Here’s what happened in the ending of Demonic, along with what it really means. Demonic is an ambitious new sci-fi thriller that combines virtual reality and supernatural forces. Known for films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, Demonic director Neill Blomkamp explains in an interview that the idea was inspired by small horror movies like Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch Project, which despite production constraints, were highly effective horror films. Blomkamp stated: “Basically, the summary is that because of COVID, I wanted to do something that we could just put together ourselves and make because everything else seemed to be paused.” Indeed, Demonic fleshes out its unique premise with the clever use of volumetric capture effects, minimal set design, and a small cast. That being said, Demonic, which is Blomkamp’s fourth feature film, has also been called a waste of the writer/director’s once-promising talents. And that’s just one of the many negative reviews that Demonic received since its release.
Demonic follows the story of Carly (Carly Pope) as she reconnects with her old flame Martin (Chris William Martin), who then reveals that her mother, Angela (Nathalie Boltt), is in a coma and in the care of Therapol, an advanced med-tech company. At Therapol, Daniel (Terry Chen) and Michael (Michael J. Rogers) explain to Carly that the only way to speak to her mother is to hook her up to a device that will allow her to enter Angela’s mind through a virtual simulation. After Carly confronts her mother about her murderous acts in the simulation, she unwittingly releases Demonic’s creepy bird demon, who was behind Angela’s bloody crimes. As the demon threatens to possess Carly and everyone around her, including her best friend Sam (Kandyse McClure), Carly and Martin set out to save Angela and stop the demon.
During the final confrontation, Carly manages to stab the possessed Michael using a holy lance given to her by Daniel, which causes the demon to leave Michael and possess her instead. Struggling against the demon inside her, Carly stabs herself with the holy lance, exorcising the demon, who then appears to perish in flames. The epilogue shows Carly waking up in the hospital, reconciling with Martin, and then visiting the grave of Angela, who is finally laid to rest. But was the demon really defeated? And if so, how would this affect the expected story arc of Demonic 2, which despite the first film’s negative reviews, is rumored to already be in the works?
How Carly Defeated The Demon
While the holy lance proves useful for exorcising the demon from possessed bodies, it seems that the fatal strike needs to come from the one being possessed. Demonic makes this clear when the avian demon only truly perishes once Carly takes back control and strikes herself with the holy lance. However, while the demon going up in flames seems to show it getting destroyed, those flames could just as easily signify that the demon was banished back to Hell instead. This means that while the demon is unlikely to bother Carly and Martin for some time, it could still be alive and already plotting unholy revenge. Even though Demonic might be Neill Blomkamp’s worst movie, there’s more than enough material for a redeeming sequel down the line.
What Happened to Angela (& Why She Died)
After the black ops priests from the Vatican fail to save Angela, she and Carly speak for one last time in the simulation. Carly then wakes up to find her mother dead, with little time to grieve as the demon has become loose. While it is not overtly stated in the film, Angela’s death was likely caused by the massive mental and physical damage of being possessed by the demon for decades. Although Angela had enough reason to continue living as Carly forgave her when she found out about the demon, her body eventually succumbed to the stresses of possession and exorcism.
What Happened to Therapol
Therapol is a cover-up organization headed by black ops priests from the Vatican. Therapol’s advanced virtual reality mind simulation provides a glimpse into why Neill Blomkamp almost directed the next Alien movie, as it is a fascinating and promising sci-fi plot device. During the climax of Demonic, the priests who run Therapol get killed. But in the epilogue, the film is unclear in terms of what happens to Therapol’s other agents, its unique technology, as well as Carly and Martin’s relationship with the Vatican-led front organization. Earlier in Demonic, Martin explains to Carly that the Vatican runs several organizations just like Therapol. This means that there are other black ops priest teams out there chasing after other demons in the Demonic universe, which could be a jumping-off point for Demonic 2.
The Real Meaning Of Demonic's Ending
The production constraints imposed by the pandemic were crucial in inspiring Blomkamp to make Demonic with very limited resources. However, Demonic ended up being disappointing and even hurt Blomkamp’s chances of making District 10. That being said, this doesn’t mean that there’s no deeper meaning to the movie. As speculated (via Digital Mafia Talkies), the bird demon could be a metaphor for COVID, as it ruthlessly infects those that it comes into contact with. Meanwhile, Therapol could represent medical frontliners, as they face the most risk of being infected and eventually killed by the demon.
In the end, as Angela lays on her death bed, she expresses joy at seeing Carly, her daughter, one last time – arguably a kinder conclusion compared to those who passed away from COVID without being able to say goodbye. Moreover, the holy lance – and Carly’s decision to stab herself while possessed – could be a metaphor for voluntary vaccination. But while this theory does make sense, it’s just as likely that there’s no deeper meaning to Demonic at all and that Blomkamp was just exploring new fronts in sci-fi. Recently, Neill Blomkamp joined independent game studio Gunzilla as its Chief Visionary Officer, which is congruent with the director’s fascination with virtual simulations and other sci-fi elements. Although the ending of Demonic was disappointing for many, the movie is doubtless an interesting footnote in Blomkamp’s creative evolution.