Tag Archives: demonic possession

Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005) – A Possessed Production Gone Wrong

17 Monday Mar 2025

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There’s something inherently cursed about Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist, and not in the way it intends. As the first attempt at an origin story for Father Merrin’s battle with Pazuzu, Paul Schrader’s take on the material is a sluggish and misguided affair that never finds its footing. It exists in a strange limbo—not as outright ridiculous as Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning (the studio-mandated reshoot that replaced it) but just as devoid of true terror. The film fumbles in nearly every aspect, weighed down by a plodding script and woefully outdated CGI that undermines any atmosphere it tries to build.

Stellan Skarsgård does his best to elevate the material, but even his presence as a younger Father Merrin isn’t enough to salvage a film that constantly fights against itself. Schrader leans into psychological horror over cheap thrills, which in theory should work—but the execution is flat and lifeless. Key moments that should be disturbing are instead unintentionally laughable, thanks in no small part to the distractingly bad effects work. The demonically contorted bodies and spectral visions come across as half-baked, robbing the film of any lasting impact.

One of the film’s biggest sins is how it fails to generate any real tension. Despite Schrader’s more introspective approach, the pacing is painfully sluggish, and the horror elements feel like an afterthought. There are glimmers of intriguing ideas—the exploration of faith and guilt, Merrin’s past trauma, and the horrors of war—but they’re buried under lifeless dialogue and stiff performances from much of the supporting cast. The possessed Cheche (Billy Crawford) should have been the film’s terrifying centerpiece, but instead, he’s saddled with effects so poor they make The Scorpion King look like cutting-edge CGI.

The Exorcist franchise has always struggled with its sequels, but Dominion proves that sometimes, an origin story just isn’t necessary. It lacks the primal terror of the original and even the bizarre charm of some later entries, leaving it as a dull and frustrating misfire. While it’s marginally better than Harlin’s chaotic take, that’s hardly a glowing endorsement. In the end, Dominion is a film that never should have been resurrected.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Sorry About The Demon (2023)

17 Friday Feb 2023

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We’ve all been there right? Coasting aimlessly through life with no set direction, happy to drift into oblivion with no real aim to find or improve our lives for the better, only to be dropped by your girlfriend for apparently having no prospects. Then you’re left ruminating and wondering if there is anyway to win back your love’s heart, but get hoodwinked by a real estate agent and his family to move into a house as a means to sacrifice oneself for a demon, just so that they don’t have to deal with the crap themselves? You’ve been there, right? Right?

Such is the premise of this horror comedy from writer, director Emily Hagins (VHS, Scare Package) who is fast making a name for herself in the off kilter genre scene. And with Jon Michael Simpson as her muse to enact the downbeat, hapless romantic character, Will, she is able to tap into a rift that is entertaining albeit hit and miss in the humour department. Oh the irony in a name, to be called Will when you have no will of your own.

Simpson (Scare Package) is ably supported by Jeff McQuitty (more known for his work behind the lens) as the faithful best friend Patrick. When Will’s girlfriend Amy (Paige Evans) ditches him as he clearly struggles to commit to anything including her, Will once again plunges headfirst into another project, by moving into a huge house and great living costs. The catch? It’s possessed by a demon. But we’ve all had that one flatmate to share an apartment with yeah? 

If you haven’t, you probably were that demonic housemate.

Anyway, I digress. Now stuck with this problem, Will has to face up to his problems, one that another Aimee (Olivia Decayen), who just so happens may be able to rid the house of the demonic spirit. Can he amount himself to anything and find his place in the world or will he lose it all to the detriment of all those closest to him?

The Prognosis:

Sorry About The Demon has some moments of delight in this absurd horror comedy to make one grin, but these aren’t laugh out loud flickers of gold. There’s enough there to entertain and the performances are solid, but the characters and humour doesn’t always hit the mark. 

If your looking for something to pass the time, and go in with low expectations, then you’ll be pleasantly delighted. The magic is a little lacking, and much like its lead character, happily coasts along in its own sphere, unaware of just how savage life is on the exterior when we don’t pay mind to the small details.

  • Saul Muerte

Sorry About The Demon is currently screening on ShudderANZ.

Movie review: The Medium (2021)

19 Tuesday Oct 2021

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Once more the Asian horror scene rocks the foundations of the genre, this time hailing from a Thai/South Korea production of The Medium and garnering critical acclaim on homegrown shores. Now it has the opportunity to awaken the soul for a ‘western’ audience with the streaming platform Shudder.

The Medium could easily be misjudged however, due its preambling of the story, presented as a dramatised documentary in the vein of a found footage film. The film is shot by a team of documentarians drawn to a north eastern town in Thailand to film a local medium, Nim (​​Sawanee Utoomma) who channels the spiritual deity of Bayan. Bayan has been possessing females in Nim’s family for generations. Interestingly though, (and this is a potentially clue to how the film will end) is that the intended possessed was supposed to be Nim’s sister, Noi, who turned her back on this tradition in favour of Christianity. The rest that follows could be heralded as the fears transpired by spiritual damnation or confused devotion to a conflicted cause. Either option is doomed to a corrupt and foul conclusion.

The film struggles to connect with its audience at first as the screenplay draws out a slow burn through observing Nim’s niece Mink, who starts to show signs of curious behaviour and the hallmarks of multiple personalities. This does not worry Nim however, who initially believes that these traits are the signs that Bayan is about to transfer his soul from her into Mink. Such a promise compels the film crew to start following Mink with some shockingly curious actions from Mink, leading them and the villagers to believe that all is not as it may seem. The more they try to contain her though, the more wild and crazed her actions become to the threat of those closest to her.

The creative team of Director Banjong Pisanthanakun and screenwriter Na Hong-jin finely craft a film that builds in atmosphere and tension, managing to keep it on the right side of dramatic flair without seeping into ridiculousness.

The conclusion is driven with such pace that for those who watch will question who will survive the ordeal when faced with an unknown entity hellbent on destroying them all.

The Diagnosis:

There is plenty to fire the coils of curiosity, but it is a slow ignition to get the heat truly sizzling, and as such takes a while to pull the audience into its simmering turmoil. The advice here is to let yourself soak into the narrative and you’ll be rewarded with a rambunctious and bloody end.

  • Saul Muerte

The Medium is currently streaming on Shudder

Movie review: Demonic (2021)

01 Wednesday Sep 2021

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Neill Blomkamp is possibly one of the pioneers in modern creative and technological filmmakers and his latest offering Demonic has sought him to look beyond the lockdown restrictions to produce a film that could still test his innovative storytelling techniques through a new medium. His choice of flexing his vision is through volumetric video capture technology.

There are some curious elements that weave together though the narrative which has a mix of grit or raw energy to it and equally the volumetric video capture used is glitchy and unpolished, something that Blomkamp openly admits, but this for me is part of its appeal and gives substance to the film.

Saul Muerte chats with Director Neill Blomkamp about his latest feature, Demonic

Carly’s (Carly Pope) past has been dormant since the events that happened to her mother Angela (Nathalie Boltt). Events that slowly spill out and reveal themselves in the course of her journey to find the truth, but one that leads her on a path to something sinister lurking in the underworld, waiting to be unleashed.

Sometimes we’re only willing to see things from our own perspectives and not go beyond them to understand the views of others. What becomes apparent to Carly is that her mother didn’t simply lose her way and go mad overnight but something else lured her into its domain and controlled her actions.

The opportunity to confront her past and her mother comes to Carly in an unusual fashion when she is approached by a physician and his team to visit her mother, (who is now in a coma,) she can enter through a mindscape using new technology. In her mother’s mindscape, Carly tries to find the answers to what tormented her but in doing so, a portal is opened and a bridge formed that allows a demonic force to find a way back into the real world. Carly must team up with her childhood friend Martin (Chris William Martin) to see if they can prevent the demon from inflicting its wrath on all those that stand in its way.

There is a great element that is slightly lacking here though and felt ripe for further opportunity to explore further in a team of religious SWAT members, charged with exorcising demons in a kick-ass military way, but we’re only treated to the aftermath.

The Diagnosis:

Carly’s descent into her past and the investigative way that she goes about finding the reasons for who she is is what holds you to the story and draws you in.

This along with the uncanny valley feel that the volumetric video capturing does to put you off ease, providing that sense of ill-feeling when Carly enters an alternate domain.

The downfall however is that there are moments in the movie that prove a struggle to connect with and feels too disjointed. It’s a catch-22 situation because part of Demonic’s raw appeal is also what makes the film feel incomplete.

I still applaud Blomkamp’s direction and experimental approach but this one didn’t manage to tick all the boxes.

  • Saul Muerte

Demonic will be available to stream across all key digital channels from September 15 and on DVD/Blu-ray from 22 September.

Movie review: Here Comes Hell (Sydney Film Festival 2019)

29 Wednesday May 2019

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It’s that time of year again when Sydney is offered some horrifying and thrilling delights as part of the Freak Me Out program strand at the Sydney Film Festival.

Among the cracking lineup comes a directorial debut feature by Jack McHenry that speaks right to my heart as it cleverly crafts 1930s British decadence. With a cast of fops and socialites, Here Comes Hell injects a twisted and psychotic world of the undead into the depression era.

The tagline sums it up perfectly, “Downton Abbey meets The Evil Dead.”

I found myself drawn in seamlessly by the rich cinematography, which perfectly encapsulates the movies of that time, and you can tell that Jack McHenry and his cinematographer Rory McHenry are lovers of the craft as spend time drawing you in before twisting the knife abruptly as it spins into the unknown and thrusts the characters beyond their wildest imaginations.

The concept follows the recklessly rich, Victor, who invites gun-wielding American George, sharp-tongued Christine, tennis playing Teddy, and his new girlfriend Elizabeth (who is our entry point into the family unit and the only character not born of higher breeding). When Victor decides to host a seance in order to spice up the evenings gatherings, the night takes a drastic turn as they unleash the spirit of a former owner of the mansion who had a curious passion with the dark arts.

Here Comes Hell could so easily be sucked into a vortex of the absurd and unbelievable but thanks to some crafty dialogue and deliciously delectable humour, provided by McHenry again and his screenwriting partner Alice Sidgwick, we’re treated to a fun romp into the macabre with some killer effects to boot.

The Diagnosis:

Despite its slow start, the gears grind up and we’re given a fun ride into a dark world that combines a twisted humour with an homage to a decadent time.

  • Saul Muerte

TICKETS

Sat 8 June 9pm: Event Cinemas George St
Tue 11 June 8:30pm: Dendy Newtown
Head here for Tickets

Here Comes Hell

Movie review: Luz

09 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by in Movie review, Sydney Underground Film Festival

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Luz is a film that is ultimately about demonic possession, but it certainly isn’t your typical window into the occult.
It is not some simple, paired down student project shot on a low budget, instead director Tilman Singer offers a minimalistic style reminiscent of playwright Bertolt Brecht and is set in a handful of isolated interior locations.
This adds to the harrowing and strange feeling that is carried throughout the film, all the more haunting for the powerful performances on display. Nora’s odd twitchy movements and the intensity of police psychiatrist Dr Rossini simply add more fuel to the stifled ambience.
Everything is incredibly stylised and each movement no matter how small is charged with emotion or reason. If anything, the minimalism forces the actors to bare their souls on screen that is ironic as the story centres around a demon, hell-bent on taking the soul of our lead, Luz.

The starkness of the décor coming straight out of the heart of the 70s adds to this sense of isolation and bewilderment. This coupled with the awesome retro soundtrack by Simon Waskow thrusts the viewer into a world far removed from their own and into a world of despair.

As the demonic presence homes in on its prey, the more potent the drama becomes and the free fall into madness becomes ever more present.

The short running time of 70 mins only compliments the movie more, keeping the story in a tight and succinct timeframe packing enough depth to the plot line whilst keeping the audience gripped.


The Diagnosis:

Singer manages to balance the highs and lows in a harmony of beautifully constructed cinematography and movement.
The performances are strong across the board and all the components tie together in an interesting and unique approach to demonic possession.

– Saul Muerte

Catch the screening of Luz at the Sydney Underground Film Festival.

Screening times and tickets available below:

SATURDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER – 12PM NOON
SATURDAY TICKET