Neill Blomkamp's new sci-fi thriller Demonic has been revealed in a disturbing new trailer, teasing the District 9 director's feature horror debut. Demonic will be Blomkamp’s fourth feature film and his first since 2015’s Chappie. The director is now returning to the world of sci-fi, this time with an unnerving supernatural horror twist. Blomkamp also wrote Demonic, which stars Carly Pope, Chris William Martin, and Nathalie Boltt.
Few directors looked as ascendant in 2009 as Neill Blomkamp, who shot to superstardom when his first theatrical film District 9 released. The movie was met with high critical praise, numerous award nominations, and an incredibly successful box office run for a film made on just $30 million. District 9’s pseudo-documentary style was incredibly influential, as were its visual effects. Since then, the director has directed the generally well-received sci-fi thriller Elysium, which starred Matt Damon, and Chappie, which underperformed both critically and commercially. Neither successor quite lived up to the promise of District 9, but Blomkamp has remained a well-respected director and creator in the realm of sci-fi.
Demonic, Blomkamp’s newest film, deals once again with the topic of near-future sci-fi, but with a possession/horror movie twist. The film has finally been revealed in a trailer from IFC Films, teasing a fever-dream story of virtual realities, demonic possession, body horror, and psychedelic visual effects. “A young woman unleashes terrifying demons when supernatural forces at the root of a decades old rift between mother and daughter are revealed,” the official description reads. There aren’t too many other story details to glean from the mania of the trailer, but it does set up some big questions for the final film. Check out the Demonic trailer below.
The Demonic trailer definitely follows the less-is-more approach of recent horror hits like Hereditary and Midsommar (both of which were directed by Ari Aster). Blomkamp has always been a visually-driven writer and director, and his new movie has lots of gorgeous and horrifying imagery, from the pixelated cyber world to the more traditional shadowy horror shots. Though the tone is far more terrifying than Blomkamp’s past films, there’s still a lot of the high-concept sci-fi storytelling that’s always been his trademark, with hints of films like Armageddon sprinkled through the trailer.
With luck, Demonic can reassert Blomkamp’s status on the international stage. With a lesser-known cast and a different genre approach than his usual fare, the new movie may be able to stand free of the District 9 comparisons that plagued Elysium and Chappie. Demonic is scheduled to release in theaters on video-on-demand on August 20.
Source: IFC Films
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June 04, 2021 at 12:22AM
