Feature trailer for Demon, which will now be released to domestic theaters on September 9th, 2016, by The Orchard.
Newly arrived from England to marry his fiancee Zaneta (Agnieszka Zulewska), Peter (Itay Tiran) has been given a gift of her family’s ramshackle country house in rural Poland. It’s a total fixer-upper, and while inspecting the premises on the eve of the wedding, he falls into a pile of human remains. The ceremony proceeds, but strange things begin to happen... During the wild reception, Peter begins to come undone, and a dybbuk, the iconic ancient figure from Jewish folklore, takes a toehold in this present-day celebration-for a very particular reason, as it turns out. The final work by Marcin Wrona, who died just as DEMON was set to premiere in Poland, is part absurdist comedy, part love story-that scares, amuses, and charms in equal measure.
While this is hardly a fun fact, the haunting film is now considered to be an analogy to the life of its director, Marcin Wrona. An upcoming talent in Poland, the director committed suicide by hanging during the Gdynia Polish Film Festival, where Demon was being screened. The news came as a shock considering that the director seemed perfectly normal during a press conference at the same event.
Then people began to dig, and soon discovered that Wrona's past was just as tormenting as the film he was currently marketing. Wrona grew up with a violent, abusive father who also made a career out of doing exorcisms; some of which a young Marcin would watch. Due to his upbringing, the promising Polish director had a drive to succeed. So much so that he developed a reputation for his competitive attitude and resulting angry responses when he felt overlooked.
Top that with rumors of alcohol abuse and depression, and it seems that the the fact that Demon did not receive a prize out of Gdynia, Wrona's disappointment made for an unstable environment. One that quickly lead to his demise.
Well this story is disturbing. And, if you are one of those who like to research the source material for a premise, might I recommend that you do not for Demon. The whole mythology behind the "dybbuk", the same spirit presented here, is interesting. And, if you were to listen to some news reports from media personnel who have visited tragic Jewish sites in Poland, you might soon believe that this sort of spirit can truly exist.
That being said, this latest trailer for Demon seems focused on tripping out audiences rather than straight horrifying them. Pile on some Schindler-style music and the effect is achieved. Hard to say what exactly is going on, but at least we're interested enough to find out.