Running Time: 87 Minutes
Starring: Ariane Isabel, Tyler Q. Rosen, Oscar Wilson, Sara Fletcher
The feature debut of writing/directing pair Matt Devino and David Michael Yohe, The Dæmon blends Lovecraftian monsters with true to life issues in a watery setting. Opening with an ominous look at a lake, the film moves onto a man in his lakehouse writing a farewell letter, the last act he will commit before walking outside into the lake. The impact of this is felt upon his son, Tom (Tyler Q. Rosen), who receives a call in the dead of night about this tragedy.
Haunted by his father's suicide, Tom abandons his wife to return to his father's lakeside cottage. The location causes traumatic memories from his childhood to resurface, connected to an ancient force that lurks beneath the lake's depths. As this drives Tom towards madness, his communicative silence worries his wife, Kathy (Sara Fletcher). She enlists the help of her brother, Mark (Oscar Wilson), and his grief counsellor wife, Jess (Ariane Isabel), as they travel to the lakehouse unaware of the malevolence that is seeping from the lake.
As the location warps under the dark influence, the cinematography leaves the lake resembling an unforgiving place inhabited by monstrous sights, waiting to ensnare the latest victim. Despite some effective instances, this does not prevent the visual effects from looking ropey, or the horror elements from feeling uninspired. It is worth mentioning that the characters feel like real people in their own flawed ways, although moments do arise where the performances can unfortunately fall short.
The films strengths come from Devino and Yohe depicting grief and the various methods taken to cope with it. Mark and Jess lose themselves in work, with the sympathizing husband diving into the job while his wife focuses on helping others through her counselling. Kathy acts impulsively to compensate for growing worries, and Tom takes a traditionally male approach by refusing to talk about what is gnawing away at him. As such, the grief feels inescapable and threatens to swallow up the grieving son, resulting in the feeling that letting go is the only viable option. As the visuals reflect the feeling of a darkness dragging one down into the depths, one wishes that The Dæmon was stronger in it more horror-inflected instances.
The Dæmon made its World Premiere at Frightfest 2024
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