The Black Demon dabbles between genres, perhaps to impress a broader audience, but it fails to deliver the basics. It was supposed to be a creature horror film, according to the title and the description, but there is nothing scary about The Black Demon. Adrian Grunberg was so caught up in conveying a message and incorporating mythological elements that the horror was completely lost. While the message is important, it would have impressed me if it was delivered better. The subpar performance adds to the disaster.
Spoilers Alert
‘The Black Demon’ Plot Summary: What Happens In The Film?
The Black Demon begins with the introduction of the tales of the mythical shark that lives off the Baja coast. We get to know that the gigantic Megalodon shark has affected the sanity of several fishermen and it was termed “El Demonio Negro” by the locals. A family of four travels to the Baja Peninsula on a work vacation. Paul Sturges is a proud employee at Nixon Oil. He headed the security division and was on his way to check the conditions on El Diamante oil rig. He hoped to resuscitate the rig instead of decommissioning it.
After reaching Costa Azul, Paul and Ines were surprised to find out that the hotel had been shut down. The town looked empty in general, and the people who lived there stared at Paul and his family with suspicion. Paul interacted with a couple of strangers, and they were not too welcoming either. When Paul mentioned that he worked for Nixon Oil and that the company was responsible for building the place, the strangers turned all the more furious. He indirectly blamed Nixon Oil for the damage they had done to the place. Ines pacified the situation and asked El Rey to help them locate an eatery. While walking to the eatery, they noticed how deserted the town was. There was clearly a dark secret that the town was hiding.
Upon reaching the food shack, Paul decided to get the inspection at the oil rig done and asked Ines to find a decent hotel for themselves. Even though Ines did not feel safe, she agreed to it, thinking that it was only a matter of a few hours. Paul located the boat that was assigned to take him to the rig, but after traveling halfway, Chocolatito refused to go any further, stating that there was a bad vibe. He offered Paul to travel in an extra motorboat that he had kept ready. Paul traveled to the oil rig alone and was shocked to see that there was no one around. Meanwhile, Ines, Tommy, and Audrey enjoyed the view of the sea from the shack. Soon, a few men gathered and started to harass Ines and Audrey. Ines knocked one of the men in the head with a glass bottle and walked away from the shack. The men continued to follow them, and with no other options in hand, Ines paid a fisherman and asked him to take them to the oil rig. While they managed to escape one danger, they were immediately forced to encounter the next big problem at hand.
How Was The Nixon Oil Company Responsible For The Curse Of El Diamante?
While traveling to the oil rig, Choco stated that El Diamante had woken up the demon, and that was the reason why most of the villagers either fled or died. Paul dismissed the strange theory and laughed at it. But the moment he reached the oil rig and found it empty, he started to question his decisions. Paul found a little dog at the rig, and immediately two men attempted to attack him. They did not expect someone from the company to visit them. When Paul explained who he was, Chato and Junior started to gradually explain what went wrong with El Diamante. Meanwhile, Ines and her children sensed a strange presence as they neared the rig. When Audrey touched the water, her palm was covered in oil. Chato and Junior noticed the megalodon shark going around the boat Ires and the kids were in, and they tried to distract El Demonio by making noises. Panic started to set in as they noticed Paul’s boat go down. Ires, Audrey, and Tommy safely reached the rig. While returning to the town, the fisherman who brought Ires and her children to the rig was attacked and consumed by the gargantuan megalodon. Paul and his family now knew what they were dealing with. Paul was not only responsible for resuscitating the rig but also for protecting his family from the creature.
Chato revealed that some of the lucky crew members managed to escape while the rest were killed. He further added that the radio on the rig did not function, and the calls that were previously made to the company went ignored. Nixon Oil knew about the rampant spillage, but they never solved the issue. Later, Ines discovered the safety reports and noticed that the warnings were ignored, and the documents were signed by Paul. Ines realized that her husband knew about the deteriorating conditions of the oil rig all along, but he chose to turn a blind eye. When she confronted Paul, he admitted his mistakes and added that he did what he had to provide a better life for his family. His job would have been at risk if he had not acted according to the interests of the company. He was, in a way, forced to sign the reports, and he regretted losing his moral conscience during the time. Oil companies like Nixon Oil have developed self-inspection procedures to get away with everything. Paul remembered that the first time he tested Diamante, it was a complete failure. In his first report, he listed all the hazards and problems that he noticed. The next morning, he was threatened by the company. He was not ready to lose his well-paying job, and from that day on, Paul learned to work solely in the interest of the company, even if it meant lying in the reports.
What Was The Origin Of El Demonio?
Chato and Junior prepared to make an underwater run to bring back the power, and while doing so, they discussed the myth around El Demonio. When the oil rig was established, the people of Bahia Azul were hopeful about the future. Jobs were promised, and people aspired for a better standard of living. Things looked good in the beginning, but gradually the company started to overlook the regulatory standards, and everything took a turn for the worse. El Demonio was not just a megalodon; Chato believed that the creature was a curse. The god of rain, Tlaloc, is considered the giver of life, and his tears make up the oceans, the rivers, and the lakes. When people took more than they needed, Tlaloc punished them. Chato believed that El Demonio was not just a creature; it was the extension of the old gods. The ocean was constantly polluted, and Tlaloc was not happy about it. El Demonio was sent to teach humanity a lesson. The ones who encountered the creature saw vivid visions that the god wanted them to see. When Audrey fell into the water, she saw dismembered bodies all around her. According to Chato, this was god’s way of holding humans accountable for the mistakes they committed.
Why Was Paul Sent To The Rig By Nixon Oil?
Paul noticed an underwater timer bomb attached to the leg of the rig. He realized that the bomb was planted by Nixon Oil to murder him while he was at the rig. The batteries used in the bomb were the ones the company used for underwater demolition. Paul could not help but laugh at the situation he was in. The people he tried to please all these years conspired to kill him. The oil spill was beyond control; the rig was almost nonfunctional, and sooner or later, it would all get reported. They needed someone to blame it all on, and Paul was the perfect candidate for that. They had his signature on every security report, and they intended to use it to state that it was his negligence that resulted in the spill. Paul was determined to right his wrongs, and he came up with a plan that could save his family. He decided to stop the leak by using the repair valves and bombing El Demonio to end the torment. Even though it was a risky move, Paul knew that there was no alternative. Meanwhile, Audrey and Tommy came up with the idea of building a raft that they could use.
Did Paul And His Family Survive?
Paul prepared to dive underwater to protect his family. Before leaving, the family prayed together, along with Chato, in the hopes that Tlaloc would forgive them and allow them the chance to leave safely. While Paul worked on executing his plan, Chato, Ines, Audrey, and Tommy boarded the makeshift raft. Paul went halfway through his plan, but he had to come up with an alternative after he was attacked by the black demon. The bomb was ticking, and he did not have much time on his hands. At the end of The Black Demon, Paul contacts his family and says his last goodbyes. Paul hoped that Chato and the residents of the town would utilize the documents he left behind to pursue justice in order to hold Nixon Oil accountable for the harm. He left his watch for Tommy, who had always dreamed of becoming a pirate. With the bomb attached to his body, Paul was consumed by El Demonio, and just as the bomb ticked, the creature was destroyed. His wife and children watched the bomb blow up from a distance. The fact that Paul was no longer alive started to set in, and even though the danger was gone, the pain of losing him was almost unbearable. The rig collapsed after the bombing. The family noticed a motorboat coming towards them. El Rey and Choco helped the family get on board. As the family travels to the shore, it starts to rain.
‘The Black Demon’ Ending Explained: What Does The Drowning Of The Boat Indicate?
Tommy had always been interested in pirates, and from the get-go, he was dressed as one. He was quite captivated by the myth of Tlaloc, and he even suggested that to appease the god of rain, they must make a sacrifice. God preferred children, and it was the tears of children that created water bodies. Aztecs ripped the fingernails off their children to make them cry before offering them to the gods. Paul did not pay heed to the myth, and he promised that he would not make any sacrifices. Later, Tommy sailed a miniature boat using clay figures that represented his family along with Tlaloc. Soon after sailing it, he noticed that the figure of his father had fallen off the boat. Therefore, the death of Paul was predicted early on. We came across the boat once again in the end, and while it was sailing fine, it suddenly drowned. Considering that the boat represented Tommy and his family, its drowning could indicate that the motorboat in which the family was returning to shore would eventually drown, and they would all die. Tommy and Audrey were in tears after realizing that their father would not make it, and we can connect the occurrence with the tears of children that Tommy discussed previously. Tommy and Audrey cried before they eventually drowned, or rather, were sacrificed to the god of rain. The people of the town would get their lives back, but we can assume that it did not end well for the Struges family.
