''Daemon'' is a 1985 British horror film about a young man who is possessed by a demon. It was written and directed by Colin Finbow and starred

Susannah York Susannah Yolande Fletcher (9 January 1939 – 15 January 2011), known professionally as Susannah York, was an English actress. Her appearances in various films of the 1960s, including '' Tom Jones'' (1963) and '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' ...

, Bert Parnaby and Arnaud Morell. It is a ghost story set in

suburbia A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

. The film was produced by the

Children's Film Unit The Children's Film Unit was a unique British film production unit which offered children from the ages of 10 to 16 the opportunity to learn about all aspects of filmmaking, and to participate as part of the crew in the making of professional-qua ...

, which made films aimed at young audiences.

Synopsis

Eleven-year-old Nick moves into a large old house with his sisters Jennie and Clare, left in the care of Helga the Swedish

au pair An au pair (; : au pairs) is a person working for, and living as part of, a homestay, host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family’s responsibility for child care as well as some homemaking, housework, and receive a monetary ...

while their parents are away in America. Nick is unhappy at his new school, where he is befriended by a boy called Sam and intimidated by scripture teacher Mr Crabb, who is interested in the occult and demonology. Nick hears voices in the house and receives messages on his computer screen. He also suffers inexplicable blisters on his feet and grazes on his elbows and knees. When he dreams of burning and wakes up in a bed full of ashes, Nick tells a psychiatrist (

) that he feels he is possessed by a demon. Three of his schoolmates agree and, when Crabb dies in a freak accident, resolve to drive a stake through his heart. However, the cause of the haunting turns out to be Tom, a child

chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a person who inspects then clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combust ...

from 1839 who was burned to death in the house's chimney. After a climactic fire, Tom's skeleton is discovered in the old fireplace and the ghost is laid to rest. The symptoms that Nick and his friend interpret as those of demonic possession the blisters, grazes and fiery nightmares actually turn out to be down to his psychic sympathy with Tom, who was burned alive while crawling up a Victorian chimney. This revelation of human cruelty and injustice lurking within supernatural manifestations allows for a finale that is satisfyingly apocalyptic on a small scale.

Reception

''Time Out'' reviewed ''Daemon,'' stating that it is "bound to grip young audiences". In his book ''British Children's Cinema: From the Thief of Bagdad to Wallace and Gromit'', Noel Brown states that the film "raises issues of alienation and depression among young people. while satirising the portentousness and moral binaries of supposedly more 'adult' films."

References

External links

* 1985 films 1985 horror films British horror television films British supernatural horror films 1980s English-language films 1980s British films English-language horror films {{UK-tv-film-stub