The Exorcist Meets True Detective In This 16-Part Thriller Series

The Exorcist is usually held up as the gold standard of demon-possession films (and The Exorcist's short-lived television show, while not quite as good, garnered generally favorable reviews from critics). Between its shocking visuals and intense battle between good and evil, the film remains iconic today for good reason. It has inspired pretty much all movies and TV shows about demonic possession that came after it, with very few reaching the same level of brilliance as The Exorcist.

Meanwhile, True Detective season 1 wowed audiences and critics alike with its story of detectives pursuing a serial killer with occult ties. Though the show wasn't as supernaturally inclined as The Exorcist, it too followed a battle between light and dark, one fought through diligent police work rather than demonic exorcisms.

Mixing elements of both of these franchises, though, can produce something amazing, as a Korean thriller from 2018 demonstrated. This show combined the supernatural horror of The Exorcist with a paranormal investigative storyline to create a 16-part masterpiece that's still one of the best shows featuring demons today.

Following a priest, a psychic, and a detective as they hunt down the demon responsible for ruining all their lives, The Guest (also known as Son: The Guest) is a tale about good versus evil, a procedural, and a mystery wrapped into one — and it will leave you guessing until the very end.

The Guest Raises The Stakes On Demon Possession And Exorcism

Media involving demon possession can often be straightforward (minus shows like Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel). A person becomes possessed, and those surrounding them slowly realize that something is very wrong. Doctors are called and prove to be useless, which leaves a priest and an exorcism as the last resort.

The Guest, however, raises the stakes of this traditional narrative structure. Here, an entity known as Park Il-do, or the titular guest, possesses a person (or sends lesser demons on his behalf to do so), who then becomes increasingly thirsty for water, stops being able to see out of one eye, and will do whatever or kill whomever the demons tell them to. In the end, the possessed take their own lives by stabbing themselves in the eye. This manner of possession isn't always instantaneous, though.

Some of the possessed might immediately cause harm, but sometimes it can take days for anything truly terrible to happen. This gives Choi Yoon/Father Matthew (the priest), Yoon Hwa-pyung (the psychic), and Kang Gil-young (the detective) a window to reach the next victim or demonically influenced person before blood is shed, but finding the next victim isn't always easy.

In rare cases, Park Il-do or the lesser demons can be so integrated with their host that nobody can tell they're possessed; sometimes not even the possessed person is aware. This means anyone could be working for Park Il-do, making it extremely difficult for the trio of good guys to trust those around them (and occasionally even each other). This not only intensifies the show's core horror premise but also directly affects the characters' relationships, giving The Guest a more character-driven story and a chance to balance its terrifying demonic lore with real human emotion.

Regan's exorcism in The Exorcist is intense, but The Guest intensifies that ritual, too. The possessed vomit gallons of water instead of pea soup. They reveal secrets and the future. Things get bloody, and sometimes multiple people are needed to contain the afflicted. It's a never-ending roller coaster of possession, distrust, fear, and violence. The characters barely have time to catch their breath, and neither does the audience.

Detective Work Is Equally Important To The Plot As The Supernatural In The Guest

Kang Gil-young is a cop with a chip on her shoulder who will do whatever it takes to close a case. Without her, Park Il-do likely would have gone on possessing and killing people forever, because oftentimes it's her police work that leads the good guys to the next potential victim, a potentially possessed person, or a vital clue. Her investigation is a core part of the show's framework; it's as much a detective drama as it is a supernatural horror show.

In fact, Kang Gil-young is how the three main characters find each other in the first place. She's investigating a case (which turns out to be a possession), and Yoon Hwa-pyung keeps turning up. She's suspicious of him at first, especially since she's skeptical of the whole demon aspect. But as she sees more and more strange happenings, she starts to believe. The two also pick up Father Matthew along the way when the shaman calls him and another priest to check out one of the possessed.

All three of the group are necessary if they have any hope of defeating Park Il-do, even as they all use different methods to achieve this goal. Along the way, they find a family in each other, discover secrets about themselves they weren't aware of, and save as many people as they can. As for who Park Il-do has spent the most time possessing while orchestrating his minions? That's a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end, and the suspects are plentiful.

It all adds up to a show that's genuinely frightening at times, heartbreaking (but also heartwarming), dark and thrilling, and makes The Guest one of the best demon-possession shows to watch for lovers of the genre.

The Guest is available to stream on Prime Video.