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A recent trend in South Korean genre fare is to explore the Western trope of possession and exorcism. Starting with Jang Jae-hyun and his work in the genre, it led the way to other fare such as “The Divine Fury,” and “Metamorphosis” to come about before turning to this new effort that continues to explore the topic. Originally shot in 2020 and scheduled to be released in mid-2021 before plenty of delays have held the film up until now, WellGo USA presents the release of Hyun Moon-seop‘s new possession film “Devil’s Stay” in theaters on December 6.

Following his daughter’s death, heart specialist Cha-seong (Park Shin-yang) doubts the claim that his daughter So-mi (Lee Re) is dead after an exorcism, believing her heart still beats. Amid her three-day funeral, he and priest Hae-sin (Lee Min-ki) clash over the truth, each trying to prove their stance and potentially save her life.

The latest cinematic offering of demon possession horror, Devils Stay, is in good company these days; this new South Korean film joins the recent likes of The Pope’s Exorcist, The Exorcist: Believer and The Exorcism. However, as old hat as Hyun Moon-seop’s big-screen debut comes across, its staleness is more due to story than timing. Delaying this film until now — it was shot in 2020 — certainly doesn’t make it any less hoary, but the real issue here is a refusal to abandon or, at the very least, shake up an overused formula.

On the surface, Devils Stay does seem different than usual. The victim is another young woman, yes, but she is pronounced dead long before the final exorcism can even take place. In fact, the film starts off with said character’s funeral; So-mi (Lee Re) died from what looks to be an unsuccessful heart transplant. And...