Ever since the massive success of Talk to Me, there’s been a wave of movies that deal with a similar premise. Young people try to go viral by summoning a demonic entity. That’s the case with The Poem, written and directed by Andrea D’Amario. While the short film does have some similarities to the A24 hit, it also develops its own lore and certainly has feature-length potential.
The short stars Nick Patel as Blake and Curtis Leung as Ryan. The best friends are quite distinct, and this is a credit to D’Amario’s script. Blake, for instance, is the more forceful of the two. He’s the one who pressures Ryan to summon a demonic entity and livestream it on TikTok, despite Ryan’s justified reluctance. What I especially like about this film is that it develops its own lore and demon, referred to as the Man in Black. Though the demon’s name is cliche, the set-up is still cool. To summon the entity, the friends have to turn off the lights, light three candles, and recite a poem pertaining to the Man in Black. Sure enough, this ritual works and the friends face far more than they bargained for.
The demon shapeshifts and tricks the friends, separating and dividing them in the process. D’Amario also understands that less is often more. He keeps the demon largely in the shadows or has it inhabit the friends to fool each other. Late in the film, there’s a really great body contortion scene and one sequence with some rather impressive special effects. The best stuff is really saved for the last two minutes, and it’s totally worth it.
I really wouldn’t mind seeing more of what D’Amario established with The Poem. I’d love to know more about the Man in Black, including his backstory. There’s a heck of a lot of potential here, but as a short film, D’Amario established a creepy demon, an effective setting, and one sequence that really shows off his prowess as an up-and-coming horror director.
