Welcome to another installment of 31 Days of Halloween! This is our chance to set the mood for the spookiest and scariest month of the year as we focus our attention on horror and Halloween fun. For the month of October we’ll be sharing various pieces of underappreciated scary books, comics, movies, and television to help keep you terrified and entertained all the way up to Halloween.
Don’t Look at the Demon employs one of horror’s most overused premises. Jules (Fiona Dourif, Tenet) is a medium that leads a group of television paranormal investigators who go to a home to investigate claims of mysterious disturbances. As the cameras roll and bodies are possessed, the team realizes they have encountered a supernatural force unlike anything they have before. Jules may be their only hope for salvation, but is she willing to face her dark past?
Director Brando Lee is able to create the proper atmosphere. Unlike most haunted house movies, Don’t Look at the Demon does not focus on making things as creepy as possible. Instead, it delves more into the supernatural aspect of the tale. This gives the film a slightly different vibe that is also well written. Everything builds to its chaotic conclusion.
This does not mean that Don’t Look at the Demon is not without its scares. Though there is a heavy reliance on jump scares, the film also deals in occult rituals and possessions. The movie never reinvents the wheel, but the use of various tropes prevents things from getting stale. Unfortunately, the script does suffer from some repetitiveness.
The relatively large cast is filled with stock characters. This is not a dealbreaker, but it is disappointing. The end result is Don’t Look at the Demon feels like just another formulaic horror movie. While it does not do anything novel, it does try to present things in a different way. It is not a complete success, but it is a fun genre offering.
Don’t Look at the Demon will be available for streaming on demand November 22
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