When the grandfather of American Robin (Rachel Nichols) dies at his hunting hideaway in the Black Forest in Germany, she and her husband Leo (Yohance Myles) head over there to see if it’s worth keeping or selling. Naturally, they meet with an unusual atmosphere, particularly when they see a local, Arthur (Miles Doleac, who also directs and co-wrote the script) hunting with his daughter Amalia (Rachel Ryals). It brings back a lot of bitter memories for Robin, and things get much worse when a cult kidnap them all – and some others – in order to perform a ritual sacrifice.
If it sounds like you’ve seen it all before, then the chances are you have, but Demigod punches well above its weight. Doleac and cinematographer Nathan Tape make the most of the luscious surroundings, with the forest (the US doubling as Germany) particularly foreboding. The cast is admirable, but are given some rather cumbersome dialogue and there are times when things could have been streamlined. It does manage to deliver some shocking moments and provides some surprises when it comes to who will survive the murderous cult.
Demigod is at its best when dealing with the folk horror aspects. It manages to convey a mood that is immersive and palpable. It does get bogged down with its own mythology along the way, though. Jeremy London (who despite having a large and varied résumé is still just T.S. Quint in Mallrats to us) plays the deceased grandfather in flashbacks and we’re shown an origin story of sorts for the film’s big bad in the prologue, all sequences that don’t add enough to the overall tale since they’re there in the dialogue.
It’s clichéd as hell, but Demigod is an entertaining low budget shocker that’s worth a look.
Demigod is available on digital now.
