Five years ago, I wouldn’t even have given a James Wan film the time of day. Yeah, SAW was decent, but after that franchise became a joke unto itself, I lost any hope that Leigh Whannell or Wan would turn in anything beyond a derivative horror clone. But, Wan surprised me with the effective INSIDIOUS and the excellent THE CONJURING. Now, as FURIOUS 7 prepares to launch him to the top of the studio filmmaking pool, we will start to get any number of movies with his name slapped on it like a brand.
First up is DEMONIC (previously titled HOUSE OF HORRORS) which comes from director Will Canon based on a story by Wan. Wan’s name is now almost as big as the title as are his credentials in the genre. While DEMONIC starts as a generic horror film, we soon get to see Maria Bello and Frank Grillo and my interest rises a little.
DEMONIC centers on the aftermath of a horrific massacre where five college students were brutally murdered inside an abandoned home. Detective Mark Lewis and psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Klein question one of the few survivors who explains they were amateur ghost-hunters, seeking out paranormal phenomenon at the abandoned house, which was believed to be haunted. But what started out as a harmless activity turned into something truly terrifying.
DEMONIC looks at least a little bit scary, if not a bit obvious, but most horror from the studio system is that way these days. Hopefully the best scares are being saved for the film, but this trailer at least looks a little entertaining. Grillo and Bello always make movies they are in a little bit better, so I have a slight bit of hope for this flick.
DEMONIC was originally slated for the end of last year and currently has no release date, but expect it to air sometime in 2015