The DÆMON | universal forces connect in Cosmic Horror

Hullo. My name is Lee

There are forces greater than us that oppose us, and indescribable things happen. Co-writer / director of The Daemon, David Michael Yohe, is sharing a quick run down of Cosmic Horror, and as the film is a mind-pop of cosmic intrigue that is causing a lot of rumble, we’re very happy to hear more about the embrace of the other-worldly and impossible.

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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El7FtongtY8[/embedyt]

The Daemon is at Screams by the Sea, and has been quickly picking up momentum and reputation as a demonstration of a thoughtful Lovecraftian movie that threads chills through your soul.

Part of that could be how it is rooted in the universal experience of loss, grief, isolation and dealing with those seismic emotional shifts, which The Daemon is built around.

“Matt [co-writer and director Matt Devino] and I had started writing, and I unfortunately lost a family member. I remember feeling that everyone’s going to go through loss at some point and it’s such a universal, relatable thing to talk about,” says David. But that loss happened during Covid, creating an extra external force impacting that intimate moment.

How small we are

Hullo. My name is Lee

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“Without putting that exactly on screen, it was extremely cathartic to write grief in there. And then the other things that followed: addiction, depression,” says David. “There’s no better way that Matt and I found to deal with tough issues than Cosmic Horror, because it allows you to have some measure of scale of how small we are and insignificant in this universe against something massively unknown that at any moment in time can take us.”

Directors Matt Devino (left) and David Michael Yohe (right)

“There’s no better way that Matt and I found to deal with tough issues than Cosmic Horror

The joy of writing the film was taking the real issues of grief, addiction, family trauma, generational trauma as the main vessel for a story and to have all those difficult topics on screen.

Tension-turning

That approach seems to have resonated really well with audiences – the reception has been overwhelming. And it sits so well with the slow-burn, tension-turning style of Cosmic Horror that allows for more heart and more drama, which lands so well with the audience.

It’s a style that David and Matt honed in a host of shorts – The Daemon is their first feature.

“You want to take the next step,” says David. “We were 30 guys against the world, and we went and did it.”

Key to that is energy, momentum and team.

Build your film family

“On the short-form work, you build your film family,” says David. The process of making a feature is really similar, but with principal photography taking longer, and instead of shooting for days, you shoot for weeks.

“You balance your energy,” says David. “You’re making sure that you don’t pop your cork too fast – it’s more a marathon on set. But other than that, it’s really the same.”

New juice

And once post-production hit, Matt and David knew they had to move into another gear and provide new people, new energy, new juice to drive the film forward, and “find new ways to make this the best it can be,” says David. “You don’t lean on just what you wrote, and you don’t lean on what you’ve shot. You try to take those puzzle pieces and then really explore new ways to make this the best possible version, to deliver the most unique film you can.”

The post-production process was fantastic, he says, working with editor Johnnie Martinez, building on what the crew, including cinematographer JR Kraus, and actors and actresses had provided. And in post, David and Matt invoked the power of asking, and reaching out, working with sound guru Jack Madigan, for example.

Two-way dream

“It really was this wonderful train of collaboration that just kept stacking. You get these creative influences from these really talented artists in their own field. They’re the best at what they do. You want to maximize that, and that two-way dream starts to create something that you never thought was possible, and then your film will be better for it. “

It’s an inquisitive drive that’s still full of wonder.

“There’s a 12-year-old that lives inside of me and still has movie posters on his wall, and finds this whole business and the art of movies just fascinating,” says David, who includes a joy for all types of films from popcorn movies to Terrence Malick.

“Jess’ (Adriana Isabel) Dream,” Directed by Matt Devino & David Yohe, THE DÆMON, 2024

“It’s just an amazing art form, and finding your place is the really hard part. At first, you emulate what you like, and then you have to try and figure out the technical side,” says David. At the same time, you have to work out the intersection of where art meets commerce.

And that creative inspiration is found all around, including music. For The Daemon, David was able to reach out to a band he stumbled on while writing the film and managed to fit them in. It was part of that process of filmmaking which is so fulfilling, finding new creative connections and making work with friends.

Summer camp

“It’s always like summer camp in a weird way,” says David about filmmaking. “You’re working with good people and you create this thing that no one else is a part of, and it’s going to be in your memory forever.”

With so many unique pathways to making a film and getting that first feature over the line, what is his advice?

“Just don’t stop,” says David.

“It’s tough. You’re going to hear a million nos, and you’re going to go through a bunch of roller coasters. But if you really want to make something, treat it as oxygen, and when you need it as much as oxygen – like you can’t breathe without doing this – you’re going to end up finding a way. There’s no magic formula.

Be a good person

“The only true magic is to keep doing it and keep bettering yourself. That could take 10 years. It could take two years – there’s no timeline. That would be my absolute advice to a younger version of me. I’m here now. And I did listen to that, I guess. Your trajectory is different to anyone else’s. So just follow that, believe in it, keep going and be a good person, don’t deal with assholes. Find your own way. Trust your gut, build your film family, to be the kind of people you want to be around.”

The Daemon is at Screams by the Sea in Bournemouth. It was premiered at FrightFest, follow it on Instagram