Back in 2021 I watched a couple of documentaries from paranormal investigator/demonologist Sean Austin. These had him and his team investigating allegedly haunted places (Malefice - A True Story of a Demonic Haunting), as well as looking back on a past case (Devil Down South). Demon Castle sees him back investigating reported hauntings, leading into a case that got more sinister as it went along, and a documentary that was so big it had to be split into two parts.
Demon Castle takes place at an old Scottish styled castle that was built in upstate New York in the 1870's. It had originally belonged to a Scottish man and his family, before the house was sold and over the years became dilapidated and unloved. Then in 2020 a new owner brought the property, hoping to renovate it and move in. After some unexplained events, Sean and his team are asked to take a look, with half of their investigation taking place in part one. This includes the preliminary visit with colleague Eric Conner, and a later return visit, along with a few others, including Mollie Lewis.
There felt more of a story with this documentary, starting with a history of the place and just who owned it, before moving to the present for the rest of it. The castle certainly looks creepy, with none of its rooms looking like they wouldn't feel out of place in a horror movie. These include both a dark and dank attic and basement that feature a lot in part one. It is stated that in the time after the castle was brought, some people had broken in and performed some type of demonic ritual, and that whoever did that might have summoned an evil entity that still resides in the building.
Compared to Malefice, the investigation followed a familiar format, the initial visit, and then a return that saw the team stay there over several nights. Much of their interactions with the apparent spirits is conducted by a spirit box type thing that allows the spirits to let their intentions be known by speaking through it in a rough way. Austin also adds to this with visions he says he sees of beings that exist at the castle, such as a figure with red or yellow eyes, and a woman cradling a baby. The key moment of the first part is when the team are in the basement, several strange occurrences take place one after the other, leading the four to believe they are dealing with an evil entity. The footage mostly comes from the cameraman stationed there, and key bits of evidence are replayed over and over, as well as subtitles being put on screen for the random words that come out of the spirit box.
While I remain a sceptic, again, I can't deny the entertainment aspect of this, or that the team come across as believable, having a natural rapport together, especially with Austin and Conner. They create an interesting story at an atmospheric location, that I am eager to follow to its conclusion, so will be checking out part two to see how this all concludes, knowing that it will involve an exorcism. Despite only being half of the overall documentary, Demon Castle breezed through its eighty minute run time without a moment of dullness to be found.
SCORE:
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