“See? That? THAT’S how you cast out a demon! It’s totally different.”

Genre: Demonic Comedies With CAAAAAKE
Release Date: 2023 (release year; 2022 copyright)
Where I Watched: Shudder

Gist: Will just got dumped. So what else is there to do, but find new digs? Hey, there’s a house for rent, and the deal is amazing! Just one thing; the owners are trying to get rid of a demon that’s inhabiting the place. Y’know, by finding a renter for the demon to take, instead of their daughter…

Gotta say: A possessed house comedy? I was immediately intrigued. Shudder Originals can be hit or miss, even within each film, but I hit play based on nothing but the poster that for me harks back to BBC’s Ghosts and Evil Dead. But Demon is its own thing, which is a fun little comedy that leans into comedy more than scares. Still, it’s a nice one to stream if you can’t figure out what to watch. Why not a horror comedy love story about real estate?

I’d stick this film firmly into the serviceable section of streaming choices. It takes a while to warm up, as Will and Amy break up, move apart, and try to move on (well, Amy tries). All after an interesting opening scene that focuses on the original owners of Will’s rental, and how they found out about the demon in their house, in a very personal way. (Shout out to young Presley Allard, who plays the family’s daughter Grace, the family member that pesky demon has it’s eye on. Allard gives good possessed.)

Written and directed by Emily Hagins, who’s been making lower-budget horror fare for over a decade now, Hagins has come up with a fantastic premise here. But even with the high camp vibe of this comedy, it’s only good. It’s not great. It could have been great, if there’d been a tweak or two. Dig into the characters connections with each other, rather than just having the characters tell each other that they’re BFFs/a couple/whatever. This film has a run time of almost two hours, and so much of that time is wasted on scenes that drag on a little too long, or don’t seem to know how to end in a tidier fashion. I’d have liked to have gotten more info on Will’s friend Patrick, and Patrick’s co-worker Aimee (Patrick’s sad attempt to matchmake Will, that ends up being a good thing, as Aimee used to do a lot of paranormal stuff in college. As you do.) Plus, it would have been fun to have gotten to know a few of the ghosts, rather than having them as jump scares, and/or comedic props.

The cast is like the film; good, but not great. I lay the lack of greatness at the feet of Hagins, who perhaps should have taken more time to step away from her own screenplay, so she could truly see what worked and what didn’t. That could have pulled deeper, more lived-in performances from the cast, who are obviously trying their best but feel like they’re grasping at direction that isn’t wholly there. But the FX is fun – who doesn’t love sclera contacts and grey greasepaint? And the cinematography is extremely well done for this lower-budget film.

So pop Demon on in the background, while you and your “but I don’t like horror movies” friend devour popcorn and cake (trust me, cake plays a heavy part in this film, and you’ll be lusting for some rather quickly.) It’s not scary like The Legend of Hell House, nor compelling like We Are Still Here, or even triumphantly goofy like A Haunted House. It’s just an uncomplicated watch for a lazy day. To ,mis-quote the farmer in Babe? That’ll do, Demon. That’ll do.

Come for: The fun premise.
Stay for: A different riff on the Amityville subgenre. And that cake lust. Mmm, caaaaaake.