Although the acting, special effects, and plot are a little less than great, Demon Hunter is an entertaining rollercoaster ride of action and people in need of a good old-fashion exorcism.
The movie is from producer Stephen J. Cannell (better known for his television family sitcoms), writer Mitchell Gould, and director Scott Ziehl (Earth Vs. The Spider). It stars Sean Patrick Flannery as a human/demon half-breed named Jake Greyman who works for a covert section of the church that hunts demons when they escape from hell. He is basically the one who goes in and “cleans up” when an exorcism fails. The film also stars Billy Drago (Untouchables) as the archdemon Asmodeus, and Colleen Porch (Starship Troopers 2) as a novice nun who tags along with Jake to help him.
The film’s plot (which is a bit comical) follows Jake on a quest to stop Asmodeus from his plan to impregnate Los Angles teen prostitutes with his “evil seed,” (I’m not making that up) and Jakes own struggle to find where he belongs in this holy war between the forces of good and evil. Asmodeus wants to father a child that would grow to help him rule earth, and wants to be done with the half-breed that keeps killing his possessed hookers before they can give birth.
Ok, even with such a less than stellar plot, the movie is entertaining. The first few minutes of the film open with an exorcism of a possessed schoolgirl. When the priest dies trying to free her from the demon, Jake goes in the room to see what he can do. This turns into a brawl between Flannery and the girl, and looks like something that belongs in a wrestling ring. Jake stomps on her head and finally impales her. Then he simply strolls past the dead girl’s mother, and out the front door.
Jake would rather kill the possessed than save their souls
This opening scene sets the whole tone for the movie, and quickly lets you know that the filmmakers just decided to have as much fun as the could with Demon Hunter. The film tackles serious subjects (like demon possession and the war between heaven and hell), but does so with a “comic book” sense of style and pace. Jake would rather kill a possessed person than try to save them because he figures they must have done something bad to end up in that state in the first place.
Flannery plays the character like something out of a Steve McQueen movie, and never lets the guy come off as a Hellboy without the horns and tail. He delivers most of his dialogue in a deadpan “I don’t have time for this” manner that really works for the character. Even his scenes where he is being seduced by a succubus seem like they are merely a distraction from his ultimate quest to kill every demon so he can go home. He is constantly questioning where he belongs in this war, and why he chooses to serve a church that would kill him if he ever drifted to evil. His discussions with Porch about his heritage give the film a few deep soul-searching moments, but Flannery makes sure to follow them up with some quip that takes you right back to the overall plot.
At the same time, Flannery’s constant one-sided action gets a bit boring toward the end of the film, and you start to question if he is doing it because he was wondering how he ended up in the movie. In some scenes, he really seems like he just doesn’t want to be there, and the film has nothing of value to offer his career.
Drago also delivers a mostly deadpan performance and just kind of lays about with naked women for most of the film. He never seems as evil as he should be for the character, and instead comes across as more of a creepy old man. In the special features, they talk about how the character was described as muscular and more demon looking, but that filmmakers went with a normal looking older man for the part. Given the movie’s less than great special effects, I am not sure a CGI demon or even a guy in make-up would have done a better job, and I think Drago did the best he could with what he had.
Although the movie is entertaining, parts of the film – such as the special effects and make-up – drag it down and might make you want to just abandon it before the ending. While some of the fight scenes are really good (the film was written by a stuntman), others (such as the Flannery/Drago fight) are slow, sloppy, and filmed poorly. The special effects give the film a low budget feel, but not enough to make you just stop watching. At times it seems like something that was made for television except with a lot of sex and nudity thrown in for good measure.
Drago is more like a creepy old man than a demon
The DVD comes with a couple of good special features including “Demons are Among Us” – which is a very detailed look at how the movie came to be, what went into making it, and how the actors developed their characters; there is also a look at a fight sequence rehearsal that shows how much works goes into just a few seconds of film; and audio commentary from Gould and actor Nancy Yoon – who plays one of the possessed women that Asmodeus knocks up.
While Demon Hunter has a very familiar plot and less than great special effects, it is still entertaining if you like supernatural films blended with the action genre. The movie has a comic book feel to it that I enjoyed, and a decent performance from Flannery. I would recommend the film to people who don’t mind a low budget “horror” film. It is the kind of movie that you can just kick back and enjoy with a bowl of popcorn without having to worry about missing some pesky plot detail.
Demon Hunter is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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