Vague Visages’ Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever review contains minor spoilers. Ole Bornedal’s 2023 movie on Shudder features Fanny Leander Bornedal, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Kim Bodnia. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews, along with cast/character summaries, streaming guides and complete soundtrack song listings.

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Now available on Shudder, Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever is formulaic to a fault. The 2023 sequel loses the edge of its eponymous 1994 predecessor, with the primary issue being a by-the-books script. On the bright side, writer-director Ole Bornedal spotlights the acting talent of his daughter, Fanny Leander Bornedal, a Danish actress who Netflix subscribers might remember for her scene-stealing role in the director’s 2021 war film, The Bombardment (Skyggen i mit øje).

In Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever, Fanny Bornedal stars as a medical student, Emma, who investigates the circumstances that led to her mother’s 2010 suicide. She accepts a forensic night watch position, hoping to learn more about a serial killer, Wörmer (Ulf Pilgaard, reprising his villain role from the 1994 film), who traumatized her father, Martin (Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Structurally, Ole Bornedal plays it a little too safe by masking his recycled material with red herrings and slight conceptual shifts. For example, Emma listens to her father’s walkman from Nightwatch, but this reveals little about her personality. Plus, the original film’s primary comic relief character, Jens (Kim Bodnia), is essentially replaced, in terms of character archetypes, by three mischievous medical students: Alex Høgh Andersen as Frederik (Emma’s love interest), Nina Terese Rask as Maria (Emma’s friend) and Sonny Lindberg as Sofus (the quirky member of the group). Also, Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever mostly takes place in the same setting as the original film. So, on one level, there’s plenty of familiarity that might theoretically appeal to viewers, yet the screenplay telegraphs/fumbles its narrative direction as Emma learns about a mask-wearing copycat killer (Casper Kjær Jensen as Bent) while speaking to a kind therapist (Sonja Richter as Gunver) about her father’s background. Ole Bornedal does indeed sustain suspense throughout the 110-minute film through a series of clever twists, even if the telling character dialogue points to a logical suspect or two midway through.

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Cinematographer Lasse Frank Johannessen (The Bombardment) composes exquisite shots all throughout Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever, but his style slightly contrasts with the roaming, almost voyeuristic approach of Dan Laustsen (a longtime Guillermo del Toro collaborator) in the original film. Whereas Nightwatch is a psychosexual thriller, Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever favors jump scares and twists over eroticism. That’s completely understandable given the familial relationship between director and star, but Emma’s jokester boyfriend, Frederik, comes across as little more than a stock character — one who gets pushed to the sideline when the aforementioned Jens returns home from a 20-year stay in Thailand. Also, there’s a Clarice Starling/Hannibal Lecter dynamic (The Silence of the Lambs, 1991) in the scenes between Fanny Bornedal and Pilgaard as Wörmer; however, the villain’s blindness limits the potential for truly memorable scares, as he’s not quite equipped to form and execute a violent escape plan. Due to the film’s heavy emphasis on character psychology, the most intriguing moments emerge from the friction between Emma (still unable to fully process her mother’s suicide) and her father, Martin, whose mental state affects his daughter’s big picture perspective and questionable decision-making process.

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Die-hard horror fans will presumably appreciate Ole Bornedal’s traditional filmmaking approach in Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever. It’s that wink-of-the-eye style; one can tell what’s coming, but it’s unclear how the scares will play out. Of course, Coster-Waldau provides traditional star power given his cinematic identity as Game of Thrones’ Jaime Lannister. Ten years from now, though, don’t be surprised if a new generation of pop culture consumers remember Fanny Bornedal more than her famous co-star in Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever. The Danish actress’ charming onscreen presence is comparable to an American performer like Amy Adams, and her Scandinavian looks/acting talent just might lead to a mainstream breakthrough in a TV series like Fargo (2014-) or in any film set in the Upper Midwest. Fanny Bornedal doesn’t receive the best of material in Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever, yet there’s enough for casting agents to take note (see a trembling lip scene or Emma’s passive-aggressive reaction to a low-key familial insult).

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The introduction of new franchise characters in Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever elevates the overall suspense. The big problems, however, are the lack of character development and the clumsy final act execution. Ole Bornedal leans heavy on psychological subtext throughout the thriller but doesn’t seem interested in exploring the consequences of his characters’ decisions. It’s all a bit too neat, from the opening act (when Emma inexplicably earns her father’s former job) to the climax (when all the heavy foreshadowing culminates with a metaphorical whimper, rather than a big bang that knocks audiences on their ass). However, keep an eye on Fanny Bornedal. It won’t be long until she headlines (or co-headlines) a high-profile TV series or film on a major streaming service.

Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever released May 17, 2024 on Shudder.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

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