Naman Shrestha
The Adrian Grunberg directorial, ‘The Black Demon,’ is a science fiction thriller movie that revolves around an oil company inspector named Paul Sturges who takes his family out on an idyllic family vacation to an offshore oil rig called El Diamante. However, the vacation turns into a nightmare when they get hounded by a megalodon shark, determined to protect its territory and destroy everything in its path.
Now, with the shark constantly attacking the rig and Paul’s family, they must somehow find their way back to shore alive before they are met with the wrath of the megalodon shark. Featuring Josh Lucas, Fernanda Urrejola, and Julio Cesar Cedillo, the shark-based film mostly takes place in the open water, at an oil rig, which makes the viewers curious about the actual shooting sites of ‘The Black Demon.’ If you are in the same boat, we have got you covered!
The Black Demon: Where Was it Filmed?
‘The Black Demon’ was filmed in the Dominican Republic, especially in San Pedro de Macorís Province. According to reports, principal photography for the thriller film commenced in December 2021 and wrapped up in early February 2022. Now, without further ado, let’s traverse through all the specific locations that feature in the film!
San Pedro de Macorís Province, Dominican Republic
Almost all the pivotal sequences of ‘The Black Demon’ were lensed in San Pedro de Macorís Province, which is also the name of the Dominican Republic’s capital city. To be specific, the production team utilized the facilities of the Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios South Lot at Autovía del Este Km 64 in the small seaside community of Juan Dolio. They most probably set up camp in the studio’s giant water tank to shoot a majority of the water scenes. The film studio is home to three state-of-the-art sound stages, production support services, and an 8-acre facility for water filming with infinity sea views, making it a world-class destination for filmmakers, especially for a film based mostly in the open waters.
In an early May 2023 interview with Moviefone, Josh Lucas, who portrays Paul, was asked about the challenges of working in water. He explained, “‘The Black Demon’ was very much, in a way, the opposite, because we shot outside in a tank in the Dominican Republic, kind of on the ocean. They built this oil rig for real inside the tank. So, the water, there’s an organic thing when you’re inside real water and you’re working. I love diving and I love being in the ocean, and there’s something so different.”
Josh stated that the thing about CGI is that it is very hard to act in such environments as compared to real places. To make the actors feel the reality of the ocean, the filming unit built an oil rig or a structure that looked like an oil rig, which actually exists in Baja, Mexico, where the story is set. He expanded further in the same interview, “It was done in a way that wasn’t at all fake. The only thing that’s fake is the shark. So, it’s a much more enjoyable environment. Even being underwater for 8 to 10 hours a day during the scuba/snorkeling scenes is a cool challenge. It’s something I really like.”
Read More: Best Shark Movies
