‘Nature bites back’
The Black Demon is a 2022 American action horror film about a man and his family who are terrorised by a huge megalodon shark. Based on a Mexican legend.
Directed by Adrian Grunberg (Rambo: Last Blood; Get the Gringo) from a screenplay written by Boise Esquerra (Blackwater TV series) based on a story by Carlos Cisco. Produced by Javier Chapa, Petr Jákl and Jon Silk.
The Lantica Media-Mucho Mas Media-Silk Mass production stars Josh Lucas (The Forever Purge), Fernanda Urrejola (Cry Macho), Héctor Jiménez, Julio Cesar Cedillo (Sicario), Raúl Méndez, Jorge A. Jimenez and Venus Ariel.
Plot:
While on a trip to Bahia Azul, oilman Paul Sturges (Josh Lucas) finds himself and his family stranded on a rig where the sins of his past have put him and all he holds dear in the crosshairs of a sinister force. From the very depths of the sea rises a huge megalodon known only by its name: The Black Demon…
Reviews:
“A third-act detour into an environmental message feels every bit as forced-in as it is. And really, what could be less thrilling in a shark attack movie than a pause for didacticism? The performances are fine and the oil rig set is impressive. The Black Demon has the raw ingredients to be a decent B-movie. All it needed was a shark that didn’t look like garbage.” 2 out of 4, The Aisle Seat
” …to really make a memorable disaster picture with a monster shark, one has to spend big bucks, and the producers of The Black Demon don’t have that kind of money, giving the eating machine more of a cameo in its own movie, with screenwriter Boise Esquerra believing most audiences will be happier to watch a story of ecological ruin and family strife. Of course, that’s not the case, and the new killer shark event on the scene misses its potential by a country mile.” Blu-ray.com
“Writer Boise Esquerra, using as a source the story by Carlos Cisco, veers away from making it another Jaws. Instead, he makes it a bland political message film about the oil company being greedy polluters and the shark being the not-too-scary killer on the loose.” Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
“It’s as if everything from the shark, the Aztec mythology, and human drama was stuffed into an ecological story without considering how those elements would connect. And none of it is worth sticking around for 85-ish minutes for an overdramatic finale that is more hilarious than exciting.” Flickering Myth
YouTube reviews:
Trailer:
Choice dialogue:
Paul Sturges [Josh Lucas}: “I know a big-@ss shark when I see one.”
Ines [Fernanda Urrejola]: “You are the monster. Not that thing out there.”
Production and release:
The Black Demon was filmed in the Dominican Republic. It was released in the USA on April 28, 2023.
Background:
According to stories told by fishermen around Baja California, the Black Demon legend has been told from generation to generation. It is told that thousands of fishermen have died facing this creature, due to the fact that their bodies are never found. It is also told that the Black Demon is the killer of hundreds of whales that are found dead along the Pacific Ocean, in what appears to be an attack from a huge beast.
Technical specs:
1 hour 40 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.00: 1
