There are many ways to make a possession film.
You can go for terrifying.
You can go for psychologically rich.
You can even go for gleefully trashy.
The Demon Disorder bravely attempts all three — and lands somewhere between “mildly irritated ghost” and “family argument that should’ve stayed in a group chat.”
This is a supernatural horror film with the energy of a lukewarm cup of instant coffee: technically functional, but spiritually defeated.
The Plot: Three Brothers and One Very Underwhelming Dead Dad
Our main character, Graham Reilly (Christian Willis), lives alone in a garage, which is understandable once you realize the alternative would be living with the people in this movie.
He’s mourning the death of his father, George — a man who was apparently so unpleasant in life that, upon dying, decided to come back from the afterlife just to be annoying. If the film had any budget, he might have returned as a flaming, screaming demon. Instead, his “possession” manifests mostly as Phillip behaving like someone who drank five energy drinks and then tried to meditate.
Jake, the third brother, calls Graham with a revelation of biblical proportions:
“Hey bro, I think Phillip’s possessed…
by Dad.”
You would expect Graham to react with “Holy hell, this is terrifying.”
Instead he gives the emotional response of someone being told their favorite TV show got a mid-season break.
This is the first sign the film is in trouble: the characters have the same emotional range as a bag of bread rolls.
Possession, But Make It Budget-Friendly
Let’s talk about Phillip (Charles Cottier), the allegedly possessed younger brother.
His symptoms include:
-
Staring blankly at walls
-
Muttering vaguely spooky things
-
Being generally annoying
If that’s possession, then half the population of TikTok influencers is demonically afflicted.
The demon — or Dad, or Dad-demon — never does anything truly horrifying. No levitation. No speaking in ancient tongues. No contortion of the body. He doesn’t even throw furniture. Honestly, if you’re going to be a vengeful spirit, at least commit to the craft.
Instead George Reilly (John Noble), a man who once played Denethor in Lord of the Rings, shows up only through memories, whispers, and the rare demonic voiceover. Imagine hiring John Noble — KING of unhinged character acting — and then telling him, “Hey, could you deliver all your lines like a tired dad telling his kids they left the garage door open again?”
What a waste.
Graham: The Hero With the Energy of a Man Waiting for His Pizza Delivery
Christian Willis plays Graham like a man who has been physically forced into every scene. His entire performance radiates the vibe of:
“Can we wrap this up? I left something in the microwave.”
He’s meant to be a broken man, haunted by grief, guilt, and fear. What we get instead is a guy who behaves like he’s stuck in a mildly inconvenient customer service interaction with a demon.
This is a supernatural horror film where the protagonist has less urgency than someone dealing with a slow internet connection.
Jake: The Brother Who Exists to Deliver Exposition No One Asked For
Jake (Dirk Hunter) calls Graham to reconnect after years of estrangement, and the only reason is:
“Bro, Phillip is possessed.”
Nothing else.
No warm-up.
No emotional buildup.
Just straight to: “Dad’s soul is back and he’s pissed.”
It’s equivalent to someone calling you after ten years to say, “Hey, remember Dad? Yeah, he’s living inside Kyle now. Wanna come check it out?”
Jake spends most of his scenes panicking, sweating, and explaining things that honestly do not clarify anything. Every reveal he drops only raises more questions about why any of them are acting like this makes sense.
Phillip’s Possession: As Menacing as a Wet Tissue
Phillip’s performance as the possessed brother is… fine.
But that’s the problem.
Possession shouldn’t be fine.
Possession should be terrifying or emotional or weird or something.
Instead, we get:
-
A lot of twitching
-
A lot of staring
-
A lot of “Dad is angry” delivered in the tone of a bored teen explaining a video game glitch
At one point Phillip lunges, and it is genuinely hard to tell whether he’s attacking Graham or just tripping over a prop.
The demon isn’t scary.
The family drama isn’t tense.
The emotional stakes aren’t high.
The entire conflict feels like three very tired men arguing at a barbecue.
The Horror: More “Mildly Spooky Vibes” Than “Actual Terror”
Look, not every horror movie needs to reinvent the exorcism subgenre.
But something needs to happen. Something needs to have energy. A jump scare. A ritual. A twist. A reveal. A live animal. A dead animal. Literally anything.
Instead, The Demon Disorder gives us low-light interiors, mumbling, and enough “eerie atmosphere” to fill a 15-minute student short film — stretched to feature length like elastic about to snap.
The film is only 90-ish minutes but feels so long it could legally qualify for retirement.
The Police: Doing Exactly What You Expect (Nothing Useful)
Officer Peters (Amy Ingram) and Officer Terry (Michael Tuahine) show up for the classic horror-movie police cameo:
to look confused, offer unhelpful advice, and leave before anything actually happens.
Their presence feels like the writers remembered, halfway through scripting,
“Oh yeah, someone should probably call the cops,”
but didn’t actually want to include them in the plot.
The Father’s “Revenge”: Someone Please Give This Demon Coffee
George Reilly allegedly died an “unnatural death,” which sounds cool until you realize the demon’s big vengeance plan is basically:
-
Possess his youngest son.
-
Be kind of rude.
-
Force the brothers to talk about emotional trauma.
This is less “evil spirit out for revenge” and more “intense family therapy session with supernatural lighting.”
The Ending: Ambiguous, or Just Confused?
The finale attempts to deliver a dramatic, reality-bending confrontation between the brothers, the demon, and the past.
What we actually get is a bunch of yelling, some unclear motivation, and an ending that feels like the movie gave up and walked away.
It’s ambiguous, yes — but mostly because nothing is explained.
Ambiguity is great when it feels intentional.
Here, it feels like everybody forgot to write the last five pages of the script.
Final Verdict: A Demon Who Needed a More Exciting Hobby
The Demon Disorder is not the worst horror movie of 2024.
But it may be the most spectrally unenthusiastic.
It has:
-
a demon with no ambition,
-
brothers who act like they’re arguing over a broken lawnmower,
-
a plot that wanders like it’s lost in Bunnings,
-
and enough atmospheric brooding to depress an entire continent of kangaroos.
If you want terrifying possession? Look elsewhere.
If you want family drama? Look elsewhere.
If you want a film where John Noble deserved a better script, Graham deserved a nap, and the demon deserved a personality?
Then congratulations — this is your movie.
At least it’s short. And at least it’s funny, even if the movie didn’t mean it.
