I opened out 2024 with my review of Demon Castle: Part 1. This was the first of a two part supernatural documentary charting demonologist and paranormal investigator Sean Austin's experiences at a reputedly haunted castle in upstate New York. Things ended there getting towards the finish of the first of the three days the team were investigating.
After a brief recap, part 2 swiftly gets back into the swing of things with the culmination of the first nights stay. Night two comes and goes with more voices on the voice box recorder, more glimpses of shadowy forms, and more apparent communication with both trapped spirits and the demonic entity often referred to as 'Odin'. As well as the atmospheric and undoubtably creepy looking castle itself, there is also a section that takes place in what used to be the stables, another effective location. I did think some parts of this seemed more designed to create a sense of threat for Austin and his team, such as some assertion that some keys falling into a box was a sign that spirits were trying to prevent the team from leaving the house.
The promised exorcism occurred, I seem to remember thinking the same thing back when I watched Malefice - A True Story of a Demonic Haunting, that the exorcism itself is chill, rather than in horror films where it is the epicentre of the horror storm. This one takes place during the day time, and includes some interesting elements such as burying symbols in each corner of the castle property.
With twenty minutes left I assumed this would finish in an epilogue, but instead this goes in an unexpected direction, with linking the entity known as 'Odin' to the real double murder of two teenage girls a few years previously in Delphi. This includes Austin and team heading to the site where the girls were killed and saying prayers to allow their spirits to move on. On the one hand this could be seen as milking a tragic real life event for views, but on the other hand, if Austin and his team are as legitimate as they are portrayed in the documentary in their beliefs, then it puts them in a much better light for wanting to help what they believe to be innocent spirits cross over into heaven. This whole section, along with footage from later experiences that seem to refer to the castle location, unifies Austin and his team more, with it seeming this is their life, and that the castle investigation wasn't purely created for entertainment purposes, though the documentary is certainly designed to entertain.
Despite being in total double the length of a typical documentary on supernatural investigating, I didn't find Demon Castle to ever get dull. It helps that the castle does look the part, even if some of the dialogue seems designed to make things seem more dangerous and scary than they likely are. I enjoyed the time spent at the site itself, but I also enjoyed the epilogue which gave a breath of fresh air for the end of the tale. Whether what is shown is real or not, again, this is entertaining to watch, and Austin and his team always come across as interesting and earnest.
SCORE:
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