Written and directed by Ole Bornedal, Martin’s daughter, Emma, takes up a night watch job to find out what happened to her parents almost thirty years ago. A meeting with Wörmer in his cell pulls the serial killer out of his coma and sets in motion a chain of fateful events. Starring: Fanny Leander Bornedal, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kim Bodnia, Nina Terese Rask, Alex Høgh Andersen, Casper Kjær Jensen, Sonny Lindberg, Ulf Pilgaard, Sonja Richter and Paprika Steen.
There’s an interesting dilemma when it comes to Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever in that its concept is surprisingly relevant, being rooted in how trauma follows you throughout your life while almost completely losing its grip on reasonable reality. Undoubtedly, almost every horror film will ask its audience to let a few things slide here and there, but Ole Bornedal relies so deeply on coincidences that the entire story becomes too farfetched.
The writing makes everything overtly convenient to revisit every aspect of the original Nightwatch and instead of embracing nostalgia and creating a layered history for its plot, it encourages eye rolls. Not to mention the fact that some of it is so obvious and throws up blazing red flags that it pretty much gives away any reveals it had planned. Bornedal also goes for a few cheap shock tactics and veers off on several tangents, which is actually par for the course.
It’s a shame as Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever has an equally strong cast as its predecessor, particularly Nina Terese Rask as Maria who unexpectedly turns out to a highlight of the entire film. Creating one of the strongest characters, who feels most genuine and is entertaining to watch. It’s those new additions to the lore of the original that work best but sadly they’re few and far between. Although, much like the first, Bornedal’s directorial work is solid, and this time around it leans even further into a dark palette and adds a sharper, modern edge.
Fanny Leander Bornedal leads the way well, despite that the writing of her character is inconsistent and she can come across overly naïve and shortsighted. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Kim Bodnia give a great portrayal of the longevity of trauma, Coster-Waldau delivers a broken, intensely struggling performance. Bornedal also ups the level of violence which helps that sharper edge and makes for a few satisfying moments, with the exception of those chosen stereotypically to try and push the audience’s buttons.
Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever had a nice idea but ultimately feels like it was trying to recreate the original rather than add to it and ends up journeying down an absurdly coincidental road. It loses all believability quite quickly and leaves you questioning everything, in very much the wrong way. It could have used its foundation of long-lasting trauma and re-opening old wounds to create something both thrilling and layered but instead it took the path of least resistance and fell disappointingly short.
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