The occult action film ‘The Holy Night: Demon Hunters’, created by Ma Dong-seok and director Im Dae-hee, an ‘occult maniac’, is piquing the audience’s interest by revealing the production behind-the-scenes footage.

‘Holy Night: Demon Hunters’ is an occult action film that depicts the story of the ‘Holy Night’ team of Bow(Ma Dong-seok), Sharon(Seo Hyun), and Kim Gun(Lee David), who are dark troubleshooters with special abilities, punishing the evil group in a city thrown into chaos by an evil-worshiping group.Ma Dong-seok and director Lim Dae-hee focused on creating stronger and more powerful action scenes to express Bow’s(Ma Dong-seok)exorcism fist, which has been granted special powers.

Director Lim Dae-hee “constantly thought about how to create a boundary between the realistic and fantastical parts,” and Director Heo Myung-hang differentiated the film from Ma Dong-seok’s previous works by implementing “powerful and speedy movements” and filling in “parts where fantasy can be added.” He explained that he paid attention to the reactions of the devil worshippers to the overwhelming power of ‘Bau’ and expanded the radius of the action by mobilizing wire actions that “amplify the power to a level that is refreshing.”

In art, the occult worldview of ‘Holy Night: Demon Hunters’ is especially vividly revealed.Director Lim Dae-hee “fused Eastern and Western elements and added cinematic imagination” to create a differentiated worldview.Art director Lee Jae-seong worked hard to create a “mysterious atmosphere using dark tones and patterns that fit the occult concept.” In space design, open structures that can highlight action sequences were utilized as much as possible, and the spaces that serve as the basis for each character’s activities also reflect distinct personalities and atmospheres.

The office of ‘Holy Night’ was chosen as the second floor of a building with a shabby antique shop, as it is located right next door but not easily noticeable, and its interior fully reflects the characters ‘personalities and roles.In one corner of Bau’s room, there is a large, heavy sandbag and exercise equipment, and in Sharon’s(Seo Hyun)room, there are various props with Eastern and Western elements used in exorcisms.In particular, the exorcism tools were designed based on actual props from our country’s Ssitgimgut.Kim’s(David Lee)room is filled with computers and various digital devices, and one wall of the room is filled with photos and maps that track evil forces, as well as research notes on the devil and his worshippers.

The styling of costume director Nam Ji-soo, who melts the characteristics of the characters in the work, also adds visual pleasure.Bau, who has special powers but an ordinary appearance, gave a point to a comfortable sports jacket with high-saturation red and blue colors.Sharon used a lot of purple and cool blue tones in a dressy fabric to project her mysterious abilities into her costume, and added a point with our country’s unique ring decoration to add harmony between the East and the West.In the exorcism, a white hair piece was added to add a mysterious and strong feeling, creating a change reminiscent of a Western witch.The characters Kim Gun and Jeong-won(Kyung Soo-jin)mainly adopted utility clothes with many pockets and loose-fitting clothes to emphasize practicality and activity, respectively.Eun-seo(Jung Ji-so)intuitively expressed the process of being gradually consumed by the devil by adjusting the degree of makeup, such as the expression of blood vessels and peeling of skin.

Even in implementing the evil worshippers, no detail was overlooked.Chains and metal decorations were used as focal points, and the devil’s mark setting that appears when exposed to light was added to add occult elements.The mark was borrowed from the Rongorongo script, which has a hieroglyphic form, and since it has not been completely deciphered to this day, it was a choice that fit the concept of a mark exclusive to the worshippers, as it is difficult for the general public to recognize.The worshippers ‘clothing also differs depending on the stage.Before entering the demonization stage, the worshippers look the same on the outside as the general public, but they hide the devil’s mark under their ears.



Reporter Seungmi smlee@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.