Demon House

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Demon House
Demon House (Official Poster, 2018).png
Directed by Zak Bagans
Screenplay byZak Bagans
Produced by
  • Michael Dorsey
  • Joseph Taglieri
Starring
  • Zak Bagans
  • Jay Wasley
  • Billy Tolley
Cinematography
  • Chris Scarafile
  • Jay Wasley
Edited by
  • Michael Dorsey
  • Joseph Taglieri
Music by Mimi Page
Production
company
Freestyle Releasing
Distributed byFreestyle Releasing
Release date
  • March 16, 2018 (2018-03-16)(United States)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Demon House is a 2018 American documentary horror film directed and written by Zak Bagans, starring Bagans, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley as themselves. The film follows the Ammons haunting case and was released in the United States on March 16, 2018, by Freestyle Releasing, with supposedly "lost footage" from the film being released on January 1, 2019 and an Uncut version airing shortly after on February 16, 2019.

Contents

Synopsis

Zak Bagans purchases the house in which the alleged Ammons hauntings occurred. Bagans leads a team of paranormal investigators to investigate the house. According to the film, "strange things begin happening" and "the crew becomes fearful of what they may be involved in".

Cast

Production

Zak Bagans, the host of Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures , wrote and directed Demon House, the second film he has made since 2004. [1] The film is based on the "mass hysteria" which surrounded the 2014 alleged demonic possession in Gary, Indiana, of the Ammons family. [2] [3]

Release

The film played in select theaters nationwide before its digital release on March 16, 2018. [4]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 54% based on 13 reviews and an average rating of 4.3/10. [5]

Steve Barton of Dread Central said the film was one of the "single most compelling documentaries on the existence of the supernatural that I've ever witnessed. Whether or not The Ammons House was haunted or is the portal to hell is still very much debatable". [6]

Noel Murray, writing for the Los Angeles Times called the film "hooey", and said "Zak Bagans' documentary Demon House is essentially an uncensored, overlong episode of his long-running Travel Channel series Ghost Adventures . And while this particular 'paranormal investigation' may terrify the more credulous among Bagans' fan base, skeptics are likely to feel bored and confused." [7]

RogerEbert.com reviewer Nick Allen criticized the film, saying Bagans had "little filmmaking tact other than trying to prove he’s right" amounting to a "hammy enterprise" that "feels more superficial than supernatural". [8]

Skeptical investigator Kenny Biddle reviewed the film, characterizing it as a pseudo-documentary, "meaning it is filmed in a documentary style but doesn't portray real events". Biddle wrote that there was "no actual investigation of paranormal claims; there was ample retelling of experiences and anecdotes, lots of speculation, misinterpretations, and shady editing, but no solid investigating." [9]

References

  1. Marisa Kwiatkowski (March 12, 2018). "Zak Bagans' 'Demon House' movie set in Indiana home warns 'View at your own risk'". Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  2. Sokol, Tony (February 16, 2018). "Demon House Documentary Deconstructs The Devil's Design". Den of Geek. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  3. Foutch, Haleigh (February 26, 2018). "Exclusive 'Demon House' Trailer: Horror Documentary Explores the Infamous "House of 200 Demons"". Collider. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  4. N'Duka, Amanda (January 11, 2018). "Freestyle Digital Locks Up 'Demon House'". Deadline. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  5. "Demon House (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  6. Barton, Steve (March 12, 2018). "Demon House Review - One of the Single Most Compelling Documentaries of Pure Evil You'll See". Dread Central. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  7. Murray, Noel (March 15, 2018). "Zak Bagans' documentary 'Demon House' is too much hooey, not enough boo". LA Times. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  8. Allen, Nick. "Demon House". rogerebert.com. Ebert Digital. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  9. Biddle, Kenny (May 21, 2018). "Demon House Deconstructed". Skeptical Inquirer. CSICOP. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.