Demonic

Shot during the Covid-19 pandemic, in British Columbia, Canada, this tech horror from writer/director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) has an air of artistic compromise about it. In a series of stilted outdoor chats, bland lead Carly (Carly Pope) learns that her mother (Nathalie Boltt), a convicted murderer, is in a coma in a mysterious medical facility. What's more, they're trialling new technology that allows Carly to step inside her mother's mind - an idea previously explored in 2000's The Cell, not to mention various A Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Cue endless "Uncanny Valley" sequences, rendered in glitchy CGI, of Carly exploring her mother's dreamscapes. These centre on the spooky old people's home she burned down, and a strange, raven-headed creature that starts stalking Carly. Unfortunately, what could have been a neat take on the possession movie is let down by slack pacing and pedestrian direction from Blomkamp, who shows no flair whatsoever for the genre.