Possession films, like many other horror subgenres, are filled with the usual tropes that can make the plot, and the characters in it, overly predictable. You can blame this on The Exorcist. William Friedkin’s 1973 film was so groundbreaking that it transformed horror and pop culture. Fifty-plus years later, if you see a possession film, it’s going to remind you of what came before it. This is both a pro and a con for Dark Nuns, a new South Korean film that hits American theaters on February 7. Directed by Kwon Hyeok-jae, Dark Nuns is a spinoff of 2015’s The Priests. Luckily, you don’t need to have seen that film (I haven’t), to understand this one.
Dark Nuns has the same beats as similar exorcism movies, with a possessed child, and two religious characters trying to save them from the demon who has hold of their soul. However, this time we’re not following two male priests, but two nuns. Dark Nuns has its flaws, but it’s the performances of Song Hye-kyo and Jeon Yeo-been that save the movie from being like so many others, even when its flaws hold it back from greatness.
What Is ‘Dark Nuns’ About?

In Dark Nuns, the Church has banned exorcisms. When a young boy, Hee-joon (Moon Woo-jin), is possessed by what is known as one of the 12 Manifestations, his mother’s pain leads her to desperate measures. The male priests in the Church don’t want to go to the extremes of an exorcism, as it’s forbidden. To them, a medical route, including medication, is the way to go. For two nuns, however, that’s not good enough. Leading the way is Sister Junia (Song Hye-kyo), a woman who is strong in her faith. Junia can smell the evil in the possessed. She does not fear the demon inside the child but instead stands strong against it without flinching. There is no doubt in her resolve, making her a more formidable character than is often seen in exorcism movies, where someone is so often having a crisis of faith. If anyone falls into that category, it’s Sister Michaela (Jeon Yeo-been). She is the one who is afraid and doubts herself, but there is more going on under the surface with her than cookie-cutter tropes. There is a darkness to her and a bigger reason why she is asked to come along. Together, will they be able to save the boy?
‘Dark Nuns’ Plot Is Its Biggest Weakness

Dark Nuns is both fascinating and frustrating. What is disappointing are those paint-by-numbers exorcism tropes. The believing nuns are going up against the Church, which doesn’t want to do what needs to be done. The possessed Hee-joon is like any other possessed person in an exorcism movie. He has the usual physical changes, he contorts his face, he levitates at one point, and he says the foulest of things to the nuns. You’ve seen that all before, but in Dark Nun’s defense, that’s what we expect, and if you’re a fan of the subgenre, it’s what you want.

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What doesn’t work, though, is how little effort is put into Hee-joon as a character until the third act. To use The Exorcist as an example, when we meet young Regan (Linda Blair), she’s an innocent child who loves her mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn). We get to see the strength of that relationship, so when Regan is taken over it’s not only scary but heartbreaking. Dark Nuns is missing that. For one, it’s more of a drama than a horror film, with very few scares until late in the game. Most disappointing of all, when we met Hee-joon, he is already possessed. We never get to know him beforehand and have no investment in him other than hoping he doesn’t die for no other reason than he’s a human being. He then spends most of the runtime unconscious or sitting quietly in a wheelchair. We only care because we know we’re supposed to, rather than feeling anything specific about his character.
‘Dark Nuns’ Strengths Are Its Leads Characters and Cinematography

Image via Next World Entertainment

What keeps Dark Nuns together are its lead characters and its filming style. The film, with its cinematography, score, and dark settings of large drab buildings, feels like it’s from a time gone by. Take away the modern vehicles shown, and you could be convinced that Dark Nuns was made in the 1970s. This isn’t done as a way to copy The Exorcist and the like, but as an effective way to build atmosphere. Dark Nuns, thankfully, is not a jump scare movie with demons leaping out of the dark at the screen. If that’s what you want, look elsewhere.
It’s Sisters Junia and Michaela who are the true heartbeat of the film. It is intriguing to see an exorcism movie center on two women for once, but Dark Nuns doesn’t get bogged down in gender politics, with the sisters looked down upon for being women. It is there in minimal ways, but it’s not the point of the movie. There is also no conflict between them. The plot isn’t about creating any drama between them but finding a way to use their differences to come together and save Hee-joon. Junia is considered a dark nun because of her beliefs and approach, but she carries her own inner turmoil. It’s not much of a spoiler to reveal that very early on in the first act we learn that she is sick. The possibility that she could die takes away her fear. She is all about saving the boy, no matter the cost. As for Michaela, she could be written to be the weak and scared younger nun who doesn’t believe as deeply as Junia, but we’ve seen all that before. It’s not what she doesn’t believe that scares her, but what she has seen in her own life. That’s seen in a shocking flashback that makes you wonder if you should distrust Michaela or care for her even more.
Dark Nuns doesn’t reinvent the wheel. If you’re seeking out an exorcism film that’s going to shock you and be vastly different from what you’ve seen before, you’re going to be disappointed. But what Dark Nuns does have are two central characters of the like that we don’t often see. It’s a shame that they weren’t developed just a little bit more and given a more enriching plot that doesn’t go down an all-too-familiar path.
Dark Nuns is in theaters now.

Dark Nuns

Dark Nuns is filled with tropes of the genre, but with two interesting lead characters that help hide the plot’s weaknesses.

Release Date

January 24, 2025

Runtime

115 minutes

Director

Kwon Hyeok-jae

Writers

Oh Hyo-jin

Song Hye-kyo

Sister Yunia

Jeon Yeo-been

Sister Michaela

Pros & Cons

Song Hye-kyo and Jeon Yeo-been are complex characters.
The visuals and score hearken back to the 1970s.

The usual possession tropes don’t offer anything news.
The movie is light on scares.
We’re not given a lot of reasons to care about the possessed boy.