Demonic is a 2015 American horror movie directed by Will Canon from a screenplay co-written with Max La Bella and Doug Simon.
The original story was provided by producer James Wan (SAW; Insidious: Chapter 2; The Conjuring).
Main cast:
Maria Bello, Frank Grillo, Cody Horn, Dustin Milligan, Megan Park, Scott Mechlowicz, Aaron Yoo, Alex Goode, Ashton Leigh, Terence Rosemore, Jesse Steccato, Meyer DeLeeuw, Griff Furst, Tyson Sullivan.
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Plot:
In the aftermath of a horrific massacre, in which five college students were brutally murdered inside an abandoned home, Detective Mark Lewis and psychologist Doctor Elizabeth Klein question one of the survivors who explains they were amateur ghost-hunters, seeking out paranormal phenomenon at the abandoned house, which was believed to be haunted. But what started out as a harmless activity turned into something truly terrifying…
Reviews:
“Seasoned horror fans may find a lot of Demonic a bit ‘paint by numbers, and will most likely bemoan James Wan’s ‘horror movies for the masses’, but this is a cracking example of how to get the genre right. Cannon brings something new and original to an already tired formula and this breath of fresh air is simply tremendous.” Flickering Myth
“It’s a smart enough work to make one wish it were a bit better, with less cheesy dialogue, sharper characterisation, and scary bits that didn’t always rely on jump cuts and sudden, percussive audio shocks. But the final twist is sick fun.” The Guardian
“Demonic is a frightening haunted house film that has as many twists and turns as malevolent music box. Because it is also slightly campy fun at times, it just about gets away with its less realistic excesses. That said, the devil’s in the detail and a little less might have been more.” Starburst
“Though atmospheric and tense at times, the by-the-numbers dialogue – reminiscent of TV’s CSI – somewhat flattens the film’s impact. As the clues mount up with astonishing ease, you get the impression that Demonic may have worked better in long-form…” The List
” …Demonic is an interesting hybrid of found footage, police procedural and haunted house film. It doesn’t always work and it veers into cliched territory at times, but overall it’s a nice, solid film that delivers the goods.” Rogue Cinema
” …the film does a good job of keeping its complex plot together. It’s not so strong as a chiller, too often resorting to cliché or relying on supposedly scary make-up; it shows too much when a little more mystery could have made it a lot more sinister.” Eye for Film
“It has an odd, beginner’s screenwriting habit of having random characters be well-up on historical architecture so they can explain what the porch gas lamp is for and what a milk-chute was in order to set up horror moments involving these features, while the kids still need to have parapsychology stuff which everyone who’s seen a movie ghost story knows off by heart explained to them.” The Kim Newman Web Site
Cast and characters:
- Maria Bello as Doctor Elizabeth Klein
- Frank Grillo as Detective Mark Lewis
- Cody Horn as Michelle
- Dustin Milligan as John
- Megan Park as Jules
- Scott Mechlowicz as Bryan
- Aaron Yoo as Donnie
- Tyson Sullivan as Luke Elton
- Alex Goode as Sam
- Ashton Leigh as Sara Mathews
- Terence Rosemore as Jenkins
- Jesse Steccato as Peter
- Meyer DeLeeuw as Henry
- Griff Furst as Reeves
- Billy Slaughter as EMT Wayne
Film Facts:
The film’s working title was House of Horror.
