Demonic (2015) User Reviews

Good enough for a Netflix horror movie

[dingane · 6/10 · 4 July 2018]

I see reviews here from people who saw this in the theater. If I saw it in the theater, and paid actual money for it, I'd probably give it a 5 as well. But I watched it on Netflix while doing my hobby. For that it's perfectly fun. It's not a great horror movie. It relies on pretty predictable jump scares and quick shots of creepy things. You can see the "twist" coming from a mile away. But it's not terrible. It's acted well-enough, has decent pacing, and the production quality is good.

If you're like me and have watched pretty much every other horror movie on Netflix, then you'll probably enjoy it well enough. If you want a great horror movie, though, then you'll want to keep looking.

My Review Of "Demonic"

[ASouthernHorrorFan · 6/10 · 1 August 2018]

The film's premise is a straightforward concept that incorporates classic, overdone horror tropes with slices of Gen X flavor, in the form of found footage - as in documentary footage recovered from the scene. The dual concepts, although not original, are offered up in a clever parallel time line. It creates a sort of murder mystery aspect, broken up by standard paranormal horror moments next to found footage sequences. To a small degree the mixture sometimes feels disjointed, but the back and forth does break up any monotony that would otherwise be present.

The cast give quality performances, the line up consists of recognizable faces, and known names. There is a glare of underdevelopment to the characters, that if a bit of tweaking had been done, could have really became full-bodied portrayals. Still there is enough to make them relatable.

Special effects are the typical gimmicks one expects in these kind of films. Shock gags and sound bites meant to give a fright are over used and often fall flat. Still "Demonic" has its moments of genuine chills, and the gore elements are quality. Think "Insidious" -esque trickery, just a few more misses. The horror moments run the gambit of "see it coming" to "cool and creepy".

Overall the film is a mediocre but watchable horror flick with some quality actors, refreshing concepts, entertaining climax, and enough death to hit that ghoulish spot. It does have some redundancy issues, and a cloud of "know what's going to happen before it happens", but the movie gives enough to make it enjoyable.

Not Great, But Pretty Entertaining

[chrismackey1972 · 5/10 · 13 May 2015]

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.

Far better than expected.

[Patient444 · 5/10 · 24 June 2015]

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!

Demonic Suspects

[shawnblackman · 6/10 · 16 July 2017]

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.

An overall good movie

[irfansalim85 · 6/10 · 21 May 2015]

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.

Pointless Film That Felt Rushed

[HorrorOverEverything · 3/10 · 13 May 2015]

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

I have seen this movie several times. Different actors and names, but just the same.

[siderite · 6/10 · 15 July 2015]

... 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.

Unexpected and Not Bad

[Alise_shenle · 8/10 · 12 April 2015]

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!

passable horror

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 15 November 2022]

In Louisiana, police detective Mark Lewis (Frank Grillo) takes over a bloody crime scene. He finds survivor John (Dustin Milligan) who becomes his prime suspect. Police psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Klein (Maria Bello) interviews John on site. He and his pregnant girlfriend Michelle (Cody Horn) had joined a group of young ghost hunters, Bryan (Scott Mechlowicz), Jules (Megan Park), Donnie (Aaron Yoo), and Sam (Alex Goode). He had been haunted by visions of the house.

This has all been done before. The final twist is completely predictable. It's basically a found footage horror in a haunted house. There is nothing particularly new. The actors are a mixed bag although they are all pretty good. This is a straight-forward horror.

Not at all scary

[Stevieboy666 · 4/10 · 30 September 2018]

Just watched this for free on the Horror Channel and I will say that, although it is not a bad movie, it is not worth paying for. Group of kids hold a seance in an abandoned house where mass murder took place some 20 odd years before and needless to say scary, unoriginal things start to happen. Only it's not scary and thankfully it has a modest running time. James Wan's name is attached to it but he didn't direct so don't be fooled.

Nothing demonic about it at all...

[paul_haakonsen · 1/10 · 15 April 2016]

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.

A DECENT LITTLE HORROR THRILLER WITH THE AWESOME FRANK GRILLO

[lukem-52760 · 7/10 · 1 April 2021]

"DMONIC" is a pretty decent little small scale Horror-Thriller although the story is pretty basic about a group of youngsters going to an old house to investigate spooky stuff i still, enjoyed it.

Here the group are Ghost investigators & go to an old house in Lousiana where murders took place back in the 80's, one guy has visions of the old place & wants answers & things get bloody, it's a possession type Horror from the makers of "The Conjuring" & "Insidious" so it has that dark creepy demonic atmosphere here & what i did really like is it has some bits that are Found Footage, flash backs & the present aftermath of the slaughter where we meet our main character the tough Detective Mark Lewis, played by the Awesome go-to hard guy of many Genre films FRANK GRILLO!!!! This guy is the reason i got this dvd. Grillo is such a good solid actor & proves it here as he does his Detective work & works alongside another excellent actor, MARIA BELLO who plays a Dr. Elizabeth Klein a Criminal Pysychologist & both give really good solid & serious performances & raise the film up in quality for a pretty low-budget Genre flick.

Nothing New here but a well made Detective Murder Mystery mixed up with a Supernatural Horror story & two great veteran lead actors of great quality.

Demonical Scare Tactic

[kupukupumu · 4/10 · 2 June 2015]

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.

Possessed by the Devil

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 21 May 2015]

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.

Welp, this was what it was.

[InDyingArms · 5/10 · 13 May 2015]

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.

Weak

[tmfitnessuk · 3/10 · 4 November 2018]

A collection of tacky horror clichés, cheap and poorly executed jump scares.

If you like cheap looking, low budget TV movies with zero originality this is the film for you.

POV inside of a Crime Thriller...

[lojitsu · 7/10 · 15 October 2018]

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.

Not too bad

[kingjoneva · 6/10 · 2 July 2018]

After reading some of the previous reviews I didn't know what to expect but I decided to watch this movie with an open mind. I found myself agreeing with most of the reviews that called this film unexpectedly enjoyable. I'll describe it as "Paranormal Activity" meets "Usual Suspects". Just sit back and give this little gem a looksie and odds are you will not be too disappointed.

It takes a lot to scare me..... This movie did!

[sweet_dody · 8/10 · 13 March 2015]

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.

Good storyline

[jaz_rainnrainbows · 5/10 · 9 May 2015]

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!

One word review: Meh.

[I_Ailurophile · 3/10 · 5 February 2021]

If you're looking for a horror movie to watch, you could do a lot worse than 'Demonic.' It's not all bad. But it's also just not worth much consideration.

It's impossible to take seriously at first: "ghost-hunting" is such absolute nonsense, and the first third of the film is nothing but. There's just enough in the middle third to keep watching and see what's going to happen next. Then the end has some okay ideas, but every possible trope and 'Inception'-style "BWAAAAHM" sound cue is crammed into the last ten minutes. What value there may have been in 'Demonic' has the wind taken out of its sails in particular by a finale that's so overbearing, and it ends up falling flat.

I try to be very in-depth when pondering and reviewing films I've watched, but I feel like there's just not a whole lot to talk about with this. There are worse movies out there, and I won't judge anyone who thinks 'Demonic' more enjoyable than I do. But my take is that there's just not much to engage with. This is a movie to watch if you want to have something on in the background while keeping busy with something else.

Pretty good 88 minutes to use up.

[muzzachunka-52675 · 6/10 · 30 January 2021]

Ending wasn't the best for me if a sequel has not or will not be made. What was the point of showing ambulance ride if sequel not coming?

Misleading

[frank-liesenborgs · 5/10 · 4 November 2021]

It does say "produced by James Wan" and not "directed by" so I'm not sure that anyone should have gone in with high expectations. And that is the part I missed. I did not do my homework as I thought that this movie was written and directed by James Wan. Hence my high expectations, looking forward to another "Conjuring" or "Insidious" Plot and story was pretty predictable and even the acting was weak? Of course no masterpiece as I knew the ratings. Nothing original, but it's not that bad. What we do get is a decent and entertaining little supernatural horror story that's part found footage.

Yes, this has Frank Grillo and Maria Bello which makes the loss bearable. The twist ending was done well but expected. If you see the twist coming, there is no twist. Entertaining and watchable. That´s all folks.

James wan as a producer accept it

[Matin_Shwany · 6/10 · 3 September 2019]

Demonic 3 million budget still good for the visuals and effects, i loved every movie that was directed by james wan, but this time he was a producer he tested his self on a small movie project he wanted to gross unexpected money with this, but he couldnt we seen many lower sides that grossed well, still good job but it didnt look like it was his own movie unfortunately without his directing, frank grillo i didnt like him to be on a horror movie cuz we all know he is a action character but felt ok when he took the role of the detective, the plot was interesting but they could told it in a better way with a better directing, as a horror it had a few jump scares it was good, ending will make you feel pointless for some people or cool to go on through it,i felt 50/50, if you like james wan just try it out i dont recommend it really, 6/10⭐