The K-Pop Demon Hunters Effect
Over the last month and a half, I’ve seen more and more readers find a love for the movie K-Pop Demon Hunters, myself included. As a day one watcher, I’ve slowly convinced most of my friend group to watch it, sending memes and fan art back and forth, discussing plot points that may be explored in a possible sequel, listening to the soundtrack on repeat, buying the merch, among other things. How is this dark romance related? Let me get there…
The world is lowkey a shit show and in times like these, we should be finding joy in any place we can find it. This movie is marketed as a kids movie, so why is it resonating with so many adults? Why is it resonating with the romance community? I’ve often said that many of the current filmmakers are millennials and of the therapy generation, so the themes explored, such as generational trauma, are often more relevant to myself and others around my age (I’m looking at you Encanto). This is the same for many authors writing the books you love. The books you resonate with become a part of you, even sometimes becoming a way to cope with the trauma you’ve experienced. K-Pop Demon Hunters is a movie that explores how carrying shame can lead to forms of self harm, how being accepted for who you are allows you to thrive, how finding just one person you can be yourself, flaws and all, makes all the difference. Who can’t relate to that?
So, why are dark romance readers being drawn to this? Because so many of your favorite books explore similar themes. And with a hot demon boy band? We all love hot, morally grey demons, come on. The themes explored are relatable to all of us in some capacity. And we find comfort in reading about these experiences, so add in some animation, a killer storyline, and an absolute banger of a soundtrack…I’m not the only one crying in the club to What It Sounds Like, right? The songs, the themes, all of it hit me so hard I haven’t been the same since. And I know I’m not alone in this.
But I’m missing the best thing to come out of this entire movie…the community. I haven’t seen people coming together over a mutual obsession like this in a while and I love scrolling IG or threads and seeing post after post from creators I love, not only discussing this movie, sharing art and reels, but also recommending books with similar theming, especially those based on Korean culture and mythology. While I haven’t felt like reading a lot lately, this has truly been one of the best times for me to be in the booksta community. Having other people in the same hyper fixation as me is a high I’d love to keep riding.
The love for this movie has led so many people to explore new books, new art, new music, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. From dark romance, to horror, to contemporary books, there is truly something out there for everyone. As a community founded in recommending the things we love to others who might also love those things, I feel like the book community as a whole is thriving on this new addiction, and I don’t think it came a moment too late.
