woong as Bishop *Lee Jeong-yeol as Young-shin's father *Kim So-sook as Young-shin's mother *

Jeong Ha-dam Jeong Ha-dam (born February 28, 1994) is a South Korean actress. Jeong debuted with a lead role in ''Wild Flowers'' (2015). Her second lead role was in '' Steel Flower'' (2016), in which she was praised for her outstanding performance by Variety ...

as Shaman Young-joo * Kim Soo-jin as Father Kim's younger sister *Don-Don the pig as the Pig

Reception

The film was number-one on its opening weekend, with ₩13 billion. By its third weekend, the film had grossed at the South Korean box office.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Priests 2015 films South Korean mystery thriller films South Korean buddy films CJ Entertainment films Films about exorcism 2010s mystery thriller films South Korean supernatural thriller films Features based on short films Films directed by Jang Jae-hyun 2010s South Korean films 2010s Korean-language films