Demon Behind the Glass Review

Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival Coverage

Demon Behind the Glass review.

We’ve reached the penultimate day of the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival. The headliner was the World Premiere of Demon Behind the Glass. Great effects and an intriguing investigative horror story highlight the feature. Many of the cast and crew were on hand for a Q&A.

Festival movie coverage will not contain spoilers.

Demon Behind the Glass

Directed by Joshua Recene

Written by Joshua Recene

Starring Adam Holley, Jessica Nogaret Sedelmeyer, Joshua Sedelmeyer, Tim O’Hearn, Jan Deangelo, Janna Holley and JW Kiefer

Demon Behind the Glass Review

Demon Behind the Glass scratches the investigative horror itch.  To pull off a successful investigative horror story you need to have a destination worthy of the time spent leading to it.  As far as set-ups are concerned, finding a dead body behind your bathroom mirror is a strong inciting incident.  Discovering the who and why of it all drives the plot.  Excellent demon effects ride shotgun for the excitement.  All roads lead to interesting (and well delivered) lore…making the journey in Demon Behind the Glass one worth taking.

Jonathan Birdsall (Adam Holley) is a disgraced journalist looking for his comeback story.  While investigating a fracking story…he stumbles onto something far more interesting.  There’s a dead body behind the bathroom mirror of his rented house.  Who he is…why he’s there and what he was connected to will bring him closer to a story…and possible damnation.

The lore behind the demonic aspects of Demon Behind the Glass is a strength of the story.  It feels fresh.  The whole movie avoids the trap of being derivative that so many low-budget independent movies fall into.  Writer/director Joshua Recene not only gets more than every penny on the screen…he brings the goods with an original take on demons.  He does a great job explaining the rules of the world and keeps the information flowing at an engaging pace. 

I called Demon Behind the Glass an investigative horror film because I enjoy easy labels for comparative purposes.  It allows discussion to center around similar movie types.  That might be a bit unfair to Demon Behind the Glass.  It’s just as much a fun demon horror movie as it is anything else.  While Jonathan is trying to uncover the demon’s plans…the demon is focused on completing them.  This keeps the pace flying as every step forward is accompanied by grave danger.

The demon effects are excellent.  When I said they get “more than every penny on the screen” …this is what I mean.  What the effects team was able to accomplish on a budget is simply incredible.  This is one of the best-looking antagonists I’ve seen in a while.  It cut a memorable, striking, and intimidating image.  We learn early on that the body belonged to a local creeper who had disappeared.  The full story is much more interesting.  The characters we’re introduced to throughout Demon Behind the Glass aren’t always what they appear to be.  The plot twists and turns keep interest high.

The demon does plenty of damage in the film…but his greatest strength is creeping in corners of the screen.  More than once your eye will catch something in the background rising into frame.  Recene knows how to have a demon make an entrance.  I say that in the singular but as the film unfolds, we see more than the singular demon.  It’s all tied to what the demon is trying to accomplish…and Jonathan is forced to try and stop. 

Everything builds to a satisfying conclusion.  Once all is revealed, the investigation proves worthwhile.  Demon Behind the Glass delivers an original take on a demon tale with wonderful effects.  The acting is strong…a clear labor of love for all involved.  When you’re making an independent film there are a lot of ways for it to go sideways.  With a strong original story in its pocket, a bevy of effect tricks up its sleeve, and a committed cast to play along in front of the camera…Demon Behind the Glass avoids them all.

Scare Value

Demon Behind the Glass doesn’t waste time setting up the world it’s going to play in. It carries a strong momentum through what becomes an interesting investigative horror story. The special effects, its demon in particular, are fantastic. Not just for an ultra-low budget film, but for independent horror of all budget ranges. The backstory to the demonic happenings can feel a bit spotty at first…but everything comes together in a satisfying conclusion. Introduces talent to watch out for both in front of and behind the camera.