Arka Mukhopadhyay
Helmed by Neill Blomkamp, the exorcism horror movie ‘Demonic’ sees high-tech exorcist enterprises facing high-stake perils. The story begins by introducing the character of Carly, who is haunted by nightmares after her mother’s inexplicable past rampage. Due to the past episode, Carly is ostracized in the community and only keeps contact with her best friend, Sam.
One day, she gets a text from her old boyfriend Martin, which initiates a domino effect. She meets her estranged mother after a long time and under different circumstances. The finality of the slow-burning horror story is packed with action, as Carly fights against demonic possession. The ending is seemingly well-rounded, but some questions may still keep bugging you. If you are looking for answers, you know this is where we fit in. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Demonic Plot Synopsis
Carly has a nightmare about her mother Angela in the opening sequence, who went on a killing spree and is currently sentenced for life. In the morning, she finishes her chores and gets in the car. At this moment, her old fling Martin texts her after a long time, asking her to reconnect. Carly goes out to meet her best friend Sam, but she can’t stay for long. At night, Carly scrolls through Martin’s Instagram profile before sending a reply, accepting to meet him. At the meeting, Martin has pertinent news for Carly.
A private hospital contacted and offered him to join a focus group in exchange for money. Still, in the focus group, Martin saw actual patients, and among them, Angela. These people further asked for Carly’s contact information from Martin, but Martin assures Angela that he did not divulge anything. At night, Angela recollects the memories of her mother before getting a call from a shady high-tech private hospital named Therapol. They tell Carly that her mother is in a state of coma, but her mind is working perfectly well.
They have created a simulation of Angela’s mind with cutting-edge technology, and they want Carly to drop into the simulation and converse with Angela. Carly lashes out at Angela for her heinous crimes in the first meet, but Angela asks her to leave. Michael and Daniel, the doctors at Therapol, convince Carly to go into the simulation once more. This time, Carly finds Sam dead and faces a grotesque creature with the face of a raven, which is an incarnation of the demon itself. Carly gets to know that her mother has been a victim of demonic possession.
Demonic Ending: Who Are the People at Therapol? Are They Dead?
In the second simulated encounter, Carly almost faints at the sight of the specter, and she asks for help. While Daniel thinks they should pull her out from the simulation, Michael insists on keeping Carly longer. In effect, the demonic apparition inflicts a deep cut on Carly’s wrist. Carly is naturally upset, and she goes to Martin for some more horrific revelation. Martin reminds Carly of her mother’s gradual decay after a seemingly horrible encounter at the sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.
Carly’s mother was a dedicated nurse, and she loved her profession. But after the encounter at the sanatorium, Angela was suddenly a different person. She changed for the worse during the six weeks after the incident, and her threatening behavior culminated in the act of arson. One night, Angela set fire to a nursing home where she was once a worker, effectually killing 21 people. Martin drove Carly and Sam to the sanatorium, and the incident had some damning effects on him as well. After the incident, Martin was disturbed by horrific visions, and he made some sketches depicting his images.
Martin also researched for a while on his visions, unearthing sinister secrets. He found that in most descriptions, these visions are indications of demonic possession. Demonic possession would also explain Angela’s aberrant behavior that resulted in the arson. According to Martin, Angela is not the only one, and there are several cases of demonic possession, all of them leading back to the piece of land the damned sanatorium is built on. In 1889, the land was the site of a fur trading post, and there were also cases of bodily possessions and murders, all of which are documented.
Martin’s next revelation sounds like a conspiracy theory at first, but we come to know that there is some truth in his research. Martin divulges to Carly that the Vatican is funding a black ops unit to hunt down demons. They are putting together a team of militant priests specifically equipped to perform exorcisms in the most daring situations. They are also funding shady private hospitals like Therapol. If Martin’s hunches are correct, the people at Therapol would take Angela back to the possession site for exorcism. And to the viewers’ astonishment, it turns out that Martin could not be closer to the truth.
After the chilling vision at night, which seems all too real, Carly runs an errand to Sam’s place to find her absent. She tries to inform the police about Sam’s mysterious disappearance, but the policeman is not of much help since he thinks these reports mostly resolve by themselves within 48 hours. After the disappointing chat with the policeman, Carly goes to Martin’s place asking for help. Martin does not want her to go to the woods, but Carly thinks it’s her responsibility.
Upon Carly’s insistence, the duo ventures out into the jungle and stumble upon Sam’s car. Shortly after, Carly sees Sam shivering in the middle of the woods. Sam tells Carly that she saw them taking Angela to the sanatorium. Carly believes that they must rescue Angela from the place, while Martin thinks it to be a terrible idea. But they eventually reach the sanatorium to find armed men dead on the premises.
Daniel, Carly’s previous acquaintance, is fatally wounded, but he can still speak. Daniel divulges to Carly that the demon has jumped on from Angela to Michael despite taking all precautions. Now, as a seemingly possessed Michael has unleashed horror, most of the militant priests of Therapol are dead. Daniel gives Carly the Holy Lance from the Vatican. Endowed with the weapon, Carly gets prepared to face the demon.
Is the Demon Defeated? Is Carly Dead or Alive?
This is the question that the movie wants us to ask. The demon seamlessly infects people, who slowly turn into the entity’s murderous agents. The final sequence prepares us for the devastating confrontation between Carly and the devil. Carly and Martin follow the cables to find Angela in an exorcism chamber. Carly goes into the simulation to talk to her mother one final time, but there’s no way for Angela to recover herself.
She seems happy in her memory palace, and Carly has a final moment of closure as she asks for forgiveness for her hatred towards Angela. Angela has forgiven her daughter, and Carly wakes up in the real world. In the meantime, Martin has been abducted and tied to a wall by Michael. The demonic spirit now possesses Michael, and the demon rushes to prey on Carly. The entity intends to set the premise on fire by using Carly as an agent, but Carly now has the Holy Lance to assail the demon.
She stabs Michael a few times with the Holy Lance, and Michael drops dead. But the demon is still alive, and it takes hold of Carly’s body. Carly struggles to free herself from the monster while the devil asks her for complete obedience. In the finality of events, Carly stabs her own stomach with the Holy Lance. The demon departs from Carly’s body and walks a few meters before finally burning into ashes. The demon is defeated, though it has taken Sam’s life in the process. But Is Carly okay after the devastating incident?
Carly is still alive, as in the final moments, the viewers see her waking up at a hospital. Martin comes to visit her in the hospital after the horrific night, and he tries to lighten Carly’s mood. Thankfully, both Carly and Martin have come out of the ordeal with minor injuries. In the epilogue, Carly visits Angela’s grave with a bouquet, which stops our speculation regarding Angela’s fate. She has passed away following the night at the sanatorium.
Read More: Is Demonic A True Story?
