The Demononoligist

I have so many wonderful memories of Stephen King movie adaptations that were made during the 70´s to the late 90´s. Of course there have been more movie adaptations made from Stephen King novels and stories in recent years, but the older films will always find a special place in my heart. I can´t tell you how many times i have watched The Shining, Misery, Pet Sematary, Salem´s Lot and The Green Mile. There are of course many other titles we could mention, but there is one movie i don´t hear much about anymore called Apt. Pupil. This film was different in many ways, since it did not include the same horror influences that many other Stephen King movie adaptations have. The story is about a young man named Todd Bowden ( played by actor Brad Renfro ), who blackmail his neighbor Kurt Dussander ( brilliant acting from legendary actor Ian McKellen ) not to reveal his true identity, a nazi war criminal. Apt. Pupil was more of a psychological thriller, ( with some horror influences ) that shows you that anyone can be a monster. I highly recommend you check Apt. Pupil out on DVD or Blu Ray, just to see a very different Stephen King movie adaptation that is actually good. Speaking of Stephen King, how many of you remember the 1992 horror classic known as Sleepwalkers ? This is the first time i remember seeing actor Brian Krause as the character Charles Brady. Sleepwalkers is one of those 90´s classics that you can still enjoy today, especially because of the performance of Brian Krause and actress Mädchen Amick. Let us talk some more about actor Brian Krause. I have seen him in other horror films such as The Toolbox Murders 2 ( also known as Coffin Baby ) and in the drama movie Miracle Maker. He continues working hard in the movie industry and there are plenty of other films to check him out in. Since i love to check out movie reviews on YouTube, i came across a review of Brian Krause new movie The Demonoligist on the YouTube movie review channel Screen Stars. The review of this film made me curious to check out The Demonoligist, since i like to watch cuddle warm hearted films, especially with Brian Krause of course. If you want to listen to good reviews, i suggest you check out Screen Stars on YouTube, this guy is clearly a B movie lover like myself. I got a chance to watch The Demonologist this week, and of course i was curious to see if this would be a pleasent surprise. Do we finally have a horror movie with satanic influences that will please fans of this genre, or is this movie a failure that should be avoided at all cost ?

Detective Damian ( Brian Krause ) gets a phone call about a murder investigation. At the murder scene, he meets his partner Detective Frank Garrison ( Dave Rhodes ). The victim have been carved in with a pentagram, and left with a card. More victims with the same pentagram carvings shows up, and Damian have no idea who is behind these gruesome murders. When one of the victims turns out to be very close to Damian, he realize that this is personal. He have no choice, no matter how far he needs to go, the truth must be revealed.

It is not very often you get to see a horror movie that mixes together a crime story with satanic murders these days. Since Hollywood usually go on the simple horror path, B horror movies is usually the way to go if you want to see something interesting. And this is where The Demonoligist make some extra points, for doing the opposite to what Hollywood does. This is a criminal horror movie that almost feels like a mixture of Arnold Schwarzenegger´s End Of Days and Rutger Haurer´s cult classic Split Second with a complete different plot. We have to talk about the lead actor Brian Krause and his character Damian. Now, it has been a long time since i have seen Brian Krause in a film, and i have to say that he does a great performance. To see him investigate the murders of satanic rituals, makes this film feel like a homage to classic satanic films of the 60´s and 70´s. Another actor that does a great performance as well is Dane Rhodes as Damian´s partner Frank Garrison. Dane is clearly dedicated to give his character a strong personality, and this becomes clear in the scenes where Brian Krause and Dane are working together to solve the brutal murders. They are a really good match on screen, and without a doubt the strongest characters in this film. I have to mention actor Thomas Francis Murphy ( who did a great performance in Free States Of Jones with Matthew McConaughey ) as the character Victor. He is only seen for a short while in this film, but i have to say that he leaves a great impact. I would have liked to see him more, since his character seems to have a lot of knowledge on satanic rituals. One of the things i did notice is that the female characters don´t get to show their characters a lot. The only one that stands out from them is clearly actress Manon Pages as Meredith. Even is her performance is not as strong as i would have liked to see, she still manage to give Meredith an interesting personality. Director J.M. Stelly ( who directed several films, and also worked as a still photographer on Jeepers Creepers 3 ) clearly have a passion for the old school satanic films of the 60´s and 70´s. And in these days where most films try to be modern and stylish, it is nice to see director J.M. Stelly follow his instincts and do something classic. Do i have anything negative to say about The Demonologist ? Maybe that i would have liked the murders to be more mysterious, and not reveal who is behind the murders too soon. If you enjoyed End Of Days and Split Second, i suggest you check out The Demonologist, even if the budget is lower. This is a film made for fans of old school horror cinema, made with a passion for classics we grew up with at the VHS store. One thing is for sure, if any demons come near me, i have my Hanson CD collection to scare them away. I heard this is their biggest weakness ( from a reliable source ).

Rating: DDD