Family Ties Hold You Down in The Demon Disorder (2024)

Title: The Demon Disorder

First Non-Festival Release: August 16, 2024 (Limited Theatrical Release)

Director: Steve Boyle

Writer: Steve Boyle, Toby Osborne

Runtime: 86 Minutes

Starring: Charles Cottier, Dirk Hunter, Amy Ingram

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

Family ties can make or break relationships when they go through difficult times. It is especially harder to go through these times without a clear leader in the family to help weather these storms.

This is true for the Reilly family. Growing up, three brothers, Philip (Charles Cottier), Graham (Christian Willis), and Jake (Dirk Hunter) had to watch their father (John Noble) die slowly to demonic possession. Losing their mother was already hard enough until they lost him too, especially to such grim circumstances. Years later, just when the family thought their troubles were over, one of the brothers is infected with the same affliction.

Dark and gritty but ultimately unsatisfying, The Demon Disorder is a fine possession film that lacks thrills.

With its small cast and intimate setting, The Demon Disorder prioritizes the tight character relationships over its story. The contentious dynamic of Graham, Jake, and Philip Reilly drives the story.  Drifting apart naturally following their tumultuous childhood, The Demon Disorder uses this setup to dive into the details of their estrangement. Character motivations are dissected and past resentments are used as bullets to win arguments as the gooey, relentless demon wreaks havoc on the family auto shop. Within the madness is the broken remains of the sibling’s relationship with one another. The lengths to which the brothers go to for each other speaks to the ways in which families can break down or rebuild after tragedy.

Diving in deeper to themes of mental illness and broken families, The Demon Disorder uses demons as a literal metaphor for the wedges that drive family members apart. This driving force becomes the source of horror. The idea that danger lurks underneath the skin increases the paranoia of the family, and thus, makes the interpersonal drama more interesting. Unfortunately, the angst isn’t explored that much, leaving much of the dynamic on the table. Their respective trauma is mined only so much to define the nature of the beast rather than live it. It isn’t novel in its approach, but the sincerity of its effort is noted.

Despite grisly imagery and plenty of vehicles for added tension, The Demon Disorder fails to conjure a visceral reaction to the terror onscreen. It may be the rough production values or the stagnant pacing, but the horror of The Demon Disorder takes a backseat halfway through the film. The imagery might be upsetting but its inclusion is messy. Lacking the teeth to be a truly terrifying entity, The Demon Disorder stagnates thanks to its dull monster. Dark, dingy, and depressing, the horror of The Demon Disorder is hit-or-miss in its reliance on the greatest hits of other movies.

Solid special effects work brings the physical manifestation of the demon alive as it progresses in age and size throughout the film. Its initial design is inspired, capturing the revulsion and fear one might have for a pest and dialing it up to ten. As the demon grows in size, the film veers further into silliness. What starts as more of a creeping family horror drama transforms into a goofy monster movie. Making the most of its budget, The Demon Disorder struggles more with its story progression than its more visible attributes.

While technically fine, The Demon Disorder doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from other better possession films making it a forgettable entry in the cannon. Its limp story and static action make it difficult to champion this indie demon feature. Serviceable technical elements, especially its special effects, elevate The Demon Disorder well above the heights of its story. It doesn’t help that The Demon Disorder lives in the shadow of a certain Argentinian film that came out just one year before it. Regardless, The Demon Disorder is a fine attempt at reinvigorating the demon sub-genre of horror.

Overall Score? 5/10