Writers: Steve Boyle, Toby Osborne
Cast: Charles Cottier, Dirk Hunter, John Noble, Christian Willis, Liam Wallace, Tobie Webster,
Year: 2024
Min: 85
Graham (Christian Willis) has been estranged from his two other brothers, Jake (Dirk Hunter) and Phillip (Charles Cottier). This happened after dealing with the seemingly demonic possession, mental deterioration, and eventual passing on of their father (John Noble). He now works at his garage where he is helped out by a girl named Cole (Tobie Webster). Suddenly one day, Jake appears at said garage looking for Graham's help. Their younger brother Phillip is now showing similar behavior to that of their dad. Graham doesn't want anything to do with this, until he sees Phillip's behavior for himself. Reluctantly, at first, he decides to see what can be to help his brother, as he deteriorates mentally and increasingly horrific things occur.
The Demon Disorder is a 2024 Australian body horror meets demonic possession genre movie. It also adds heavy elements of familial drama. This is all filtered through a slow burn feel and style. The result works but in varying degrees.
The movie definitely starts in a manner that catches one's attention. It has this great tracking shot into an old, shitty looking house. After a nightmare scene, we see a skinless, bloody pig, that has to be put out of its misery. But, as I said this a slow burn. So after these scenes, the movie's pacing comes down quite a bit. I actually hate to say the following (especially considering how I ultimately felt about this flick), but, at first, I felt a little bored with it.
Another complaint, I initially had, is that it feels like we have been here before. What with the brothers arguing, in particular, over the fact that Graham left. It really felt like a typical trope a movie like this might take. However, it is setting up characters and their relationships, which as the film advances adds to the dramatic tension. These elements ultimately contribute heart to the proceedings, which is so important to the story being told. That all being said, I wasn't very keen on the jump scares, many of which just made me roll my eyes.
Still, after the one hour mark, the movie finally picks up. It is here that that said slow burn, finally pays off. In this last act, it builds and builds and gets better and better as it moves along. In fact, once the cops show up, it gets really exciting and turns into a wild and messy good time. This actually feels like a great pay off to what were the slower first two acts. All of the preceding moments finally come together and everything clicks. Plus, there is a cool and fun twist as to what is possessing Phillip.
That being said, it is the acting that is the movie's most consistently good quality. The cast all provide excellent and believable performances. This is of utmost important in a movie whose cast is really of a limited size. The two leads playing Graham (Willis) and Jake (Hunter) are particularly strong in their acting. Their interactions are, as I alluded to before, the central part of the plot. I also like that aside from the obvious The Exorcist influence, it also takes some elements from Alien and The Thing, in the monster aspect of it all.
The practical FX are, for the most part, excellent. About twenty minutes in, we get what is, up and until that point, the best part. This being a scene that has some great bladder FX, as well as the puking up of a crawling, hideous slug, like thing. I should also give a trigger warning, as lots of prosthetic chickens get killed throughout the film. Gonzo from the Muppets, best keep Camilla as far away as he can from this place! Anyway, the demonic beast FX are truly great! There are some weird and hideous looking monsters. And, as a monster lover, I couldn't be happier than when it suddenly became a creature feature. Plus, the body horror aspect of it all, lends itself to some great gross-out visual terrors.
You know, for a movie that starts off kinda slow and generic, it really does turn into a solid watching experience. The last thirty minutes or so are really wild and fun. The acting, by its limited cast, is excellent, with character and dramatic interactions that ultimately do payoff. It also has solid and gooey/ gross practical FX. Plus. I love that we get some monsters in this, cuz Lord knows I love me some cool looking creatures. In all, The Demon Disorder is an uneven but, nonetheless, good time to be had. One that will leave you feeling pleased after its over. And, you will be able to experience that, when it begins streaming on Shudder on September 6, 2024.
That being said, it is the acting that is the movie's most consistently good quality. The cast all provide excellent and believable performances. This is of utmost important in a movie whose cast is really of a limited size. The two leads playing Graham (Willis) and Jake (Hunter) are particularly strong in their acting. Their interactions are, as I alluded to before, the central part of the plot. I also like that aside from the obvious The Exorcist influence, it also takes some elements from Alien and The Thing, in the monster aspect of it all.
The practical FX are, for the most part, excellent. About twenty minutes in, we get what is, up and until that point, the best part. This being a scene that has some great bladder FX, as well as the puking up of a crawling, hideous slug, like thing. I should also give a trigger warning, as lots of prosthetic chickens get killed throughout the film. Gonzo from the Muppets, best keep Camilla as far away as he can from this place! Anyway, the demonic beast FX are truly great! There are some weird and hideous looking monsters. And, as a monster lover, I couldn't be happier than when it suddenly became a creature feature. Plus, the body horror aspect of it all, lends itself to some great gross-out visual terrors.
You know, for a movie that starts off kinda slow and generic, it really does turn into a solid watching experience. The last thirty minutes or so are really wild and fun. The acting, by its limited cast, is excellent, with character and dramatic interactions that ultimately do payoff. It also has solid and gooey/ gross practical FX. Plus. I love that we get some monsters in this, cuz Lord knows I love me some cool looking creatures. In all, The Demon Disorder is an uneven but, nonetheless, good time to be had. One that will leave you feeling pleased after its over. And, you will be able to experience that, when it begins streaming on Shudder on September 6, 2024.
0 comments:
Post a Comment