Demons at Dawn

Right, well I figured that I would be in for a horror movie, as I sat down to watch the 2022 movie "Demons at Dawn". Actually, I hadn't heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it, so I didn't know what I was in for. But given the movie's cover and it's title, then I figured it would be a horror movie.

Turns out that I was in for a snoozefest of a movie, and there was actually nothing worthwhile to behold here. Needless to say that I didn't stick around to finish watching the movie. I just simply found no enjoyment in the storyline from writer Chris Sanders.

The acting performances in the movie were fair enough, when you take into consideration that the actors and actresses had very little to work with in terms of script, storyline, characters and dialogue. Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. Nor can I can say that I was impressed with what I saw.

Visually then you're not in for anything grand here, should you opt to sit down and watch director Randy Kent's 2022 movie "Demons at Dawn".

My rating of "Demons at Dawn" lands on a generous two out ten stars.

What would you do to clear a debt?

Retired Hitman, Mickey Santini (played by Ben Silver) is drowning in it and Mob Boss ChaoFeng Mei (played by Crystal J. Huang) wants payment in full. Knowing he doesn't have the funds, she sends him on one last hit...and he'll be in the clear. Unbeknowst to him, it'll be his last...or will it? Once there, he locates his target and someone has already taken him out; unsure what do he takes refuge in the house only to be attacked and taken hostage by the supposed killer.

After being interrogated by the killer, things seem to take a strange turn for the worse as robed figures begin appearing in the darkness of night. Being a skeptic and nonbeliever in the supernatural, it takes Mickey some doing. After several unexpected events, he joins forces with his new friend Charlotte (played by Amber Doig-Thorne) whom have taken refuge inside the house to fight the daemonic forces and to survive till dawn.

The buildup of the story and how the finale comes to a head is cooly done, especially when Levi (played by Chris Sanders) comes in and takes the reins.

The plot of the film reminds of one of my favourite UK films, Ben Wheatley's 'Kill List' but on a micro budget and beautifully shot.

The visual effects (ie. Fog, the Interior, & etc.) are class and proper done very natural looking. The special effects, to be honest some worked really well; some you could tell the actors were wearing masks, but the costumes and the gothic decorations kept you in the illusion of the film.

The actors themselves did a wonderful job, aside from a few that could use more work in front of the camera but you could tell that everyone was having a blast and enjoying themselves which is the important part. The camera work and the colours and the way you see England with the cinematography is awe inspiring.

The film was directed by Randy Kent and written by Chris Sanders. Chris has written and directed several other feature films that he has collaborated with Kent. Some of these films include: the upcoming 'Werewolf Cabal', 'The Haunted Studio', and 'Bring Me A Skin For Dancing In'.

Demons at Dawn is Available to watch on Tubi for all of those interested.

Demons At Dawn is a lot of fun. The cinematography and the sound design are tight. The dialogue and plot of the script is good. There were a few things I felt needed tightening, but overall, these issues are forgivable. Every actor did a fine job and you could see that they were all having a great time making the movie, which adds to the viewing enjoyment.

My favourite performance was from Chris Sanders (the screenwriter and producer) in his role as Levi Saracen. He is very convincing as a cool, cold-hearted mediator between the cult and the victims.

The build-up toward the supernatural, climactic ending worked well.

Although the film is dressed up as fictional entertainment about the supernatural, it addresses real worldwide criminal behaviour in a careful manner. So, it has the potential beyond its entertainment value to encourage dialogue and awareness among viewers.

I am strongly convinced that Chris Sanders, Randy Kent, and all of the team involved in this are talents to keep your eye on because they show promise for great things to come.

So, grab some popcorn, get Demons At Dawn loaded on your favourite streaming platform, don't be judgmental, and enjoy this film for what it is: an indie-horror fun-ride!!

I had previously seen the first movie from this director called "Nest of Vampires" which had a super confusing plot and was hobbled somewhat by bad practical effects. However, it was clear, even then, that Sanders would be somebody to watch in the future.

With this offering, "Demons at Dawn", it is very clear that he has learned a huge amount from his previous movie and his craft has improved dramatically.

Without spoilers, the basic synopsis of the plot is that a retired hitman, Mickey, is forced by circumstance and a gambling addiction to take one last job to clear his debt load with his previous "employers". As the movie title no doubt reveals, things don't go as planned and take a supernatural turn for the worse.

For the most part, the movie is strongly driven by dialogue and pretty solid acting. Almost all characters are fleshed out with real motivations and backgrounds and unique personality quirks. The camera work and lighting is absolutely spot on. A solid plot invests the audience in the fate of the characters with the correct amount of believable tension. All the scenes drive towards a solid and satisfying conclusion.

Now, originally, my thought was to give a rare 10/10 review based on the solid storytelling and cinematography, made even more impressive by the tiny budget it was filmed with. However, there were a few niggles that I decided to drop a couple of points for. First, there was a scene where some cultists are actually summoning the "demons" and the acting in that scene was pretty cringeworthy. Likewise, a scene with a judge which was similarly very cardboard acting and pulled the audience somewhat out of the movie for a moment. I'm not sure why these two scenes were not up to the same solid acting standard or proofed as with the rest of the movie. The second issue I had was with "Mickey" himself. His acting skills were impeccable, his character well developed and solid and his dialogue and emotional range absolutely carried the movie. However, he was set up as being a highly trained hitman and that was not even remotely evident in the movie. He came ill prepared with the "tools of the trade" to complete his assigned mission and appeared not well trained in how to appropriately use or handle weapons. Ie, although his character was solid and relatable, he appeared to be, at best, an amateur assassin and not the stated "best in the business" that the other support characters set him up to be. The makeup, for the most part was solid although there were a couple of points where the low budget gore was evident. However, these were relatively minor unless specifically looking for them.

Minor niggles aside, this was a very entertaining movie that stands up well against considerably larger big budget movies out there. The ambient background sounds and creepy music really helped to build tension with the audience. Some very clever cinematography techniques helped to show the passage of time or flashbacks. The cuts and lighting were spot on and there was very little in the way of filler getting in the way of the story. Also, there were a couple of satisfying twists including a solid one at the very end.

All in all, well worth the hour and a half time investment. If you love Indie horror, this is one of the better ones. A phenomenal achievement with an extremely limited budget. Well done!

Director Randy Kent (THE PERFECT HOUSE 2012) ,BLOOD TULIPS fails upon establishing anything that is entertaining nor suspenseful as the majority of the film basically has Sander and a lone female(rising British Scream Queen] Amber Doig Thorne (WINNIE THE POOH:BLOOD AND HONEY,FANGED UP,MINACIOUS) having lengthy talky scenes inside of a remote countryside side and nothing else more as it all leads to a grim finale that leaves the door open for a sequel(which is unlikely to ever happen) with the cast doing what they can to salvage this film, which is basically the celluloid version of a Pet Rock in terms of entertainment values. With a quick guest appearance by (modern British Scream Queen) Dani Thompson (AXE TO GRIND,MY BLOODY BANJO,VIDEO SHOP TALES OF TERROR). Crystal J. Huang (AMITYVILLE BIGFOOT,AMBER ROAD,BERMUDA ISLAND),and Amy DiLorenzi(PILLOW PARTY MASSACRE).