The Demoness adds to filmmaker Andrew de Burgh’s oeuvre of films that feature mysterious, yet powerful women wrecking havoc on wrongdoers. As the story begins we watch as a Los Angeles couple lives the California dream, bickering every step of the way. Eventually tensions flare to the point that Sarah (Bella Glanville) poisons her boyfriend and dismembers him. This summons The Demoness (Sydney Culbertson) who seems to have been the instigator all along. Of course, she has much bigger dreams of destruction. Her goal is an eventual partnership with Satan (Mark Pontarelli). To do this she must convince him that she is worthy. The Demoness infuses campy horror with a silly story of demonic ambition for amusing if mixed results.
The Demoness has killed her first victims, moved into their home, and with the help of her boss, she takes the form of a human. However, he demands that she kill 10 people in 30 days. It’s a reasonable goal for a succubus, I suppose. Soon after the Demoness hits the club scene and begins picking off businessmen with savage aplomb. That is until the neighbors begin nosing around. While taking the “trash” out, the Demoness meets up with neighbors Yagami (Akihiro Kitamura) and Tamara (Amelia Gotham). Our beloved demonic interloper tells the neighbors that she is a relative visiting from out of town and they decide it might be a good idea to inviter her over for dinner. Of course they have an evil agenda. In fact everyone in this movie seems to have a malevolent motive. The Demoness knows how to handle them.
The real question remains. Will the Demoness reach her lofty goals of a partnership with Satan? Will she reach her soul quota before her time is up? The Demoness wisely chooses to lean into the comedy of the situation, hence allowing the audience to forgive limited production values and awkward dialogue. Everyone in the cast seems to be in on the joke, but it is Culbertson as The Demoness who seals the deal. Jutting and moving in angular spasms, Culbertson’s physicality and her comic delivery set the tone and carry the movie. Despite the absurd indulgences, she nails it.
The make up effects are good, including The Demoness herself who has a creature design that echos a bat. One thing that cannot be forgiven is the use of CGI gore. No. Just No. This is never convincing. Seeing a digital spray of red pixels issue from a practical make up effect is no good. The practical effects that are there were already acceptable and needed little embellishment.
I have to say that de Burgh is growing as a filmmaker. He is finding his voice and the tone he can work in. The look of the film is vibrant with and inventive. The shots are nicely composed and even have some creative flair. The pace could be better and the dialogue could be polished but The Demoness is is at least fun.
