The Demoness

The Demoness follows a demonic succubus (Sydney Culbertson), the titular character, as they visit Earth to torment the human race. Alongside The Demoness’ plans, the narrative follows a struggling couple in Los Angeles, Sarah Lallana (Bella Glanville) and Jack Gerrard (Xander Bailey), as The Demoness frequently visits them to torment their relationship.

Despite the film's budget constraints, the most impactful aspect of the experience is the unique and unsettling design of the titular character. In the opening of the piece, The Demoness is unsettling and disturbing, accompanied by a deeply uncomfortable musical score. Jonas Soendberg serves as the film's theme music composer, delivering some deeply intense motifs. This immediately puts the viewer in a state of tension with some really well-executed moments of suspense. However, the opening theme may lack originality in some ways, perhaps too derivative of John Carpenter’s Halloween theme. Sadly, the remainder of the runtime falters and fails to deliver on the promise of the film's opening.

One of the most compelling aspects of the piece is its blend of comedy and horror; these elements are executed tremendously despite the occasional cringe-inducing dialogue. Despite the film balancing its tonal shifts suitably, the filmmakers sadly execute the material too safely at times, with the lack of sexual tension, which is baffling given the heavy focus on the succubus. The awkward and stilted dialogue doesn't help either, as it makes it incredibly difficult to remain invested in the characters that The Demoness taunts. In particular, the chemistry between Bella Glanville and Xander Bailey in their portrayals of Sarah Lallana and Jack Gerrard, respectively, fails to deliver on the toxic dynamic between their characters.

The piece, unfortunately, feels like a slog to sit through thanks to its grating pacing and questionable character decisions. In particular, the protagonist's choice to impersonate Jim Carrey is incredibly baffling. From a technical standpoint, however, the piece does deliver in certain aspects. Matt Fore, serving as the film's cinematographer, primarily utilises medium close-ups during dialogue-heavy sequences and during moments of tension. It's an impactful way of framing, as it feels incredibly intimate and tense. The use of lighting is also commendable, particularly the heavy blue lighting; unfortunately, though, many of these sequences are undermined by the questionable performances and how safely the material is executed.

The central performances from Bella Glanville and Xander Bailey are incredibly lacklustre owing to their lack of nuance and chemistry. The script also doesn't do them any favours as the dialogue is incredibly grating and occasionally cringeworthy. Some of the dialogue is incomprehensible thanks to the use of voice modulators. However, Sydney Culbertson’s dual portrayal of the titular character is commendable as she balances the tension and dark humour.

The makeup and VFX are incredibly underwhelming, with grotesque imagery that feels fake. Despite its issues, it's clearly made with its heart in the right place, with the filmmakers doing their best with the budget constraints; it's just truly a shame it does not fully commit to its sexual nature with the succubus.

The Demoness is a deeply baffling and unengaging experience with an aimless narrative structure that amounts to fairly minor. While Sydney Culbertson’s central performance is tremendous, the piece is unnecessarily drawn out and meanders to a grinding halt.

The Demoness is now streaming on Prime Video in the UK.