The Demonologist: His Name is Damien

Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan is a major Marvel superhero, but they have yet to figure out how to use him in their film and TV business. Instead, we get Damien Seryph. He has a similar name and the same basic bloodline. He too is a scion of Lucifer, but unlike Hellstrom, he has not exactly turned against the big man downstairs. In this case, Lucifer is not nearly as bad as the four rogue horseman demons out unleash chaos everywhere in J.M. Stelly’s The Demonologist (trailer here), which releases today on VOD.

Seryph has suppressed most memories of his backstory, so he is unaware of the supernatural powers he inherited from his mortal and supernatural fathers. However, the New Orleans cop has a knack for solving occult-related cases, so he is often called in on sicko ritualistic crimes, like the murder he and his partner are working. A tarot card was left at the scene, so you know there are some bad vibes going on.

The stakes really start to rise when Seryph’s would-have-been future mother-in-law becomes one of the victims. However, the department wants him off the case, because that is obviously the professional course of action. His faithful partner is also very concerned over Seryph’s sleeping habits. Regardless, there is a demonic war breaking out—and Seryph is involved, whether he likes it or not.

Frankly, Demonologist’s big twist is so blatantly telegraphed, it would have been far more shocking and cleverer if Stelly never sprung it on us. This film also takes its sweet time to get going and is fully stocked with banal chit-chat. Plus, the title is rather misleading, implying the protagonist has some sort of scholarly and maybe even scientistic (not scientific) credentials, like Van Helsing or Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters. Instead, he has latent inherited demon-busting powers that obviously will not be tapped until late in the third act.

Brian Krause from the original Charmed is a solid genre actor. He was terrific in the shockingly good Plan 9 remake/reboot and helped elevate the workaday Be Afraid. Unfortunately, he appears bored by the lackluster material in Demonologist (nobody is blaming him). Even the villains are bland. Only Thomas Francis Murphy shows any willingness to chomp down on the scenery as the priest who advises Seryph on messed-up occult esoterica.

Even though Demonologist is set in and around New Orleans, it never includes any funky NOLA music in the soundtrack. Would it kill them to throw a little work to the local musicians? It would have helped distract from the many slow patches. Not recommended, The Demonologist releases today (1/1) via On Demand.

Be Afraid: Sleep Paralysis Strikes Again

Dr. John Chambers’ medical training would come in handy if a group of Leatherface slashers were stalking his family. Unfortunately (in many respects), it is the Hat Man and the Shadow People who are terrorizing his young son. He can see them too, which never bodes well for characters in Drew Gabreski’s Be Afraid (trailer here), now available on VOD.

Chambers relocated his family to rural Pennsylvania, assuming it would be a relief from the stress of his former emergency room gig. At first, it is just him, his second wife Heather, and their son Nathan, but they are soon joined by Ben, his son from his late first wife, who has just dropped/flunked/been kicked out of college. The nocturnal bogeymen who were the subject of Rodney Ascher’s terrifying documentary The Nightmare immediately target Nathan, but Dr. Chambers isn’t sleeping so great either.

In addition to the dream realm, these shadowy figures also seem to hold some sort of dominion over a profoundly unsafe-looking tunnel in the woods. Being sinister entities, they assume the guise of their previous victim to lure Nathan into the ominous aperture. You would think the local authorities would seal that up, but they don’t seem to be so hot, judging from Martin Collins, the squirrely police chief.

Frankly, Ascher’s Nightmare so thoroughly owns the sleep paralysis phenomenon, any subsequent film featuring the Hat Man and his cohorts (including prospective Nightmare on Elm Street reboots) will suffer by comparison. In fact, Gerald Nott’s screenplay cheats a little. Mostly, they are creatures of dreams but sometimes they also seem to assume physical corporality.

On the plus side, the characters and their relationships are unusually well defined for a straight forward horror flick. This is especially true of Ben, nicely played by Jared Abrahamson, who is not at all the resentful problem child cliché he would probably be in a lazier film. In fact, his affection for Nathan and friendly acceptance of Heather is rather appealing. Brian Krause (who was rock solid in the shockingly good Plan 9 remake) also has reassuring everyman vibe that suits Dr. Chambers. As a bonus, Kevin Grevioux contributes a terrific horror movie voice as Dean Booth, the unstable, grieving father of Nathan’s new playmate.

Gabreskie (who has previously specialized in behind-the-scenes MMA documentaries) maintains a creepy atmosphere, while keeping the human element front-and-center. Viewers will be surprised how much they invest in the Chambers family, because the horror business is really nothing special. Recommended for genre fans who can appreciate a modest release that exceeds expectations, Be Afraid launches today (6/1) on VOD platforms, including iTunes.