The Demon Disorder

The practical effects are outstanding in this grimy Australian horror with echoes of 'Relic' and 'The Taking of Deborah Logan' in the premise of dementia and Alzheimers Disease being a springboard of demonic possession.

The acting is top notch by the cast and they all seem like brothers going through this hell.

The ending is rather abrupt and doesn't really pay off but its refreshing to see the blood and gore well used and, from what I could tell, not much CGI effects used.

Kudos to the budget which was sparse but got across the dirtiest living conditions on this farm.

I predict these filmmakers have a bright future in this genre.

As most reviews have acknowledged, the best thing about this film is the practical FX.

The family drama doesn't resonate as strongly as it could but it does build throughout the runtime. The father figure is sympathetic and a poignant "team-effort" moment at the end of the film lands surprisingly well. I didn't think they would but the characters won me over in the end, despite their flaws.

The pace is a little slow but things go hard enough in the last 20minutes to be worth the build up. Not only are the practical FX well produced but the way they are revealed to the audience, first in close-up, then in low light, before being shown in full glory is just fantastic.

Recommended for fans of When Evil Lurks (2023), Almost Human (2013) and Altered (2006).

Not a bad little creature feature, actually. The acting wasn't bad. Nice back country aussie characters. Three brothers have a very unusual family problem. Some sort of demonic thing has claimed the life of their father, and is now effecting their youngest brother.

Whatever it is is getting worse, and threatens to kill all of them; and that's not to consider what will be unleashed upon the world after it's done with them!

John Noble does seem rather out of place in this outback fable, but he lends a certain classical level of charm to an otherwise colloquial film.

All in all, a gory/funny romp through B cinema.

Oh, When Evil Lurks, it's a chest burster.

Continuing into Ahhctober 2024, I found another Australian horror to promote. But, barely. This is such a minor version of the great "When Evil Lurks" of 2023. I will say, though, this has INCREDIBLE special/practical effects. I will ALWAYS praise a movie that favors/uses practical over CGI. Especially, THIS well.

Two estranged brothers reunite when a family member suffers from a demon attack much like the father/head of household. This isn't a straightforward tale, but it's fairly easy to grasp. I just can't fathom these people surviving these chest-bursting demons.

I do LOVE Australian movies, especially the horror kind. SOOO many of them out there to enjoy. Problem here is, it's very self-contained. It all takes place in two locations and literally could've taken place anywhere in the world.

It's also very short - only 86 minutes, but it does feel SOOO much longer. Not much story here and yet, it's serviceable. Especially due to the effects, acting and it being well-shot. Slight recommendation.

***

Final Thoughts: Let's all support filmmakers like these. Practical effects need to be front and center. It's creative and shows heart.

I was expecting a much cheaper and worse movie if I'm being honest, so you could say I was a bit surprised. The effects were genuinely great, unfortunately they were in service of nothing.

The nasty "we must stretch this 10 minute idea to feature length" disorder is the main culprit. Stuff happens at a regular basis, don't get me wrong but it just feels like everyone's stomping in place pretending they're going somewhere. The dialogue especially feels like the actors were told the general idea behind a scene and ordered to improv, so they end up repeating the same thing over and over with minimal variation.

Very little about the plot and character motivations makes sense. I think the movie tried to crowbar in a "blood oath" explanation, but at a certain point... just go to a hospital.