Demons & Angels (2026)
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Mary becomes convinced a mysterious stranger is following her. Her friend Jane tries to reassure her that there is nothing to fear, but appearances are deceptive, and the line between protector and predator is not what it seems.
I originally shot Demons & Angels in 2014, with Lily Chilvers in one of the main roles. The film was never properly completed at the time and was eventually abandoned, although I did string together a rough version so Lily’s mum could see what we had made. |
More than a decade later, I went back to the original footage to see if there was actually a decent short film hiding in there somewhere.
The rough version ran for around 19 minutes and, frankly, explained far too much. So I started cutting. And then cutting some more. Scenes were restructured, exposition disappeared, sound and atmosphere became much more important, and the whole thing gradually turned into a very different film.
The finished version runs at around five minutes and is tighter, darker, and, I think, far more effective than the original ever was.
It also proved something useful to me as a filmmaker: sometimes the best thing you can do is stop trying to preserve the film you thought you made and start looking properly at the film that is actually sitting in the footage.
Demons & Angels is currently on its festival run, with notifications continuing into 2027
The rough version ran for around 19 minutes and, frankly, explained far too much. So I started cutting. And then cutting some more. Scenes were restructured, exposition disappeared, sound and atmosphere became much more important, and the whole thing gradually turned into a very different film.
The finished version runs at around five minutes and is tighter, darker, and, I think, far more effective than the original ever was.
It also proved something useful to me as a filmmaker: sometimes the best thing you can do is stop trying to preserve the film you thought you made and start looking properly at the film that is actually sitting in the footage.
Demons & Angels is currently on its festival run, with notifications continuing into 2027