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Film: KPop Demon Hunters
Year: 2025
Director: Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang
Writers: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans
Starring: Arden Cho, May Hong and Ji-young Yoo
Review:
I initially lacked interest in this film, despite seeing it advertised. However, after hearing positive feedback from podcast friends, I chose it as the final horror film for my 2025 list. While technically an animated action/adventure film, its demon-hunting theme justified its inclusion. I also selected it for a family movie night, knowing the visuals and music would captivate my 3-year-old daughter, who was intrigued by the characters.
Synopsis: a world-renowned K-Pop girl group balances their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters.
That synopsis does well in setting the stage. I did want to include the lore. There is a demon lord Gwi-ma (voiced by Lee Byung-hun) who wants to take over the world. He’s been banished to the underworld by demon hunters. There are cracks where demons can come up and the hunters must deal with them. They are trained in songs. With this talent, they created a barrier and they can help strengthen it.
Our current warriors are in a KPop group known as Huntrix. Their ‘leader’ is Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho). She has Zoey (voiced by Ji-young Yoo) who is a people pleaser and also has low self-esteem. She’s the rapper of the group. The other is Mira (voiced by May Hong). She had a rough upbringing and it makes her cold.
Huntrix is the number one group in the world. They have a much needed break, but Rumi is hiding a secret. They’re close to sealing the underworld off for good. She wants to drop their next single, Golden, which she believes is the key to turning the barrier gold and accomplishing their goal. The reason she is worried about doing this, she’s part demon. A secret she’s concealed from everyone but the woman who trained her, Celine (voiced by Yunjin Kim).
The problem is that Rumi’s voice keeps cracking as her demon side grows. They’ve already unveiled the single so that stress is mounting. Zoey thinks that this charlatan healer she knows can help. His name is Healer Han (voiced by Daniel Dae Kim). He provides a tonic, but it turns out to just be grape juice with his label over it.
There is another issue. Jinu (voiced by Ahn Hyo-seop), who is a demon, has an idea that he brings to Gwi-ma. Him along with other demons are going to Earth as a boy KPop group, the Saja Boys. He believes with their talent that they can corrupt humans and create a divide with Huntrix. Their plan starts to work and with things getting revealed, it could be just the opening that the demons need to succeed.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start would be that this film is fun. I’m not the biggest fan of this animation style, but it looks crisp. What I thought was funny is that this takes elements that I know from anime and incorporates it in. This was with things like facial expressions changing to be over the top. This takes full advantage of the medium for the action scenes which was solid.
I appreciate the well-developed folklore, whether real or invented for the film. The concept of an ancient, demon-fighting order is familiar. I’ve seen similar ideas used, whether it is fighting a specific villain or just having a group that is trained to protect something. Incorporating in that they use music does set this apart. Making them a popular K-Pop group modernizes the idea and effectively sets the film apart as well.
Then to shift the villains, using demons is just an easy idea. It is ingrained in the fabric of our upbringing and transcends whatever religion you follow. I do like that the demon lord doesn’t have a form, making it almost like an exact opposite of an omnipresent ‘God’. It is depicted as a sacred flame. The concept of the ‘anti-Christ’ being a part of a boy band is something also fun to play with. Using this idea that popular music is a corrupting force, especially when it is catchy.
That is something I’ll shift gears to discuss. I’m not necessarily into KPop music. I do find that it sounds pleasant and they tend to be catchy. It just doesn’t just normally fit the tone of what I’m doing when listening to music. Cho, Hong and Yoo all have amazing singing voices so when they’re showcasing it, I was impressed. Then on the other side, you can say the same for Hyo-seop, Joel Kim Booster, Alan Lee and SungWon Cho. Their singing voices also fit what was needed. This is something that impressed me and since this has such a focus, they did great.
Moving back then over to the story, I like this idea that through music inspiring people, it gets stronger. As the boy band, the Saja Boys, start to gain popularity the barrier that Huntrix is protecting falters. That idea of corruption and us praising our own demise is a bleak look. How it is presented here though is done in a fun way to help alleviate that.
Then other themes to touch on would be with Rumi. She is hiding her true nature, which is manifested as internalized shame. She needs self-acceptance before they can succeed. It is an intriguing idea since she wants to close the barrier. She isn’t able to get to her full potential until she does. Celine also had her hide this part so that would show intergenerational trauma. There is also tradition with the duties of the group. The last bit would be with Gwi-ma who gains power by pointing out past failures. Coming to terms with these can lead to strength.
Let’s then go over to the rest of the filmmaking. Since this is animated, what they do there is impressive. This looks great, especially in 4K. The voices sink up and bring the characters to life so credit there. I do love again that they take full advantage of the medium to make this more cinematic. It is a feast for the eyes. Since I’ve already touched on most of the actors, I did want to credit that Byung-hun has an excellent voice as the demon lord. We also have Ken Jeong as Bobby, Huntrix’s manager.
I did want to include from my second watch, my daughter was glued to the screen and enjoyed it. That made me happy to see.
In conclusion, this is a highly enjoyable, energetic, and visually stunning animated adventure that uses its unique premise to explore relatable themes of self-acceptance, generational pressure, and the power of unity. While it might stretch the definition of "horror," it delivers on its action/fantasy elements with panache, boasting solid voice acting and truly memorable musical performances. The film successfully modernizes an ancient conflict, making it feel fresh and relevant. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, action-packed film with a great soundtrack, as it was a surprisingly good way to end my list of 2025 watches.
My Rating: 8 out of 10