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Demon Hunter Directed by Scott Ziehl Demon Hunter , directed by Scott Ziehl and written by first-timer Mitch Gould, is a mixed success, a step above most “Sci-Fi Channel Originals” but not quite big-screen quality. In some instances this could be blamed on the lack of budget, but creative solutions for the problems existed had the filmmakers been able to find them. The premise is a good one. In European Christian tradition it is believed that witches consorted with demons and were impregnated by them. The Church in its long battle with these Satanic demons has raised one the witch's offspring to fight for them as a demon-hunter with its superior powers. In this the story echoes the Hellboy graphic novels and it shares much with Constantine as well. The half-breed demon hunter Jake Greyman (Jacob, who wrestled the angel and Greyman, which is half light, half dark) is played by Sean Patrick Flanery. Directed by Cardinal White (another name too obvious in its symbolism) (played by William Bassett), Jake is the man who picks up where priestly exorcists fail. The Cardinal and Jake discover that the demon Asmodeus (Billy Drago) has come to earth and is out to impregnate as many women as he can in hopes of creating a sire who will establish his dominion on earth. The problem for Asmodeus, who represents Lust of the seven deadly sins, is that mortal women cannot stand the strain of conception. Basically he is screwing them to death, and he needs to find the right woman who will be powerful enough to survive his attentions. Jake and Asmodeus both have sexy sidekicks in their conflict with each other. Jake has Sister Sarah Ryan (Colleen Porch) and Asmodeus has a Succubus (Tania Deighton) whose skills are more about sex and seduction than violence. As a half-demon, Jake is thought by Asmodeus to be susceptible to conversion to the dark side. The film does explore the mutability of good and evil. But with the plot boiling down to a simple chase, the interest of the film must come from the conflict within Jake and his struggle with his own motivations. However, the film never really explores this. We never learn why Jake keeps his allegiance to the Church even when he finds hypocrisy in their fight against Satan. And with his demonic lineage, there could be some revelations about his relationship to Asmodeus - it need not be as obvious as a father-son connection (“I'm your Father, Luke!”). But Asmodeus could know Jake's parentage, be related to him, or use it more to weaken his resolve. Cinematically, the film also stumbles in its moments of high conflict. When Jake and Asmodeus first clash, they have a plain old fist fight. The film clearly did not have the budget for the CGI extravaganzas of Constantine 's demonic battles, but films of the past have managed more epic battles without use of computers. The film does have its strong points of which the most compelling is Billy Drago. Long the king of sleazy, reptilian charm, Drago invests Asmodeus with a wonderful decadence. Without a care about his bad teeth, slight physique, or sagging face, Drago's Asmodeus exudes a confidence in his seductions that would put George Cloony to shame. He is the venereal consequences of the Casanova's life. The setting of LA's gritty downtown are also used to good effect, showing the infernal side of our real world. And the theology is made clear and easy to follow even for a heathen like me without slowing down the story. Despite its shortcomings, Demon Hunter is a good mid-level theological thriller that has as much story if not the effects as many similar big-budget films. by Nemo Swift |
Sins of the Mother
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