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The singing of songs from K-Pop Demon Hunters, the hit animation film, has been banned at a primary school in the United Kingdom over concerns that the tunes don’t align with the school’s "Christian ethos."
According to the BBC and other local media, the parents of students at the Lilliput Church of England Infant School in Poole, a town in the county of Dorset in southwest England, received a letter from the school on Friday. It asked them to tell their kids not to sing songs from the film, saying some members of the community are "deeply uncomfortable" with references to demons.
KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix's most-viewed film of all time, follows fictional K-pop girl band HUNTR/X who hunt down and chase away demons who try to take human souls away from the Earth. Its story is rooted in Korean tradition, where many shamans in Korea, who tend to be women, perform various rituals to chase demons away from a household or home. HUNTR/X later meets a rival group called the Saja Boys—demons disguised as a boy band looking to catch human souls—whose song lyrics feature themes around temptation and seduction.
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The letter from the acting principal of the school, Lloyd Allington, asked parents to encourage their children "not to sing these songs at school out of respect for those who find the themes at odds with their faith," according to the BBC.
In an updated letter on Monday, Allington thanked parents who shared feedback highlighting the "positive themes" seen in the film and its music.
The principal said: "We completely agree that values like teamwork, courage, and kindness are important for children, and it’s clear from your feedback that many of you feel songs like Golden have helped your children learn about these themes."
Allington added: "While we fully respect your right to make choices about the content your child engages with at home…for some Christians, references to demons can feel deeply uncomfortable because they associate them with spiritual forces opposed to God and goodness."
The principal added: "From their perspective, even fictional or playful use of this language can conflict with their faith, which emphasises rejecting evil rather than engaging with it, even in entertainment."
Allington said that the school is "not asking parents to tell their children that there is anything wrong with enjoying the film or its songs if it aligns with your own views and beliefs, and this will not be the messaging we share in school either."
He added: "Our role will simply be to help children understand that some of their peers may hold different views and to explore how we can respect and support those peers in upholding their faith."
Featuring a host of catchy anthemic tunes, KPop Demon Hunters' original soundtrack has become a global phenomenon on its own.
Earlier this month, the soundtrack scored five Grammy nominations, including the award for Song of the Year for "Golden." Having topped the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts for several weeks, "Golden" also made history by becoming the first by an all-female group to top the Billboard Streaming Songs chart, according to Netflix.
Newsweek has contacted the Lilliput Church of England Infant School for comment via email.
Update 11/18/25, 9:43 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information about the "KPop Demon Hunters" film and soundtrack, as well as the letter from the acting principal of the Lilliput Church of England Infant School.
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