Emily Hagins (director)
(studio)
18 (certificate)
105 (length)
19 January 2023 (released)
18 January 2023
As soon as the viewer sees the time strike 3.15 there’s a feeling of, we-know-something-is-up. And low and behold the sleeping Sellers household is woken up by a noise. Piling into young daughter Grace’s (Presley Allard) room, mum, Tammy (Sarah Cleveland), Dad, Ken (Dave Penuik) and older brother, Jake (Jude Zappala) to find her possessed by the unlikely named Deomonous (Tony Vespe).
That Jake immediately implies the demon’s name is ridiculous informs the viewer that Sorry About The Demon may not be extreme horror. The sparkly 50’s title sequence reminiscent of Bewitched and I Dream and Genie just reinforces that.
Having managed to strike a deal with Deomonous the Sellers set about finding a replacement for Grace. There in luck that terminal loser Will (John Michael Simpson) has split with his girlfriend Amy (Paige Evans) is looking for a place to live. How he can afford the huge house on the money he is making selling a terrible toothpaste is neither here nor there. He takes the house and the Sellers sit back to wait for him to be possessed then move back in.
They, nor Will, counted on the house being full of ghosts too. Step in believer Aimee (Olivia Ducayen) and his best friend and sceptic Patrick (Jeff McQuilty) to advise on spirit cleansing and getting his act together respectively.
Written and directed by Emily Higgins this is broad humour, with a few in-jokes as Will tackles ghosts and his own pathetic life. The fact that the demon won’t even accept him as a sacrifice comes as no surprise and his continued pining for Amy is painful to watch. It’s all good fun as Will starts to get used to the ghosts and even like them.
It does take a darker turn as the demon gets up to strength with his deadline looming. But even then, the film doesn’t go 100% horror or violence, just folding it neatly into the all-American family drama comedy. And I get the feeling that this something of a homage to those earlier tv series that sees the US nuclear family happy to accept the weird and magical into their lives.
It’s all played for laughs though not in a mocking or piss taking sense; there’s affection for the material as its played in that pseudo serious manner, with a knowing wink and twinkle in the eye.
Sorry About the Demon was presented at London FrightFest 2022 and will be available on Shudder from 19 January 2023.
