Cinequest 2025 Screening – I think that I may have to vote for I See The Demon as one of the best movies with the most ill-fitting title. Forgive this critic if it’s a misdirect, but the pensive script written by Jacob Lees Johnson, Davey Morrison, and Martha Rallison deserves so much more. Lucy (Alexis Zollicoffer) arrives home, noticing a strange anomaly in the night sky. No matter. She is soon startled by her boyfriend Ellis (Noah Kershisnik) and friends, Chrissy (Mallory Everton), Roger (Jon Heder), and Gil (Archelaus Crisanto) who are waiting to throw her a surprise birthday party. A lingering tension, sustained by Johnson’s solid direction betrays a sense of unease. Something’s not right.

The conversation is gregarious and oddly tense. While the group of friends is thrilled to be together again, there is an unspoken elephant in the room. like Luis Buñuel‘s Exterminating Angel, there is a lingering unease dictated by social decorum. Via dialogue we pick up that there is an unprecedented world conflict on the verge of erupting that everyone is ignoring for the sake of Lucy’s birthday celebration. That’s when we notice Billy (Dave Martinez). A black-clad servile figure who doesn’t so much interact as much as he observes and facilitates. He watches, reacts, even catches a faling vase from a table, yet he remains silent. Is this our demon? To add to the unease, there is a part of Lucy and Ellis’ apartment that is sectioned off with plastic sheets. From this extension of the flat, Lucy keeps hearing strange noises. Mainly coughing, whaling, and suffering.

Let’s face it. We are in surrealist territory. Somehow the party resets and Lucy is again, outside staring at the comet-like thing in the night sky.  Soon she is back inside the apartment, being surprised by her friends. This time things get so much worse. With each iteration perception is more fragmented, the situation becomes more and more bleak. This exposition is, admittedly, tiresome. It is worth it though. With the assist from Zollicoffer’s sympathetic performance and the ensemble that sells the idea, we are lured into an effective, thriller that refuses to leave your mind. Or as Roger Ebert put it about another movie, “A film that refuses to end.” I should also offer commendation to the ensemble that feels as if they have known one another for decades.

Kenneth Merrill‘s rich photography with Ashley Cook’s production and costume design help to expand a claustrophobic setting into something that can be lived in for 90 minutes. Additional kudos to Cook who makes wood paneling hip again.

I See The Demon is for fans of slow-burn tension and mystery. There are moments of repetition, scenes that rehash plot points, and dialogue that has to be mined for any real story. Yet, I love a movie that begs me to stay onboard then actually pays off. I See The Demon is that kind of movie. It reminded me of Karyn Kusama‘s The Invitation or Ti West‘s The House of the Devil. Atmospheric, foreboding, painfully haunting, and ultimately rewarding. Please, ignore the title, and accept the invitation to this party.