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Short summary

A police officer and a psychologist investigate the deaths of five people who were killed while trying to summon ghosts.
In Louisiana,Detective Mark Lewis is summoned to attend a call from the notorious Livingston House and he finds three bodies and one survivor, John, who is in shock. He calls for backup and also the police psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Klein to interrogate John. They learn that the team of ghost-busters Bryan, John's pregnant girlfriend Michelle, Jules, Donnie and Sam decided to perform a séance in the house, where the owner Marta Livingstone had committed a violent slaughter, to summon their spirits. The séance went wrong and released evil spirits that killed Jules, Donnie and Sam; however Michelle and Bryan are missing. While Elizabeth interrogates John, Mark and the technical team tries to retrieve the hard disks with the footage's from the house to find where the other two survivors may be, Detective Lewis discloses a dark supernatural secret about John.

Trailers "Demonic (2015)"

Dustin Milligan was part of another ghost hunting team in Season 3, Episode 13 of Supernatural. He played the ill-fated Alan Corbett.

The film was first announced in May 2011 under the title "House of Horror" with James Wan as producer.

In October 2013, the film's original title "House of Horror" was changed into "Demonic".

At one point, Spanish filmmaker F. Javier Gutiérrez was attached to the project.

French director Xavier Gens was originally set to direct the film.

Dimension Films planned a December 12, 2014 release date at some point.

Body Count: 10.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Zadora
    Demonic is a film "presented by James Wan"... but not directed by him. Anyway, regardless of the director's identity, the main problem of Demonic is an atrocious screenplay which makes a useless effort to repeat the success of "haunted house" movies from the past. It wasn't a bad idea to combine supernatural horror, "found footage" scenes and police investigation in one film. However, the combination is done horribly in Demonic. The main plot of Demonic follows the police investigation from detectives Lewis and Klein, who examine the scene of the crime and interrogate the only survivor, trying to determine what happened at an abandoned house. Another narrative level is composed by the witness' flashbacks, in which we see the classic "ghostbusters" routine putting cameras on the wall and searching for supernatural manifestations in the dreary rooms and corridors. And finally, we have "found footage" passages taped by the previously mentioned cameras. That combination of formats and chronologies isn't done in a compelling way at all, and then, we have the obligatory twist at the end, which I found absolutely improbable and lacking of any sense or logic. I'm not going to reveal it, but it feels arbitrary, like a desperate maneuver to leave us with a final surprise, even if it has nothing to do with the rest of the film. I went to see Demonic with low expectations, but the presence of the solid actors Frank Grillo and Maria Bello gave me the slight hope that the film would surpass them... but the truth ended up being the opposite. Surprisingly, the performances from Grillo and Bello feel as insipid and listless as the ones from the rest of the cast, and Will Canon's direction is equally apathetic. The fusion of supernatural and police subjects had potential, but Demonic does it so badly that I felt it like an absolute waste of time, specially because I watched it at the cinema, where I couldn't use the "fast forward" button to minimize the unbearable boredom I felt while I was watching it. On the other hand, "Grillo & Bello" sounds like an excellent name for a restaurant; if they decide to stop acting, both have that good alternative.
  • comment
    • Author: Gandree
    Cops investigate a massacre in a house with prior history, but are they making things worse?

    Where to start? Good acting in the opening sequence, and the editing sprang a shocking jump scare. Was it just me? I squealed like a squirrel. So simple and obvious, but it got me. All in the timing.

    This takes found footage to another level, where the analysis of the footage becomes part of the story. Yet it messes with the genre by directing the raw stuff with various fixed angles. And, for me, cops + horror doesn't generally work because it gives the feeling you can return to Kansas at any time.

    The production is big and complicated, with way too many characters. The closest comparison is The Taking of Deborah Logan, which I thought was busy and overblown + lacking a hero, but with an excellent premise. The premise here is less interesting, but the direction and editing are better - although the film relies too much on huuuge music + there's no signature scene. And it ends in sequel bait, so I'm not sure I likes that.

    Overall the pace is good, frights are frequent (with reducing impact), but at no point did I sense the horror would get out of control. So it's a solid wobbler. Hmmm. Give it a 5. Yeah, that's fair. Now I have to check my rating for Deborah Logan.
  • comment
    • Author: Zargelynd
    This wasn't a bad movie. I had no expectations for this to be good at all. However, I was surprised. It wasn't great, but it was pretty original, and the acting was well done.

    My big problem with the movie was all the jumping back-and-forth between the past and present scenes. They should've just stuck with the people going to the house, and then they could've dealt with the aftermath with the police. It was confusing for the first few times.

    I gave this a 5-star rating. If you're in the mood for a fairly original story that actually does have some jump moments that are well executed, you might want to give this a try.
  • comment
    • Author: Uaha
    A group of ghost hunters visit a house where a séance happened that resulted in a few deaths. The paranormal investigators decide to do another séance which turns out to be a bad idea.

    This one opens up with the police arriving on the scene of what appears to be a bloodbath. One survivor is found and the police begin to question him. The story is told through flashbacks leading up to present time.

    Fast paced, keeps you hooked and loaded with jump scares. Bonus points for not being a full blown found footage flick. I would sum this one up as a Unusual Suspects meets Ouija. Worth the watch.

    6 birds flying out of your mouth out of 10.
  • comment
    • Author: Risa
    So I really enjoyed Will Canon's first feature film Brotherhood, it was really tense and the story was very well done. So when I heard he was directing a horror film I was pretty excited since Horror is by far my favorite genre. The story seemed interesting enough and the set up to the film had me interested, but then it all just kind of fell apart.

    So the movie plays out with an investigator and some psychologist interviewing a guy whose friends were just murdered at some haunted house. Some of his friends are still missing and the police want to know what happened to them. I liked this, it made me interested to see what happened and find out where the missing friends are. What sucks though is that every that play out from here on just isn't interesting. There are a few jump scares, but only like 2 or 3, and other than that really nothing at all happens until the last 15-20 minutes, and even then it's nothing special. Everything just seems so rushed or like they cut a good chunk of the movie out and then just showed us bits and pieces of the missing material.

    So right off the bat I really wasn't feeling the cast, nobody is really likable. The people we are suppose to like are just dull, wasn't sure if I was really suppose to root for anybody tbh. The group of friends are all annoying and the rest of the cast just seemed like they were phoning their performances in.

    Overall I was very disappointed by this film. I just don't see any reason why it needed to be made, especially with a pretty decent budget. There is nothing new at all here, no gore, no real scares, and really no suspense. Skip this one.

    3/10
  • comment
    • Author: Heri
    To be honest I look for any good movies to kind of watch. This movie turned out to be a nice surprise. The story plot was kind of same as has been there for most of the other movies in this genre. But still the way it played out was very nice.

    It starts as with any good horror movie and keeps you gripped in your seat. You can't help wanting more of it and trying to empathize with the characters. It is a story of mystery and horror, gripped with the thrill and excitement of watching a horror unfold itself.

    I would recommend anyone who wants to watch a nice horror movie to definitely go for it. It has the occasional jumps and screams, but turns out at the end you would start wanting more.
  • comment
    • Author: Jaberini
    For a perfect rate I would have put down 5.5 stars, cause 6 is too much and 5 still too little, but, we have to work with what we have, so 5 stars from me and one positive review!

    Without spoiling it or give away unnecessary information, I'm going to keep it short and let you know, that Demonic, even tho such a cliché of a name, plot and even cover, stands up much better than most such productions probably because it was kept simple. Effective, intriguing, good acting, well picked actors, it wasn't the "let's do a horror in the woods" or "in a haunted house", but I genuinely think they wanted to make a horror. And they sure succeed!

    So, compared to a lot of similar movies, Demonic offers thrills, scares, a little bit of mystery, overall, a good time!

    Cheers!
  • comment
    • Author: Nirad
    The title says it all. This movie was put together from every existing clichés of horror movies. Which is not necessarily a bad thing unless the filmmakers doing it wrong. Like they did with Demonic.

    The plot? Haunted house. Youngsters go in. Only a few of them comes out.

    The actors? Maria Bello is the only name you would recall from your memory. She is not bad, but she has not much to do anyways as her character is one of the most meaningless criminal-occultists- psychologist of all times in this movie. Rest of the actors not even worth to mention, which is not necessarily their fault this time...

    ...because it is the fault of the director/writer. The movie does not have a real opening, does not have a decent elaborating part, and does not have a good ending. The whole movie is a huge plot hole. I warn you, you will have no idea what are the characters doing and why they are doing it. The good thing is that you won't even care as the characters are empty, just like the story itself.

    There are some jump scare moments but they are only good for keeping you awake as they are completely random and does not fit the events of the film. (that screaming in the cellphone thing?!? What the hell was that? )

    You won't get any explanation either. After all the 80 minutes of the film ( I gave it two stars because it is short at least) you will only see an imaginary question mark in front of you.

    Avoid it.
  • comment
    • Author: Dibei
    There's two things you can count on if you're a director, whether big time or small, and that is - If you're in need of an actor to play the detective in your film, and your first choice (Michael Paré) is currently busy, you can always turn to your second option - Frank Grillo.

    'Demonic' is exactly what I feared, which is why I avoided it for so long, but I figured since I struggled through 'The Vatican Tapes,' I can handle anything. Again, I am not a fan of possession flicks, at all. 'Demonic' manages to throw in just about everything I dislike about these films, with a ridiculous twist, that you can see coming from a mile away. The cast is below average - Maria Bello seems disinterested at every turn, and Frank Grillo struggles with his lines, as usual. Seriously, does this guy ever prepare for any role? You can tolerate him in 'Captain America 2: Winter Soldier,' because they can disguise how limited, and useless he really is. Did anyone REALLY notice the guy was even in that awesome film? Of course not.

    The plot is the real killer here, though. It starts off as the usual haunted house, then turns into an 80 minute interrogation of a possessed kid who really isn't even there. But you can't really tell how unusual this sort of shocking reveal is, since Frank Grillo's facial expressions never change. He either looks constipated, or clueless. That's pretty much all you get from Frank. As for Maria? Well, she just wants her paycheck. The entire plot, the kill scene with the walkie-talkie, along with the twist, all of it together, just makes the film so laughably bad, you'll think you walked into another horror comedy directed by Eli Roth.

    Random Ramblings of a Madman: Personally, I think if the coin had landed on Michael Paré, 'Demonic' would have been, well, awful, but his lack of emotion, and disinterest just seems more professional than Frank Grillo. Maybe it's just me?
  • comment
    • Author: Talrajas
    Just watched the movie, and while there is nothing new, it is quite scary with old tactics that always work. You know that sudden loud bang or sound effect to wake us up from a nap. To be honest, hate this old tactic as if the guys who are paid well cannot find something new. Also, the scare scenes almost have no importance to the main plot. They are just demonically there because this is a horror movie.

    The Plot Well, it was not boring in the plot, but we can always easily guess the end. Nothing new here.

    The Cast Now, this is where it really gets attention. The main guy 'John', he looks cute, but he cannot act at all. All the blank faces from this guy is really annoying. One of the worst acting I've seen.

    Summary This movie is something we can pass. Nothing new here: some teenagers going to a haunted house trying to communicate with the dead then things go wrong. But if you are looking for a scare here and there, it worths a try.
  • comment
    • Author: Roram
    i watched that movie yesterday, and it hasn't been reviewed here so i didn't expect much of the movie and i thought it was going be just an okay movie well let me tell you something it was so nice, startling and truly an outstanding film that had me gripped for its entire 82 minutes. The film doesn't dawdle about too much either Overall, "demonic" was a pleasant surprise for me. It doesn't offer heaps in terms of originality, but it's a stylistically stunning film and takes steps in the right in direction very gracefully.

    In short, I'd highly recommend you (or better still DARE YOU) to see SINISTER. This is one good date movie if you want your date to crawl under your shirt; or just bring some best buddies to scare the crap out of you. I mean it may not be "Conjuring" , nevertheless, if you love that then you'll love this.
  • comment
    • Author: Gaxaisvem
    If you come to this movie hoping to be scared like the Conjuring, well this is not it. John (played by the guy who died in Supernatural, Ghostfacers) reprises his role as a stupid teenager who goes to a haunted house to catch ghosts on film, except now he's the MAIN LEAD instead of the guy who dies first. Bad thing is, he still can't act. The other teenagers also have personality as flat as cardboard--a weird pretty girl who think by proving ghosts exist she will not be mocked; an Asian; a guy who thinks he's the leader; and the girlfriend. The only interesting people are the old detective and psychologist. They acted well and believable. Oh, and the ending, that was unexpected, because it was too convoluted. To be frank, there is not much scares. This is more of a mystery movie than horror. Plot holes abound and you will find yourself cursing as the teenagers make stupid mistakes. But it has a few nice scary scenes. Do watch this while waiting for Insidious 3!
  • comment
    • Author: Bragis
    There's many, many, many clichéd horror films revolving around the common plot of a ghost hunting crew receiving more then they bargained for. "Demonic", a horror film taking the said cliché head on, becoming something more then what it was expected.

    The acting of this movie was quite straight forward, not really giving anything shocking, or completely impacting. Honestly just was what it was, plain, and simple. The cinematography in this film was nice, but at points got a bit annoying. At some points in the movie, the camera shook, creating it a bit weird, in other words annoying to view the events of which were taking place. As for studio work; lighting, set, etc. It, as said before was what it was. It seemed a bit plain, being seen millions of times before, the same old set of an old haunted house. Even the little twist of set in this film; which won't be spoiled, it still felt clichéd, and seen many, many times before.

    The story of this film was, also, quite basic. The story of a ghost hunting team heading into a haunted house to document the strange events, a plot we've audience seen millions of times before, making that part clichéd .. highly. The film, though switched it up a bit, moving, and twisting the plot around a bit, delivering some shock, but not as much as it was more then likely intended to. I also felt as if the characters were plain, but for what they were, involving they're movie rolls, they're characters weren't bad. As said many times now, though, it was quite average, yet worked for the sake of this film.

    Finally, I feel as if the movie had some legit atmosphere, in this case, the movie had a creepy, dark feeling of which sent chills down my spine while watching this. Dark, old, unsettling atmosphere combined with some decent timed scares. It seemed unique, saying many times before, the movie having a highly clichéd setting, and plot. For what the movie executed, it had some well scares, as well as some great, creepy atmosphere of which set the mood simplistically.

    In conclusion, "Demonic" was considerably an attempt. It had a solid, creepy setting to it. But it doesn't beat the fact that this film took on a highly clichéd plot, making this movie nothing more then average. The movie, also, tried taking on a "large" twist, only leading to be average; "Meh". However, the movie was entertaining, gripping. But once more. It's very, very average. Nothing new whatsoever. I'd recommend it to those looking for a movie for the heck of it; Looking for something unique? Look elsewhere. This movie dose NOT deliver unique elements.
  • comment
    • Author: Kelezel
    To its credit, Demonic attempts to mix crime thriller and found footage horror style into one parallel story. A group of cops arrive at a crime scene to find strange evidences and a sole survivor of what seems to be occult related incident. The movie works by using narrative of the survivor while the cops collect the proofs to collaborate his story. It wants to add tension to analysis aspect or bring more thrills to the horror, but sadly the conflicting elements simply don't sync together.

    The story starts with usual found footage style of paranomal investigation. It mostly uses fixed camera angle or first person view of the cameraman, occasionally it changes to average horror view. The scenes would fast forward after the incident as cops review the evidences, it has neat gimmick as not many movies present actual finding or commentary of these tapes. However, the problems are already apparent as the shift between the timelines can be jarring.

    The viewpoint change feels disruptive to both elements. The tension built in the found footage perspective can be cut short, while the crime investigation doesn't really have depth aside from "good cop bad cop" antic. There's not much personality for the character either. These paranormal investigators are far from appealing, in fact they might be interchangeable aside for who is dating whom. The lead character has connection with the haunted place, but don't expect any emotional investment from the bland delivery.

    It does offer several good scares. These are made by setting the haunting zone with unnerving cinematography. Visual is mostly greyish for the horror part, which insinuates the tension and separates it from the rest of the movie. Still, it's pretty straightforward and expected. Not to mention it shifts just as the atmosphere sets it, the investigation part suffers from this too just as they start to uncover the mystery the pace reverts backwards. With the inconsistent delivery, even the intended twist feels lacking.

    While there are a couple of decent results, the mix of two genres proves to be more incompatible rather than meritorious.
  • comment
    • Author: Gaudiker
    Demonic is another horror movie under James Wan's filmography. And it's surprisingly a good watch. Better than the Insidious series and the Conjuring series I have to add. Let's face it Insidious 1 was hilarious, remember the mask connected to a headphone via a pipe seance scene? That was absolutely horrendous. The Conjuring two was also really typical and not scary at all (Bethsheba looked so hilarious and the climax was way too overdramatic). Demonic while being quite typical, has a good twist which works for it and quite a good amount of scares. And unlike overdramatics of the above mentioned movie, Demonic plays out in a more suppressive way.

    The movie interlaces two timeline overarching the main plot line, with the setting being the same place, an allegedly haunted house turned crime scene. One focuses on the interrogation of a guy named "John" who is suspected of killing his friend, and the other focuses on how John and his friends came to the house. The second timeline plays out as a ghost hunting show, but it works in this case. While the plot is nothing new, there's a twist here and there which works for the movie.

    The performances were pretty linear, it wasn't a screamdom like a typical horror movie, there wasn't any overdramatics, it was just pretty straight.

    Overall, Demonic is among the better horror movies of this year, while it isn't "unique", there are twists in the movie which makes it for a pretty good watch, and is a better horror movie by James Wan. Recommended to casual horror watchers.
  • comment
    • Author: Urllet
    So as we have all seen this is yet another haunted house movie, produced by James Wan and directed by Will Canon. It seems todays horror films are just following a trend with little to none of any other horror sub-genres that don't make it to direct-to-DVD. Hopefully with this new installment to the paranormal horror genre it will bring something fresh.

    So onto the meat of the film this isn't a regular haunted house flick, it is a crime/mystery movie as well. Which actually makes it feels like an elongated X-Files episode with pretty predictable jump-scares. The scares will not surprise you very much even if you're caught off guard because you already know who will die in the film since the movie begins at the crime scene with the corpses lying around the house, so when it focuses on a side character you're already expecting the worst for them.

    This is when the dialogue comes to play, the movies dialogue is split into the past and the present so there is lots of relaying and common detective talk tropes in the present time. Most of the conversations in the past is very basic and dry. Nothing far out or compelling most of the chatting seems like small talk with strangers coming from friends and everyone in the past just don't seem to care.

    Then there's the character motives. John who's being plagued by nightmares of the haunted house decides to to do something about it, so he holds a séance with his girlfriend Michelle and friends who just happen to be paranormal investigators and including Michelle's ex-boyfriend for some reason even though he seems to have no experience with the paranormal. I can only think he was put there as to be predictable antagonist which is pointed out obviously. So they prepare for the séance and pretty much everyone gets their own scares, which aren't little enough to dismiss and when it get's worse they decide not to leave.

    The biggest flaw. So as the movie suggests this isn't a haunted house, no it's a prison for demons. What do demons do? Possess. So as the movie goes on we find out that someone is possessed by a demon trying to kill Michelle, which is believed to be her ex boyfriend Bryan who's body is missing with Michelle's. So a couple of scenes later Bryan is found in a car accident & as soon as he wakes up he kills a cop and holes himself up in a gas station and doesn't comply with the cops until they give him a walkie talkie, where the other detective with John is speaking and he hears him and gives off a yell that seems to hurt John through the talkie. Cut to the ending and you find out that John was the demon this whole time.. So then why did the yell hurt John if it was just a yell? Truly the biggest flaw, very inexplicable.

    Onto the acting it was decent all across the board, the major standout was Maria Bello who could play off a caring yet lawful psychiatrist considering she's top billed i'm not surprised. With Frank Grillo he did fair as the detective nothing horrible nothing great. Dustin Milligan was alright although some of his scenes when he cries didn't seem to suit him, but he pulled through. The other actors we're fine considering they're just death fodder, except Cody Horn's character seemed bland and didn't add much to care for her except that she's in possible danger.

    So in the end this film adds little to the genre that hasn't been done before except for the ending which will probably halve the audience but isn't memorable enough to consider fresh or one-up other horror films. So the verdict is.. a mediocre film. that is a haunted house movie with bland dialogue, forgettable scares, bad character motivations, and a very nonsensical moment & with not much happening in the present but the past, just like this movie.

    Deserving IMDb score: 5.5

    Just watch X-files~
  • comment
    • Author: Marad
    ... and they are all made of ticky-tacky and they all look just the same. The sad thing is that I like most of the lead actors. We've seen Frank Grillo in Captain America as a decent villain and many other films as well. Maria Bello still looks gorgeous, even at her age. Cody Horn is cute as hell. Even the other actors were decent, considering they were all playing cardboard characters (like the Asian tech-savy expendable character).

    The script, though, as well as the entire direction and structure of the film was identical to some others haunted house features. The oh so predictable twist at the end, the loud bass noises, the electronics that fail in case of ghosts or show a ghost when you can't see it or don't show a ghost when you can, the self closing and locking doors, the stupid people that stay in the house when they are attacked by supernatural forces, the police that are always a step behind the events and so on and so on and so on.

    Bottom line: if you feel like another haunted house film with young idiots trying to prove the existence of the supernatural only to whine when they find it, this is the film for you. If you are looking for anything original, skip it.
  • comment
    • Author: IGOT
    In Louisianna, Detective Mark Lewis (Frank Grillo) is summoned to attend a call from the notorious Livingston House and he finds three bodies and one survivor, John (Dustin Milligan), who is in shock. He calls for backup and also the police psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Klein (Maria Bello) to interrogate John. They learn that the team of ghost-busters formed by Bryan (Scott Mechlowicz), John's pregnant girlfriend Michelle (Cody Horn), Jules (Megan Park), Donnie (Aaron Yoo) and Sam (Alex Goode) decided to perform a séance in the house, where the owner Marta Livingstone committed a violent slaughter many years ago, to summon their spirits. The séance went wrong and released evil spirits that killed Jules, Donnie and Sam; however Michelle and Bryan are missing. While Elizabeth interrogates John, Mark and the technical team tries to retrieve the hard disks with the footages from the house to find where the other two survivors may be, Detective Lewis discloses a dark supernatural secret about John.

    "Demonic" is a movie about haunted house where something is missing to be a great horror movie. The screenplay entwines two stories through the testimony of John and the hard disks and the previous events. The atmosphere is gloomy and suspenseful and the performances are good. However the final twist is weak and does not give the climax the story deserved. Anyway it is worthwhile watching this movie but with low expectations. My vote is six.

    Title (Brazil): "A Casa dos Mortos" ("The House of the Dead")

    Note: On 14 Dec 2016, I saw this film again.
  • comment
    • Author: Hudora
    Demonic is a movie about these group of teenagers who decided to do summon the other spirits in a house where a mas murder happened in it while they were doing rituals to summon the demon. Okay , the movie had all of the horror elements. So many jump scares that are frightening , i recommend it to people and its really worth watching. Whenever there's a horror movie that involves James Wan it is worth watching. And what made the movie even greater is the plot twist at the end. Also i think there's a possible sequel. if you're a big fan of James Wan as much as i am there are great movies coming soon like Furious 7 , Insidious chapter 3 , The conjuring 3 And again this movie was amazingly good , this is the first time i ever enjoyed a horror movie , but no movie can be as good as the exorcist ( 1973)
  • comment
    • Author: Nanecele
    This was one of the worst movies I have ever seen, I got a headache from the constantly moving camera work, very amateurish and low budget. A really bad teen flick, not impressed and not worth watching, so many good horrors to watch, avoid this one. A bunch of teens set off to prove or disprove a house is haunted A police officer and a psychologist investigate the deaths of the teens Who were trying to summon the ghosts. It's a pity we are not warned about the budget of movies before we watch Them as this would put me off as this camera man had no clue and the director is actually at fault because he has allowed it, shocking.
  • comment
    • Author: Jesmi
    So I watched this today after seeing the trailer. I'm not sure if I watched an edited version as the movie seems to have missed a few things out that the trailer had shown?

    Anyways I enjoyed this movie and there were one or two little scares that got me, which doesn't happen very often.

    I think if I have watched the edited version I would very much like to see the unedited one!

    I would recommend this movie to any horror fan as it's one of the best one's I have seen so far this year.

    A few surprises here and there too which is always a good thing!
  • comment
    • Author: Corgustari
    With October coming up I started gathering up some Horror flicks that a friend would enjoy.Learning that she is a fan of The Purge movies,I took a look at Frank Grillo's IMDb page. Initially seeing a page of Action and Drama offerings,I spotted a "new" Horror film right near the top,which led to me unleashing the demon.

    The plot:

    Arriving at a murder scene in an abandoned house, Detective Mark Lewis finds a survivor called John in among the three murdered victims. Whilst calling Dr. Elizabeth Klein to interview John,and asking for backup,Lewis finds Videotapes of recordings that the gang made.Checking the footage of their seance,as Lewis continues to search for other survivors in the house, Klein learns that John's mum was a lone survivor of a massacre that took place 20 years ago,in the same house.

    View on the film:

    Whilst the kids give good,but not that distinctive performances, Frank Grillo keeps the chill in the air of the post-murder scene bubbling away with a great tough performance as Detective Mark Lewis,who Grillo sends out to chomp anyone who stands in the way of solving the case,with Lewis's first encounter with demonic evil leading to Grillo kicking some demon arse! Looking at things from a more compassionate side,the gorgeous Maria Bello gives a terrific performance as Dr. Elizabeth Klein,whose belief in there being something "behind the walls" leads to Bello giving Klein an understanding edge,which crumbles as the horns appear.

    Taking inspiration from producer James Wan's adventures in peculiar homes,co-writer/(along with Max La Bella & Doug Simon) director Will Canon and cinematographer Michael "Oculas" Fimognari tape the Haunted House with the gritty Found Footage genres.Sending the gang round the house with black and white cameras,Canon drapes the house in a creepy atmosphere,as the grainy quality of their recordings raise doubts over what exactly is moving in the background.Looking up from the recordings, Canon gives the house a decayed shine,where gliding camera moves dip in and out of the low hanging shadows where the demons lurk.

    Looking at events from the aftermath perspective,the screenplay by Canon/Simon and Bella calls out a chilling Found Footage Haunted House mystery,where burnt slivers of film give a glimpse to the chaos that unfolded in the house. Inter-cutting the events in the house with Lewis's investigation,the writers bring the supernatural horrors into focus,as each discovery Lewis makes edges another memory out of John's scrambled mind. Balancing the supernatural demonic screams with a gritty mystery,the writers disappointingly push everything over the edge with a left-field twist from afar,which tries a last gasp effort to change sub- genres,but ends up burning down all the intriguing horror mystery that had been bubbling away for a flat final shock which takes the horns from the demonic.
  • comment
    • Author: Arith
    Where to begin? Well, first of all "Demonic" brings absolutely nothing to the horror genre which hasn't already been seen countless times in other similar, and most likely more interesting and entertaining movies. With that in mind, you might think that director Will Canon would be playing it safe and bet on the horses that might actually bring the movie safely to the goal line. But no, that was not the case.

    "Demonic" is every bit as boring and uneventful as it was predictable, generic and cliché-filled. There are no twists or turns along the storyline and you sit in the chair for a very mundane and predictable thrill ride, albeit without the thrills.

    I actually fell asleep during the course of "Demonic", which is a testament to how boring the movie is. Especially since I watch a lot of questionable movies (B-movies) and such, so I am seasoned and hardened to movies, and it really takes a lot before I get up and turn off a movie, or as in the case of "Demonic" fall asleep while watching a movie.

    The acting in the movie was adequate, although I can't really bring any particular talent out in the light as being memorable or particularly outstanding.

    However, the movie was just struck down by the director's hand, the script and a total lack of anything even remotely scary. The storyline was so scripted that the audience is offered nothing enticing or thrilling in any sense. It was all in all just a long, very long, run on a fully automated track.

    If you enjoy horror movies, then there are far better choices available on the market. And I would suggest that you give "Demonic" a wide berth. It just simply isn't worth the time or effort.
  • comment
    • Author: Ramsey`s
    Skeptical detective Mark Lewis (Frank Grillo) and his girlfriend police psychologist (Maria Bello) investigate the gruesome murders at the Martha Livingston house in Louisiana. They appear to be copy cat murders from an event from 1988. John (Dustin Milligan) who was found still alive in the house is undergoing questioning while two people are still missing.

    The story as to what happened is told as a subplot as John slowly recalls. A group of paranormal investigators was in the house. It included his girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend, so there is some tension. Some of the flashback segment is hand held, but not the bad kind where all we see are feet and hear people say, "What was that?" The script drops all kinds of clues as to what might be going on and they finally come together at the end. I liked the film. It seemed every time things started to slow up a bit, they smartly switched scenes. Yes, it was partially hand held camera and there was a seance, but yet it seemed fresh.

    Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity. Megan Park announces that she is the film's eye candy, but we don't get to see much of her
  • comment
    • Author: Malann
    Oct 9

    A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."Demonic" (R - 2015 - US)...It was cool!

    Sub-Genre: Paranormal/Thriller My Score: 7.1

    Cast=7 Acting=7 Plot=8 Ending=7 Story=6 Scare=5 Jump=7 F/X=8 Creep=8 Twist=8

    A police officer and a psychologist investigate the deaths of five people who were killed while trying to summon ghosts.

    "It was viewed in the old world as a massage between the devil and it's followers." With Frank Grillo and Maria Bello, this has a solid cast. I really liked this movie...it was like a POV horror film inside of a crime thriller. I felt it was solid across the board...but it wasn't too scary and there were holes in the story. I think you can tell that James Wan has his hand in this but is not the director.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Maria Bello Maria Bello - Dr. Elizabeth Klein
    Frank Grillo Frank Grillo - Detective Mark Lewis
    Cody Horn Cody Horn - Michelle
    Dustin Milligan Dustin Milligan - John
    Scott Mechlowicz Scott Mechlowicz - Bryan
    Megan Park Megan Park - Jules
    Aaron Yoo Aaron Yoo - Donnie
    Alex Goode Alex Goode - Sam
    Terence Rosemore Terence Rosemore - Jenkins
    Jesse Steccato Jesse Steccato - Peter
    Meyer DeLeeuw Meyer DeLeeuw - Henry
    Griff Furst Griff Furst - Reeves
    Thomas Francis Murphy Thomas Francis Murphy - Aberknacky
    Ashton Leigh Ashton Leigh - Sara Mathews
    Katarina Boudreaux Katarina Boudreaux - Martha Livingston
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