Demon Disorder: Das Böse wächst in uns

I recently watched the Australian film 🇦🇺 The Demon Disorder (2024) on Shudder. The story follows a family that reunites after their father passes away. As old tensions resurface, they uncover unsettling secrets-specifically, their father's bizarre activities that may have opened a literal gateway to hell in the garage. As demons escape and begin attacking, the family must band together to stop them and possibly save the world.

Directed by Steven Boyle in his directorial debut, the film stars Charles Cottier (Home and Away), Dirk Hunter (Rain Fall), Amy Ingram (In Our Blood), and John Noble (The Lord of the Rings).

This is one of those horror movies where the beginning and end far outshine the middle. The film's settings, lighting, and cinematography are top-notch, and the acting and dialogue feel grounded and believable. The opening sequence involving a cow was fantastic, and the demon "birthing" scene is the film's standout moment. The last twenty minutes brought to mind a mix of Pumpkinhead and Aliens, with well-executed costumes, makeup, and some enjoyable gore for horror fans.

In conclusion, The Demon Disorder has is far from perfect but has enough solid moments to satisfy horror enthusiasts. I'd give it a 5.5-6/10 and recommend it with tempered expectations.

I usually don't like horror movies anymore as they are mostly boring to me. And the lot of them are so low budget that the acting and special effect are horrible.

But I believe in time, that this low budget Australian gem will become a cult classic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from beginning to end!! The acting was pretty decent and the low budget special effects were amazingly gruesome.

On several occasions I caught myself yelling "Ewwww" out loud followed by a laugh of disbelief at what I had just watched!!! I gave it a 7 out of 10 for the type of genre it represented, but this movie definitely gets a 10 out of 10 on the gross scale with a commendation for its large "Ewwww" factor.

I would recommend this for anyone who likes this genre. As it never really had a dull moment, it keeps you on the edge of your seat and it's truly entertaining.

As most reviews have acknowledged, the best thing about this film is the practical FX.

The family drama doesn't resonate as strongly as it could but it does build throughout the runtime. The father figure is sympathetic and a poignant "team-effort" moment at the end of the film lands surprisingly well. I didn't think they would but the characters won me over in the end, despite their flaws.

The pace is a little slow but things go hard enough in the last 20minutes to be worth the build up. Not only are the practical FX well produced but the way they are revealed to the audience, first in close-up, then in low light, before being shown in full glory is just fantastic.

Recommended for fans of When Evil Lurks (2023), Almost Human (2013) and Altered (2006).

The practical effects are outstanding in this grimy Australian horror with echoes of 'Relic' and 'The Taking of Deborah Logan' in the premise of dementia and Alzheimers Disease being a springboard of demonic possession.

The acting is top notch by the cast and they all seem like brothers going through this hell.

The ending is rather abrupt and doesn't really pay off but its refreshing to see the blood and gore well used and, from what I could tell, not much CGI effects used.

Kudos to the budget which was sparse but got across the dirtiest living conditions on this farm.

I predict these filmmakers have a bright future in this genre.

Sparse, confusing plot. Thoroughly unlikable cast for the most part.

Dreary and derivative to the extreme.

The most of the creature effects seemed like they were practical and well-made. I also thought the one garage employee was a perfectly serviceable character. Haha, serviceable...get it? Get it!?

But the three brothers and whatever they were doing on screen just wasn't my bag.

And if the "disorder" of the title was supposed to be some metaphor of an affliction of ageing, that didn't work at all in the slightest one bit remotely to any extent by any means.

I don't even think knowing what was going on would make the film enjoyable. Nor does it need a sequel.