Don't Look at the Demon (2022)

Don’t Look at the Demon earns its chills the old-fashioned way: with tactile, practical horror that feels like it’s happening in the room with you, not behind a computer screen. Brando Lee wraps a sleek paranormal-TV setup in a clammy Malaysian highlands atmosphere, then tightens the screws with well-timed jump scares and possession sequences that let prosthetics and wirework do the heavy lifting. Fiona Dourif anchors the madness with a performance that’s more than just scream-and-run—there’s a bruised humanity underneath that makes the supernatural hit harder. Fair warning: it’s mean, loud, and very intense (with severe gore and language), so it’s not for the squeamish, but if you want a polished, crowd-pleasing scare ride with real craft in its effects, this one delivers.

Don’t Look at the Demon wants to be a slick, TV-crew-in-a-haunted-house possession thriller with a personal twist, and to its credit it brings some nasty gore, a few effective jolts, and a committed lead performance from Fiona Dourif. The problem is it rarely surprises you: the character decisions feel like they’re pulled straight from the “how to get possessed in 90 minutes” handbook, and the story leans hard on familiar genre beats instead of making the Malaysian setting and premise truly matter. If you’re tired of possession movies that telegraph their turns and coast to a predictable, slightly deflating finish, this will feel like déjà vu with louder profanity. If you just want a grim, effects-forward scare ride and don’t mind severe violence and intensity, it’s serviceable enough for a late-night watch.