NIGHTWATCH: DEMONS ARE FOREVER -- Horror Legacy Sequel Suffers From Poor Script

Review by Sean Boelman

Fanny Leander Bornedal and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Ole Bornedal’s NIGHTWATCH: DEMONS ARE FOREVER. Courtesy of Christian Greisnæs. A Shudder Release.

Danish filmmaker Ole Bornedal’s feature debut, Nightwatch, was the beginning of not only his own career but also that of now-Emmy-nominated actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones). If it’s not obvious, Bornedal needs the thirty-years-later sequel Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever much more than his star, and this air of desperation drags the film down despite competent execution.

The movie picks up decades after the original and follows the daughter of Martin (Coster-Waldau) as she takes a night watch job, only to stir up trouble when she visits her father’s tormentor, Wörmer, in prison. Where the first film was a lean, effective crime thriller a la Silence of the Lambs, this sequel attempts to bite off much more — thematically and narratively — and falters as a result.

The other aspect of Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever that holds it back is its dialogue. The script gets strangely political, but not in a way that offers legitimate commentary on anything. Characters say things like, “Am I a boomer if I say men are more fit for this job?” or “Do I have your consent to have sex? It’s only our second time.” The intention behind these lines feels so mean-spirited and conservative — like the movie is insulting modern-day society for caring about things like gender equality and enthusiastic consent — that it’s impossible to overlook.

The film also frustratingly wastes most of its cast. The returners, namely Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Kim Bodnia, are not given much to do. Of course, this blame lies mostly with the script and not with the actors, who do the best they can with the material, but even these talented actors can only do so much. Still, much as Nightwatch served as a launching pad for Coster-Waldau, this sequel could prove to be an auspicious breakout for Fanny Leander Bornedal, who gives a very compelling turn in the lead.

Kim Bodnia, Fanny Leander Bornedal, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Ole Bornedal’s NIGHTWATCH: DEMONS ARE FOREVER. Courtesy of Christian Greisnæs. A Shudder Release.

The actress Bornedal indeed deserves a lot of praise because her character’s motivations — much like everyone else’s in the movie — don’t make much sense. Not enough time is spent exploring her relationship with her father to justify some of her absurd actions in the first act. As for the villains, the attempts at mystery and red herrings feel incredibly anticlimactic and unearned. 

Demons Are Forever does live up to its predecessor in one key way, though: as a work of image-making and atmosphere. Even through all the ridiculous (yet predictable) twists and turns, it’s satisfyingly chilling. Bornedal has an uncanny sense of how to create claustrophobia through emptiness, and the result is a film that feels incredibly unsettling.

However, like so many legacy sequels, Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever is unable to escape the trappings of formula. Viewers who have seen the original movie recently will find themselves plagued by an overwhelming feeling of familiarity. You will know that any hint of supernatural horror is merely misdirection and likely have a good idea of who the “real bad guy” is. Even the film’s attempts to shock audiences and catch them off-guard fall closely in line with a precedent established by other horror franchises.

Because of this, among other reasons, Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever doesn’t feel like a necessary continuation of the original’s story. Instead, it comes off as a desperate attempt by a director who peaked thirty years ago to cash in on his prime. Oh well — if nothing else, its release serves as an excuse for Shudder to rerelease the excellent 1994 film. Take this opportunity to watch that much better thriller if you haven’t seen it before.

Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever streams on Shudder beginning May 17.

​Rating: 2.5/5