Thirty years after introducing viewers to a sadistic serial killer in the Danish horror film Nightwatch (aka Nattevagten), writer/director Ole Bornedal has returned to the world of his harrowing film with the sequel Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever. Easily one of my favorite films of the year thus far, Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever is a relentlessly tense examination of the damaging effects of unresolved trauma on families, the painful healing of the grieving process, and how the past can literally come back to haunt you... with something sharp in its hands.
Featuring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kim Bodnia, and Ulf Pilgaard reprising their roles from the original Nightwatch alongside a talented roster of actors who are new to this franchise, Demons Are Forever is now streaming on Shudder, and Daily Dead caught up with writer/director Ole Bornedal to discuss continuing the story of Nightwatch 30 years later, exploring the aftereffects of violent trauma through his film's characters, reuniting with the actors from the first film, working with his daughter, Fanny Leander Bornedal, who plays the lead role of Emma in the sequel, and his plans for a Nightwatch TV series.
Ole Bornedal also reflected on directing the American remake of Nightwatch in 1997 and shared how he passed on directing Kevin Williamson's script for Scream, leaving the door open for Wes Craven to helm the now-iconic horror film.
You can watch my full video interview with Ole Bornedal below, and we also have the official trailer and synopsis with additional details on Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever.
Synopsis: 22-year-old medical student Emma (Fanny Leander Bornedal) has just taken a job as the night watch in the same forensic department where her parents were once almost killed by the famed psychopathic police inspector Wörmer. The events led to her mother’s suicide, and her father Martin (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) has turned to tranquilizers to suppress the memories. Determined to investigate what exactly happened to them, Emma tracks down and confronts Wörmer, only to unintentionally reawaken his bloodthirst and ignite a violent revenge on everyone who sealed his destiny years ago.
Screenwriter and Director: Ole Bornedal
Starring: Fanny Leander Bornedal, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kim Bodnia, Sonja Richter, Ulf Pilgaard, Casper Kjær Jensen, Paprika Steen, Nina Rask, Alex Høgh Andersen, Sonny Lindberg, Niels Anders Thorn, Tina Gylling, Casper Phillipson, Vibeke Hastrup, Christopher Læssø
Producers: Thomas Heinesen, Christel C.D. Karlsen, and Signe Baasch
Executive Producers: Katrine Vogelsang, Henrik Zein, Peter Nadermann, and Doris Schrenner
Language: Danish
Running Time: 113 mins
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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