Despite the over-infusion of BTS, Bong Joon-Ho, and kimchi into our lives, we clearly have not yet gotten enough of Korean culture. This isn’t like Australia in the 1980s, where America decided it was done as soon as it no longer found Paul Hogan funny. We really might just love Korean stuff. Speaking of which, here’s a film your kids knew about long before you did – but you sure know about it now, doncha?
Every family I know who has seen this film has seen it more than once.
“What is this masterpiece we cannot turn away from?” you ask.
Why, it’s Kpop Demon Hunters, a film that imagines what it might look like if Buffy were Korean, tripled, animated, and a pop sensation. Basically, there is a centuries-old tradition of demon hunting among sirens handed down from mutilation to mutilation. So, in the present, the trio of singers, Rumi, Mira, and Zoey (voices of Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo, respectively) have formed the Kpop supergroup Huntr/x. That way, they can have it all: fighting demons by day and amassing the accolades of fame at night. I mean, wouldn’t it be great if Buffy were an Oscar-winning actress as well?
BTW, Rumi is also a demon. But, that’s Act II and Act III. For now, the demons can see the writing in the songbook and have to face the music. So they come up with an absurd, yet perfect counter: Why not form our own boy band supergroup? And thus, the Saja Boys are born, a quintet of beefcake-disguised-demons ready to thwart Huntr/x at their own game. (These “guys” are also much better at not being killed than other demons. I’m not sure the film ever explained why.)
This is all just a silly premise to get kids into Kpop. Is it working? Ummmm … yes. Try getting “Golden” out of your head once you’ve seen this film; I dare you. Now, I haven’t crunched numbers or anything, but, I don’t remember the world singing the haunting theme song to “Queen’s Gambit,” and that was the previous benchmark for Netflix success. So, yeah, SUCCESS!! The first time I attempted Kpop Demon Hunters, it put me to sleep. HOWEVER, I was most 
enthusiastic about my second attempt. I found the songs catchy (I liked the Saja Boys “Soda Pop” best, which counts as blasphemy in Kpop Demon Hunter circles) and the message uplifting. Is the film a tad basic? Perhaps, but it carries with it the magic of Yellow Submarine – at the end of the day, no matter how basic or dated you find the film, there will still always be a crowd that returns for the music.
Kpop Demon Hunters is not going to be on my top 10 list of 2025 films. BUT, if you ask me to point to the film that made the biggest impact in 2025, I might point to this one. And I’m not sorry about that.
A Korean super pop gang of three
Sang on stage for the world to see
Secretly, they demon-battled
Emerging entirely unrattled
For no bully could match their high C
Rated PG, 95 Minutes
Director: Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang
Writer: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang
Genre: Movies your kids will know before you will
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Your music-obsessed child
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: The parent that has watched this a few too many times
