The Dark Days of Demetrius is the sixth full length feature from Denver auteur filmmaker Dakota Ray. The film is a disturbing, lo-fi horror film revolving around the exploits of Demetrius (D... Read allThe Dark Days of Demetrius is the sixth full length feature from Denver auteur filmmaker Dakota Ray. The film is a disturbing, lo-fi horror film revolving around the exploits of Demetrius (Dakota Ray), an elusive, narcissistic, serial killer who has gained stardom from live strea... Read allThe Dark Days of Demetrius is the sixth full length feature from Denver auteur filmmaker Dakota Ray. The film is a disturbing, lo-fi horror film revolving around the exploits of Demetrius (Dakota Ray), an elusive, narcissistic, serial killer who has gained stardom from live streaming the murders of his victims online, with the press dubbing him as ''The Live Stream Ki... Read all
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- TriviaDakota Ray has stated that the film's soundtrack from Belgian death metal band Emperor ov Larvae is ''one of the heaviest soundtracks ever used in film.''
- ConnectionsFeatured in American Scumbags (2016)
During the first segment of the film, the viewer follows Demetrius like a fly on the wall, witnessing the countless atrocities that he commits, including but not limited to stabbings, shootings, and taunting the families of his deceased victims. Through it all, Demetrius is fueled by his ambition of attaining the status of a celebrity or cultural icon. Demetrius is charismatic and philosophical regarding his "art" (murdering), and how "each life he takes adds more value to his own". As the first act of the film concludes, we learn through a series of flashback scenes that Demetrius had a traumatic childhood, which gives Demetrius' character more depth, somewhat justifying his actions and allowing the viewer to slightly sympathize with him. During the second act of the film, the viewer is introduced to Clive (Fred Epstein), a corrupt, murderous news reporter who fabricates the carnage he reports about. Actor Fred Epstein (who also played drug kingpin Chester in Ray's second film American Scumbags) manages to imbue a sense of twisted humor into this dark and somber film with his portrayal of Clive, a crazed, coke head journalist who is desperate to find (or create) the next sensational news headline to remain relevant in the competitive news industry.
The second act of the film featuring Clive, thrusts the viewer into a world of corruption of the news media, where ethical journalism is irrelevant, and shocking sensationalism is all that matters. Clive's transgressions that the viewer bears witness to include lighting homeless people on fire, murdering drug dealers and buying shock videos-all to exploit for the benefit of drawing more traffic to his news site, The Sunnydale Times. The main conflict of the film arises when Demetrius anonymously reaches out to Clive for an an interview, wanting to feed his ego and "provide the public with some insight" about himself. Clive agrees to the interview and also to comply with Demetrius' request that he not be misquoted in any way. The interview that commences is easily one of the chilling and memorable scenes in the film, due in part to atmospheric lighting, artistic camera work, and the haunting soundtrack that accompanies it. Once the interview is finished however, we learn that Clive has no intentions of complying with Demetrius' demands, and instead fabricates the interview and attempts to frame Demetrius for a murder that Clive committed earlier on in the film. Once Demetrius finds out, he is furious and makes a confrontational phone call to Clive demanding that the interview be taken down. Clive adamantly refuses, and promptly hangs up on Demetrius. Clive then proceeds to commit more murders and attempts to frame Demetrius furthermore. In retaliation, Demetrius plots his revenge, conceiving a plan to settle the score with Clive, which will result in a violent and ironic finale to the film.
Other characters in the film include, Baphomet a masked killer who wears a goat mask (as his name suggest) who is essentially a faceless "copy cat killer" of Demetrius, who hopes that he too, can attain stardom from broadcasting murders online. Other minor characters float into the storyline as well such as a prostitute, and a drug dealer, but only serve the purpose of being victimized, and are quickly dispatched by either Demetrius or Clive.
The Dark Days of Demetrius is quite the departure from Ray's previous effort, the Satanic arthouse/horror/drug film American Antichrist. The Dark Days of Demetrius finds Ray returning to a more coherent, character driven style of story telling, eschewing the abstract and non-linear storyline perfected in American Antichrist. The hostile and dark atmosphere of The Dark Days of Demetrius is complimented by a blistering soundtrack from Belgian advant Garde death metal band Emperor Ov Larvae, as well as nauseating, white noise sound scape that plays all through out the film, further establishing the uncomfortable atmosphere.
Visually, The Dark Days of Demetrius returns to the murky lo-fi nature of Ray's filmmaking style, reminiscent of his earlier films such as My Master Satan: 3 Tales of Drug Fueled Violence and American Scumbags. The lo-fi quality of the footage works in the film's favor, establishing a very authentic snuff film/serial Killer-esque kind of vibe. The camera work is also notable in this film as well-as it is artistic and methodical, with Ray utilizing multiple camera angles, close up shots, and pans to effectively establish the film's atmosphere.
Similar to Ray's previous efforts such as The Acid Sorcerer or American Antichrist, lots of symbolism is employed through the film. Whether it be a surreal dream scene of Demetrius bound in an S&M torture mask, seeing himself as a suffering God, or the potential social commentary regarding the manipulation of the news media-this movie is multi layered. However, it is ultimately left up to the viewer to determine whether or not they want to acknowledge and or find deeper meaning within the film. In conclusion, The Dark Days of Demetrius is a disturbing, unique, and though provoking horror film from a mysterious filmmaker, at the height of his creativity, firing on all cylinders. This film is definitely not for everyone, as it's bleak, dark and nihilistic tone will deter some viewers. However, for those who can handle it, the film is a rewarding cinematic experience.
- Fromthedepthsofhell66
- Sep 2, 2019
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- Budget
- $10,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour
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