Horror and comedy go together like peanut butter and bananas — it’s an unconventional pairing, but if done right, it’s a wonderful combination. Whether it’s the over-the-top excessive violence of Braindead or the goofy premise of Killer Klowns From Outer Space, a great way to undercut the terrors on screen is to provide plenty of laughs alongside it. Horror comedies have been a fantastic gateway to the horror genre for those unfamiliar with it, and they provide an opportunity to comment on the conventions and standards that become associated with it.

Shudder’s upcoming original, Sorry About the Demon, appears to be joining the streaming service’s surplus of horror comedies. With a focus on demonic possession crossed with relationship troubles, we can expect Sorry About the Demon to be a hilarious story about an amateur exorcist combined with self-aware comedy.

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This is everything we know about Sorry About the Demon.

Sorry About the Demon: The Plot

The official plot synopsis for Sorry About the Demon provided by Shudder is as follows.

Sorry About the Demon’s trailer sets up a traditional-looking romantic comedy, with a protagonist that everyone can relate to. We’ve all been heartbroken at one point or another, and while Will (Jon Michael Simpson) tries his best to make do with his new single life, it’s still a struggle. That is until cabinets fling themselves open and bodies get possessed by spirits.

“What’s worse than getting dumped? For Will, it’s finding out that his new place is haunted. Now faced with a quarter-life crisis and a house full of spirits, Will must figure out how to make things right with his ex-girlfriend AND banish the sacrifice-seeking demon residing in his house.”

It looks to be a slightly fresher take on demonic possessions. While it does look like Will receives outside help in the form of a psychic or exorcist, a funny moment towards the end of the trailer points out Will’s nervous attempt at taking things into his own hands: a printout of exorcism instructions. Will’s immediate acceptance of bringing the demon a human sacrifice to appease it is also pretty chuckle-worthy.

Will isn’t a stoic hero. He’s someone who reluctantly finds the courage to stand up to the demon himself. In all likelihood, he probably just wants to get the demon out of his house and return to what was once his normal life. We can empathize with Will. Frankly, if all it took to get rid of a demon was just one human sacrifice, who wouldn’t take the easy way out?

It’ll likely be a therapeutic undertaking for Will, as saving the lives of others may be just what he needs to get out of his relationship slump. If he’s lucky, he may just win back his ex-girlfriend’s affection. Alternatively, it may give him the confidence to set out and try to find love with someone new. Either way, we’ll be rooting for Will along his nightmarish journey.

Sorry About the Demon: The Cast

     Shudder

Playing Will is actor and producer Jon Michael Simpson, whose prior experience in the horror genre includes a handful of roles across Scare Package, Apartment 413, and the V/H/S/ miniseries. Simpson previously collaborated with the director of Sorry About the Demon, Emily Hagins, for her “Cold Open” segment on Scare Package. Because of this, we can hopefully expect a stellar performance out of Simpson.

The rest of the cast is filled out with Paige Evans and Jeff McQuitty, who will be playing Will’s ex-girlfriend Amy and her new boyfriend Patrick, respectively. McQuitty previously collaborated with Jon Michael Simpson for the comedy film The Tiny Life of Butcher Duke, while Evans has made multiple appearances in dramatizations of real events, including Paranormal Nightshift, Hotel Paranormal, and A Time to Kill. It’ll be interesting to see how these experiences will translate to a horror comedy, as Sorry About the Demon will be a standout among both actors’ filmography.

The Sellers family — likely the same family that offers Will his new home to begin with — will be played by Dave Peniuk (Ken Sellers), Sarah Cleveland (Tammy Sellers), Presley Allard (Grace Sellers), and Jude Zappala (Jake Sellers). Additional cast members include Tony Vespe, Olivia Ducayen, Kristen MacCulloch, Jolly Amoako, and Scout Flint.

Release Date

Sorry About the Demon will premiere exclusively on Shudder on January 19.

Everything Else We Know

Sorry About the Demon will mark another film in the blossoming filmography of Emily Hagins, a director who has received attention for her complete and utter devotion to filmmaking. At the age of thirteen, Hagins wrote, directed, and edited an almost feature-length film titled Pathogen, which was a low-budget zombie thriller. Since then, her work can be seen in the V/H/S/ miniseries and Scare Package, the latter of which is available on Shudder.

Sorry About the Demon originally premiered at FrightFest 2022, a film festival hosted in the United Kingdom.