Demons Never Die (2011) Reviews

• Hope this demon stays dead

  peter-stewart8662011-10-29

  Let me just start with, this film does not make sense at all. Firstly, if you have a bunch of kids who want to kill themselves, the tension is removed when someone starts to murder them. Secondly, there's no reason for the killer to be killing in the first place even though you're happy to watch these caricatures and racial stereotypes be picked off one by one. Aside from that the main problem with "Demons Never Dies" is that it feels cold and empty with a massive lack of fun that other slasher films are abundant in, especially scream which most of the death scenes, in this film, are taken from. I have given this film one star only because of the directors ability to point the camera in the right direction which was its only saving grace even though it might have been better if he had pointed toward another story line.

• hardly surprising it's terrible.

  moshun2011-11-26

  it's essentially an unwise billet-doux to no-budget slasher flicks, bolted on to some "urban" vagary. first time director writer Arjun Rose was a city trader... and it shows. He demonstrates little in the way of ability with this debut. Directing a not unserviceable cast with all the panache of a go-compare ad,there's every possible cliché you could imagine, used badly,and the character arcs barely register above flat-line throughout the entire film. there's enough bad cinema around with the likes of " fond of shiny things with no narrative" Michael bay and co, we don't need another. but that's being harsh to bay, demons never die makes transformers 3 look like Kubrick.

• Demons Never Die, but suicidal teenagers do.

  animalmad182011-10-29

  I went to see this film mainly on the premise that Robert Sheehan was in it, this being his first film release since he left Misfits, as I wanted to see what he's moved onto since he departed from a TV show as good as that. After watching Demons Never Die, I'm not convinced he changed his career path for the better. The film's strengths lie in the cinematography, which at times is effectively dynamic and incorporates some good use of night-vision camera into its teen horror flick appeal. However the performances of the actors, some of which don't even get enough screen time to be judged by, are generally either flat, or downright annoying in the case of Jennie Jacques (who plays beyond-helping suicidal "goth girl" Jasmine) and, yes, Jason Maza, who put across one of the best performances generally, but had a script way too punctured by repetitive f-bombs and jabs at the other characters that after a while left his speech completely deflated. Ashley Walters on the other hand led the story with some very nice narrative work as one of the policemen following the teen murder/suicide outbreak. Robert Sheehan's somber, gentle portrayal of a somewhat lost soul rediscovering himself through sudden and inevitable romance is also passable. Enough. The stronger actors, however, couldn't pull the film through its sloppy storyline. It is there, under the surface, but structured artlessly and not explored enough to make this an engaging film to sit through. While some characters are over-embellished (visually at least) others are neglected, only to appear fruitlessly and then disperse into the background again. None of the characters, however, have histories delved into with half the detail and care that was needed to make them work. You cannot have a film that deals solely with teens bent on committing suicide without a sole reason for them to go so far as to form a pact to see who can top themselves first. There are HINTS, again, but if they are dealt with at all they're not done so sensitively or interestingly. This adds to the whole downsider that the movie lacks both depth and meaning. Teen horror flicks need it too, especially when they deal with teens. *** Not even the masked killer ends up having any real reason to kill so many teenagers. The twist to the story is clearly meant to land with a bang, but fails to do so because of the directorial slips. The very, very end to the film though, and how it suddenly makes clear the title, is the one thing about this film that has a true, if small, impression (small only because it takes a full hour and a bit to arrive at the station). Overall a fruitless disappointment, which may have worked better from a black comedy angle, rather than trying to be something it just didn't work out to be.

• An atrocious zero scares slasher

  skorkk2012-10-30

  This is without doubt not only one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen, but one of the worst movies I've ever seen, period. What seems like quite an interesting concept is ruined by a truly dreadful script and woeful plot. I'd be surprised to hear that a child was scared watching this. Or even if a child managed to sit through the whole thing without getting bored and switching it off! Perhaps you don't mind if the scares are minimal once there's plenty of gory kills? Well if that's the case I still wouldn't recommend watching this. Most of the kills are off screen. The ones that we do see are over in a flash, and show very little. If you're an X factor fan and plan on watching this just to see Tulisa get knifed then don't bother as you see nothing but two minutes of her talking on the phone before someone walks in and finds her dead body. Her terrible acting is the most shocking part about the films opening. Maybe you're not a gore hound and just watch horror movies for a few decent jumpy scares? Again, if that's the case, I most definitely would not recommend this. There is absolutely zero tension throughout. Unless you've never seen another horror movie in your entire life then there is nothing here that you won't have seen done before ten times better and ten times scarier. In what must have been a last minute attempt to create some tension the director switches to some POV night camera footage, but the results just end up being laughable. Now if you're a fan of scary movies then you'll probably be willing to forgive some minor plot holes or stupid moves by the characters in order for the story to progress, but this film just takes the p*ss! At one point one character leaves a room full of people to get a drink, sees the killer murdering someone and instead of running back into the room full of people, she runs past them and goes outside into the dark f*cking woods!!! On top of that we're actually supposed to believe that someone who gets stabbed in the stomach three times could pass for suicide, with no questions asked whatsoever! Two small positives are that the opening credits sequence is quite cool and the internet chat room scene is well done. The soundtrack is not bad but after about 20 minutes it starts to get a bit ridiculous. It's not that the songs aren't good, it's that one appears literally every five minutes! And they don't just dip in and out either! Every second scene seemed to be the characters doing something mundane in slow motion to a mainstream pop/dance track! Avoid at all costs! Even if you manage to download this online for free, don't bother. It's seriously not worth the time!

• British guess who dunnit slasher

  Toltex2012-02-21

  BEFORE YOU TO DECIDE TO JUST GIVE THIS FILM A MISS,its not no where near as bad as some of the other reviews make it out to be. in fact i enjoyed it quite a lot, it wasn't by any means a master piece of British cinema but it rolled along at a decent pace and kept the suspense going. i also found it to be more realistic than most American slasher flicks, where the killer seems to be able to get from one place to another faster than Usain Bolt, has super human strength and takes for ever to die. (if he ever does). OK a slasher is a slasher , but the fact that it was a British film with some of Britains best up and coming actors,it made a refreshing change, also keeps you guessing till near the end. definitely worth watching