JP Nunez
If you’re a hardcore horror fan, there’s a good chance that you watch a lot of trailers. I know I do, and there aren’t many that have hit me the way the teaser for Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming movie Demonic did. Most trailers try to give you a taste of the movie’s tone and feel, but few do it as effectively as this one.
We don’t know much about the plot of this film yet, but here’s the short synopsis the studio has put out: “From the director of DISTRICT 9 and ELYSIUM, a young woman unleashes terrifying demons when supernatural forces at the root of a decades-old rift between mother and daughter are revealed.”
That’s pretty vague, and as usual, that’s a good thing. It’s often best to go into a movie as blind as possible, and this brief summary allows us to do just that. We know it’s going to be a demon film, but that’s all it tells us. The trailer also implies that there’s going to be some sort of sci-fi element to the movie as well, but beyond that, it’s not much help in this regard.
Instead, this trailer focuses on the tone of the film, and it does a fantastic job. After watching it, I almost feel like I don’t even need to see Demonic anymore. I got enough diabolical chills just watching this minute and a half of footage.
In particular, it does two things really well. For starters, it showcases a whole bunch of creepy imagery like demonic hands, bodily contortions, and chilling laughter, and it very purposely doesn’t explain any of it. Instead, it just lets you stew in your own thoughts about what these things could mean, and as any veteran horror fan will tell you, that’s much more effective than spoon-feeding you all the answers.
On top of that, this trailer also features some really creepy, almost demonic chanting. It sounds like a diabolical inversion of what you might hear in a secluded monastery, and the music imbues everything it plays over, even the more mundane shots, with a heavy atmosphere that’s sure to stick with you after this short teaser is done.
Each of these two elements is great on its own, but when you combine them, you get one of the best horror trailers we’ve seen in a long time. This short preview is already an effective and atmospheric thrill ride, so I can’t wait to see what the full movie is like.
Demonic hits theaters and VOD on August 20.
So what do you think of the trailer for Demonic? Do you agree with JP that its creepy and atmospheric? Let us know in the comments!
