All Aboard the Exorcist Express in Speed Demon!

There’s a certain kind of B-movie pitch that practically writes its own hype, and Speed Demon from Jon Keeyes, is right in that sweet spot. Marketed as an exorcism-on-a-train horror, the premise sounds perfectly unhinged, even if it stops just short of the full parody potential you might hope for. Instead, the film follows a crisis of faith unfolding at high speed, as a nun is forced to confront a demonic presence mid-journey. It’s a concept that feels tailor-made for camp, though the trailer suggests it’s playing things relatively straight.

Set aboard a Montreal-to-New York journey, gone horribly wrong, the film pairs Katie Cassidy and William H. Macy as Sister Lu and Father Novak. The pair are thrown into chaos when a passenger becomes host to the demon Asmodeus. As the train hurtles out of control, Sister Lu must overcome her wavering faith to perform a dangerous exorcism, one that could be the only thing standing between salvation and disaster. Despite its pulpy setup, Speed Demon looks surprisingly solid for a VOD genre entry, bolstered by Keeyes’ experienced hand and a committed cast. It lands in select US theatres and on VOD May 31, and while it may not embrace its most absurd instincts, there’s still plenty here to tempt curious horror fans.