Review: Sorry About The Demon

Director: Emily Hagins

Screenplay: Emily Hagins

Year: 2023

Comedy and horror are the most distant genres in cinema, and curiously they work very well when mixed correctly. Iconic films like “Shaun of the Dead”, “Tucker and Dale vs Evil” or the “Evil Dead” trilogy are testament to how fun mixing these genres can be. However, for a horror comedy to be funny, it needs not only a good mix of genres but also a plot that serves as a platform.

After his girlfriend breaks up with him, Will gets a new place to live and tries to turn his life around. It doesn't take long for Will to understand why he got such a good price for the place, which is that the house is inhabited by a demon looking for a sacrifice. Now, Will has to find a way to eradicate that demon while trying to reform his life and win his ex-partner back.

While many of the most successful horror comedies use horror as the foundation and comedy as the complement, "Sorry About The Demon" does the opposite. This is not inherently a problem if the comedy is strong, which is not the case with this movie. It wouldn't be fair to say that comedy is bad either; it just doesn't always work as it should or reach its potential.

If we dig a little into the reason why things don't work as they should, we see that the problem is that Emily Hagins' script never fully commits to exploiting her ideas. As a consequence, both comedy and horror remain in the gray zone that only ensures mediocrity, only at times showing glimpses of how great they could have been. And it is precisely getting to see all the wasted potential in both aspects that is most disappointing.

“Sorry About The Demon” combines horror and comedy without committing to either and failing at both. The comedy never becomes hilarious or horror chilling and remains in a comfortable zone without wanting to take chances. This new Shudder-exclusive movie may be suitable for people who don't usually enjoy horror much or are looking for a softer dip into the genre. Horror fans are left wanting much more.