X
- 2021
- R
- IFC Midnight
- 1 h 44 m
- 2021
- R
- IFC Midnight
- 1 h 44 m
Summary A young woman unleashes terrifying demons when supernatural forces at the root of a decades old rift between mother and daughter are revealed.
Directed By: Neill Blomkamp
Written By: Neill Blomkamp
- 2021
- R
- IFC Midnight
- 1 h 44 m
- 2021
- R
- IFC Midnight
- 1 h 44 m
Demonic
36
4.3
Where to Watch
Summary A young woman unleashes terrifying demons when supernatural forces at the root of a decades old rift between mother and daughter are revealed.
Directed By: Neill Blomkamp
Written By: Neill Blomkamp
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
36
10% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
57% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
33% Negative
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
36
10% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
57% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
33% Negative
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
For all of its lackluster holy leanings, Demonic still achieves an air of abject horror, aided in no small part by Ola Strandh’s electro-exorcism score. The demon’s design is also consistently terrifying, whether it is enveloped in a neon-soaked backlight or morphing into unpredictable and increasingly abominable versions of itself.
Co-written with Blomkamp’s District 9 collaborator Terri Tatchell, the film has agreeably creepy blurred ideas about the human experience and the simulated experience. And it’s never dull.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 User Ratings
4.3
26% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
32% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
42% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 User Ratings
4.3
26% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
32% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
42% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
I think the hate for this movie is based on the expectations of its director. Neill Blomkamp is known for making very special movies. And Demonic is nothing special. Still, it's a very well-crafted solid possession movie following the usual tropes.
I enjoyed my time with it. And it doesn't deserve such a low rating as many give it.
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Everything feels so sterile, filmed under cold, harsh lights. It’s one of the most horror-free horror movies in recent memory. Maybe Blomkamp should give sci-fi another shot.
While Blomkamp does have one impressive CGI trick up his sleeve, he totally drops the ball on the narrative end of things.
In the end, Demonic is all simulation, no real scares.
Demonic is a frustrating movie, because in spite of all the problems, the world Blomkamp sets up is exciting and original.
Demonic isn’t just a low-budget supernatural–sci-fi thriller; it’s also a shallow one, a boring one, a poorly conceived one — and the characters stink too.
Hmmmm I am surprised at how everyone despises this film but cannot get enough of woke garbage. It's confusing. I guess I am a strange bird because I really didn't like district 9 because I thought it was a pedantic morality play with aliens instead of apartheid suffering black Africans.. it was like duh! Prejudice = bad duh! Chappie was just frigging awful Hip Hop hell knock off of the short circuit trilogies And Elysium was another variation of the District9 morality play but with a space station this time. The only reason why I enjoyed it was because of the sci-fi premise that was derivative of the RingWorld novels by Larry Niven. I was disappointed that the film wasn't about the actual Ring space station but rather about yet another yellowish dessert dystopia.. YAWN! Neil finally comes up with something completely different and everybody hates it. WTF? The demonic film wasn't all that original in plot and relies waaaaay too heavily on the main character to do one stupid decision after another and another and another until you kinda just get annoyed.. however, it was EXTREMELY well done stylistically, involved some really fascinating concepts and was that CGI ?? Whatever.. it was really crystal clear, ultra high definition quality that was extremely well executed. The choice of actors was also unconventional and refreshingly UNHOLLWOOD like which is possibly why, I suspect, that the critics torpedoed the ratings. Anything that bucks the woke trend in TV and film these days appears to have a pox on it.
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You probably wouldn't guess that this amateurish film comes from an Academy Award nominee.
'Demonic' starts with a promising concept: what if horror and hi-tech met? The volumetric capture technology that Neill Blomkamp employs here is a clever way to bring the horror genre to a new age — although some animated scenes looked like someone was playing a devilish version of ´The Sims.' Unfortunately, it's not enough to keep you interested. Soon enough, the plot falls into an all-too-familiar possession story.
What happened to Blomkamp? Long gone are the days when he was considered the best new thing in sci-fi. 'District 9' is a classic, and supposedly, a sequel is coming, but now I'm very worried about how that will turn out. You could say that 'Demonic' was made with a handful of dollars during the worst days of the pandemic, but why bother then? Was Blomkamp trying to prove himself? If so, I think it backfired in the worst way possible.
If you really want to see a good mix of sci-fi and horror, go and see 'Possessor.' Brandon Cronenberg is now the best new thing in sci-fi.
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Neill Blomkamp is a director who has had a lot of bad luck in Hollywood. Even after being connected to big films that were never made, such as the adaptation of Halo, a hypothetical new installment of Alien with Sigourney Weaver leading, and a new RoboCop movie.
He didn't do any of them.
He's an ambitious director who has made interesting stories but has never managed to surpass his debut; District 9, and while Elysium and Chappie weren't really successful, neither of them had been as brutal a setback in his career as Demonic is, which is easily the worst film he's done so far, by far.
Demonic has an interesting concept, but that's pretty much the only thing to be commended.
The execution, the direction, the tone, the incredible lack of horror, and above all the bad performances end up closing the circle of a painful disappointment.
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Awards
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Leo Awards
• 1 Nomination
