WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Neill Blomkamp’s Demonic, out now via IFC Midnight.
Neill Blomkamp saw incredible success with his debut feature, District 9, upon its release in 2009. In both story and visuals, District 9 was one of the most unique sci-fi experiences seen on the big screen in some time, even grabbing a Best Picture nod at the Oscars. But Blomkamp has received little praise from critics in the decade-plus since, as his followup efforts have mostly failed to impress in the way his debut did. After a six-year hiatus from feature-length films, the director is back with Demonic, diverting from his sci-fi dystopian forte and swinging for the fences with a sci-fi horror offering instead.
But much like his last few efforts, Demonic has landed with a thud, currently sitting on a dismal 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes after 41 reviews. But with all of the sins Demonic has to offer, its biggest offense might be the way it treats its only genuine, likeable character — Sam, as played by Battlestar Galactica alum Kandyse McClure.
For starters, Sam isn’t even listed as a character on Demonic‘s IMDb page. That’s likely a clerical error, but it’s ironically indicative of the character’s treatment in the film. Sam is the best friend of Carly (Carly Pope) — Demonic‘s lead. As Sam and Carly reunite after time apart, it’s immediately clear that Sam is incredibly loyal, genuine, and truly cares about Carly’s well-being. Carly, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to put a lot of effort into their friendship. While she is going through quite a bit in life, based on the amount of effort Sam puts in for Carly, a little reciprocation doesn’t seem out of the question.
However, throughout Demonic, Sam gets pulled more and more into Carly’s chaotic orbit, mostly due to her own kindness and attempts at helping Carly. At one point, in the middle of the night, Sam ends up in a wooded area near the sanitarium where Carly’s mom originally became possessed — seemingly due to being slowly possessed herself. Carly and her friend Martin (Chris William Martin) find Sam, who is essentially in a catatonic state, lost and afraid but barely responsive. Carly and Martin put Sam in the back seat of Martin’s truck and leave her there to rest as they enter the sanitarium, armed and ready to face the demon wreaking havoc on Carly’s comatose mother and her own life.
At one point, Carly rushes outside to find that Martin’s truck has been set ablaze. And in Demonic‘s most shocking moment, Carly sees Sam’s skeletal remains hanging out of the vehicle’s window, clearly having been burned alive while trying to escape. It’s a total gut-punch for the viewer, considering the complete likability of Sam’s character. But, Carly essentially shows no emotion and doesn’t seem particularly phased, offering nothing more than, “I’m so sorry, Sam,” as she passes the burning remains of her best and most loyal friend.
As the film comes to its closing scenes, we see Carly in a hospital bed, very briefly glancing at a photo of her and Sam. Beyond that, though, there is absolutely no mention of Sam — no regard, no remorse and no respect. In Demonic‘s final scene, Carly wanders through a cemetery, and as she approaches a grave, the viewer might expect that she’s rightfully visiting Sam to gain closure, but it’s Carly’s mother instead. Carly then leaves the grave and walks in another direction, finally to pay her respects to Sam no doubt. No — she’s simply walking back to her vehicle and then the credits roll.
Demonic‘s only redeeming factor is arguably McClure’s presence, and it’s not only completely misused, but her disturbingly brutal death is disregarded in an unceremonious way that feels utterly disrespectful to the character.
Demonic, Neill Blomkamp’s attempt at horror, is out now via IFC Midnight.
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