Demonic - FrightFest 2021

The blistering sci-fi and satire of District 9 set up Neill Blomkamp as a possible force to be reckoned with though Elysium and Chappie have proved to be not to everyone’s taste. Demonic is not a final throw of the dice and it’s not going to condemn him to the ignominy of a perceived one hit wonder.

Long estranged from her mother whom she calls Angela (Nathalie Boltt), though suffering from nightmares about her, Carly (Carly Pope) receives an unexpected text from an old school friend Martin (Chris William Martin) saying that her mother is in a coma and has been tapped up by an institute called Therapol that by using advanced tech can implant Carly into her mother’s mind via the subconscious and VR.

The experiment is a success in that Carly contacts Angela if only to tell her how much she hates her following a series of horrific incidents that destroyed their relationship. Angela is more conciliatory telling Carly that she must leave and never return.

Pulling out of the experiment she is de-briefed by Daniel (Terry Chen) and Michael (Michael J Rogers) who have pioneered the experiment and keen to push the boundaries. The experience is traumatic but Carly returns only to find that there is something else with them and leaving a scar on Carly, just like one on her mother.

The title of the film does give the game away somewhat so we know what Carly is up against but joining up with Martin who has been studying the phenomena and their friend Sam (Kandyse McClure) they set about investigating the demon and what Therapol are actually up to.

The tech elements are pretty impressive and the VR world of Angela’s mind is ok. And that’s where we are with Demonic; it is ok. As interesting as the initial idea is, the story and plotting aren’t that engaging. The supporting characters are standard we’ll-help-you-do-or-die friends or they are there’s-something-else-going-on-here scientists. While the relationship between Angela and Carly can only go one way once they re-establish a relationship.

This is more down to Blomberg’s writing - which relies a little too much on cliché – than his direction which is fine with a great sense of the dynamics of a horror film as it gets towards the inevitable confrontations in the VR and real worlds