Demonic - Frightfest review

Demonic had its European premier at this years Frighfest.

The main gist of the story is about a group of friends who investigate a so called haunted house which has been empty for 25 years since a mass murder happened there.  You see at the beginning that they are all dead except one guy. It then goes into flash back mode whilst also staying in the present and then also shows footage from the video cameras that the group had taken with them as well as found foootage of what actually happened in the haunted house.

Produced by James Wan (Insidious,The Counjuring) you pretty much know what to expect if you have seen those movies. It's pretty much a paint by numbers ghost/horror movie. The running time is a mere 79 minutes and even with the short running time I did get pretty board in places and very bored with the massive amount of jump scares and believe me there is a lot! I like the story idea and the filming and acting is pretty solid but it just didn't work for me, like I say you've seen it all before. One of those films if you have nothing to watch you could do worse but all in all its one I wouldn't bother with again.

Demonic is out DVD 7th September.

5/10

Jonny T.

Release Details below

A twist on “found-footage” horror, as a police detective pieces together events leading to the grisly deaths of a group of college students. An inventive and unsettling horror from producer James Wan (Insidious, The Conjuring), with a cast of young talent and established stars, including Frank Grillo (Warrior) and Maria Bello (A History of Violence).

Frank Grillo (Warrior, The Grey, Captain America: Winter Soldier)

Maria Bello (A History of Violence, Payback, Secret Window)

Dustin Milligan (Slither, Shark Night 3D, TV’s 90210)

Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek, TV’s Mad Men)

Synopsis:

When Detective Mark Lewis (Frank Grillo) is called to a local house, he finds the bodies of three slaughtered college students. The only survivor, John (Dustin Milligan) claims they held a séance to summon ghosts of people killed in the house years earlier. Now, three of his friends are dead and two are missing – including his pregnant girlfriend.

Teaming up criminal psychologist Dr Elizabeth Klein (Maria Bello), Det. Lewis investigates the videotapes discovered at the scene to try and uncover what really happened that night. What they find is more terrifying than they ever could have imagined…

Produced by acclaimed horror maestro James Wan, it’s little wonder that Demonic has an innovative approach to the genre. Demonic reinvents the found footage movie by using a mixture of handheld cameras and traditional techniques – the result is a film that gets the best from both filmmaking styles, delivering shocks in the way that only found footage can, while letting the central mystery unfold organically.

For a director still making his name in genre cinema, Will Canon does a masterful job of building suspense throughout the movie – and following the trend of films such as Sinister, Paranormal Activity and Oculus, it’s only a matter of time before the supernatural forces bring out the big scares!

Demonic also boasts great on-screen talent, with established stars Frank Grillo and Maria Bello leading a cast of young actors on the tip on big things in Hollywood. See it if you dare!

"A nerve-shredding nightmare" - HorrorTalk

Special Features:

Theatrical Trailer