Demonic – Disappointing Horror That Falls Short

Demonic possession movies are a dime a dozen. So the news that Neil Blomkamp was entering the horror genre for the first time as both writer and director was definitely a reason to get excited. Perhaps the nostalgia of remembering how good some of his previous films have been contributed to that. But alas, this was not the type of film worthy of those expectations.

Demonic follows Carly (Pope), a character that just seemed a little off to me. And while she wasn’t exactly the type that oozes personality and charm, there was something about her. For lack of a better word, this “hook” is good enough to keep audiences interested. What’s Carly’s story, and why does she seem so guarded? The film offers little background, which didn’t necessarily make it easy to connect with any of the characters. The plot eventually loses all direction about halfway through. Ultimately, Carly seemed to be doing a good enough job for audiences to follow her. But the film features way too many failed jump scares to ignore. Its foundation seemed to be slipping throughout, creating cracks in the plot a mile wide as a result. In the end, the film leaves audiences with too many questions and not enough answers.

For the most part, Demonic revolves around Carly and her relationship with her mother, Angela (Boltt). Carly despises her as it seems like she’s a horrible person who has done terrible things. Ultimately, Angela was the most interesting character as all roads inevitably led back to her. But this fact was simply not enough to keep viewers engaged, and from that point on, the film devolves into silly territory. Though its subject matter truly had potential and certainly could have been something worth watching, it, unfortunately, falls short. The history between Carly and her mother may have been an interesting plot point to expand upon. Instead, it veers off in a weird direction that is even less believable than Angela’s minimal backstory.

Although strained, Carly’s connection to her mother made for a relatively good entry point into the film until a not scary and poorly-written scene later on spoils that promise. Meanwhile with any film, if the story doesn’t flow naturally, it is most likely going to lose viewers’ attention. If it does not succeed at leaving viewers feeling at least a little bit afraid, there’s certainly something wrong with it. When it comes to this film in particular, because the connection between the viewers and the characters wasn’t quite there, it’s hard to feel connected enough to care about them regardless of what happens to them over the course of the film.

Now while it’s great to see directors stretching themselves artistically, the horror genre arguably isn’t Blomkamp’s thing. Every director has their “dud” film at some point in their careers, and this is almost certainly his. At the end of the day, Demonic as a film has many pitfalls, and for those looking for a reason to be scared, unfortunately, they won’t find it here.

still courtesy of IFC Films

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