Demonic

Directed by Neill Blomkamp, Demonic follows Carly Pope’s Carly as she agrees to participate in an experimental therapy that will allow her to achieve closure with her long alienated mother – with problems ensuing after it becomes clear that said therapy, which places its users within a virtual-reality simulation, might not be quite as harmless as Carly has been led to believe. Filmmaker Blomkamp, working from his own screenplay, delivers a sluggish and mostly tedious thriller that alienates the viewer virtually from the word go, as Demonic suffers from an oddly (and aggressively) low-rent atmosphere that’s predominantly reflected in its bland visuals, cheap-looking production values, and competent yet charisma-free performances. The ensuing arms-length vibe prevents the viewer from working up the slightest bit of interest in or enthusiasm for the protagonist’s increasingly perilous exploits, and although Blomkamp admittedly does include a very small handful of engaging sequences (eg Carly is chased around her house by a backwards-handstand-moving assailant), Demonic progresses into a dark and hopelessly anticlimactic final stretch that’s hardly able to pack the visceral, gritty punch Blomkamp has obviously intended – which ultimately does cement the movie’s place as a lackluster and seriously misbegotten endeavor from a decidedly hit-and-miss filmmaker.

*1/2 out of ****