Across every form of media, most great stories involve average people who get ensnared in remarkable situations. When those situations involve the supernatural, ordinary folk must come to grips with their fears as they battle to save themselves from otherworldly evil.
Now imagine a tale about an extraordinary being – particularly, a spiritually reborn demon – who teams up with a specialized army of exorcists to prevent mankind from being obliterated by the Antichrist. Thanks to Frostbite Pictures’ latest thriller DemonX, that epic plotline is no longer a product of the imagination. The series’ introductory ten episode arc recently premiered on YouTube and on Amazon Video. (Links below).
Created by Jason Fischer, DemonX stars Cassandra Ebner as Lilith, a reborn former demon who’s been protected since her birth by the caring Father David (J. Douglas Stewart). To her shock, Lilith discovers that she has been cursed to enact the diabolical mission of her real Father, Satan. That mission is catastrophic, yet simple: to end the world.
Cassandra Ebner stars as the reborn ex-demon turned supernatural avenger Lilith in Frostbite Pictures’ new horror/thriller DemonX.
Now partnering with Father David, Father Adrian (Patrick Gerber) and a brave group of Catholic demon fighters dubbed X Squad, Lilith and her protectors now confront an even bigger evil in Satan’s son Damien (Osric Chau, SUPERNATURAL). As Damien aspires to accomplish the same destructive objective of his Father, the total forces of X Squad and Lilith fight to stop him for all eternity.
Though DemonX is Frostbite’s third major web series project (following DIVINE and AFTER), the show is Fischer’s first production as sole creator/writer. Since the 2010 premiere of DIVINE, which Fischer co-created with Kirk Jaques (DemonX’s fight choreographer/stunt coordinator) and Ivan Hayden, Fischer learned the tricks of the filmmaking trade while realizing what it took for Frostbite’s content to be successful with viewers.
With that knowledge at his disposal, plus backing from Canada’s Independent Production Fund (IPF) and Creative BC (British Columbia), Fischer took the next step in his filmmaking career by launching DemonX. “I created DemonX as I wanted to create my own series from the ground up,” says Fischer. “I had assisted a lot of other filmmakers in various stages of their shows and I now wanted to concentrate my creative energy on creating, writing and co-directing my own show.”
To assemble the cast for DemonX, Fischer and Producer Brady Roberts, who spearheaded casting, had to find actors who could do more than play convincing characters. “We were blessed to have Kirk Jaques on board for the series,” says Fischer. “He suggested early on that we not only consider acting with three of our lead roles, but also stunt/fight training as these roles involved a considerable amount of both.”
Seen by over 65,000 viewers on Vimeo, DemonX’s 2016 promotional trailer teased the blood-pumping thrills and epic characters of the series’ first season. While another actor depicted Lilith in the trailer, Ebner played the character in the series. “The stunt and fight demands on the character of Lilith were considerable, and after long discussions and consideration we decided to move forward with casting Cassandra Ebner in the lead role.”
Along with doing traditional on-camera speaking auditions, Ebner, Chau and Gerber also had to show off their bodily strengths for DemonX‘s stunt and fight sequences. Luckily, all three actors were ready for that exhibition. “Cassandra was an established stunt performer in the industry that was also very keen on expanding her acting roles,” Fischer remembers. “It was a smart decision as she not only brought a strong performance to the role on the acting side but also knocked the stunts and martial arts work out of the park.”
Osric Chau plays Damien, the diabolical son of Satan and enemy of mankind in DemonX.
So too did Chau, who put his lifelong experience in traditional martial arts to expert use in DemonX. “Osric is an accomplished martial artist in his own right, studying Wushu and other forms from an early age. He even made and competed with the Canadian National Wushu Team,” adds Fischer, who worked with Chau on the long-running CW series SUPERNATURAL.
For Fischer, Gerber’s audition was nothing short of unforgettable. “Patrick Gerber landed the role of Father Adrian and I can still remember his self-tape. He sent in a video of himself performing shirtless martial arts and flips in a park as part of his audition. We took advantage of those rock hard abs during filming for all of the female fans of the series.”
Citing DemonX’s limited production budget as the top reason why he needed such doubly talented actors to take on the show’s three key characters, Fischer was astonished at what Ebner, Chau and Gerber put on display during production of DemonX’s thoroughly choreographed action scenes.
“All three of the lead actors – Cassandra, Osric and Patrick – did all of their own fight sequences, and with one minor exception, did all of their own stunts as well. That isn’t something you see at this level of filmmaking very often, and speaks volumes about the sheer dedication of the cast and crew.”
Keenly aware of the show’s limited purse strings, Jaques and director Matthew Campbell carefully planned and tested every element of DemonX’s action scenes. “Matthew filmed the stunt/fight sequences in the dojo and tweaked the camera movements/placement prior to being on location,” remembers Fischer. “The sequences were then practiced at the actual locations during prep and then finally it was all combined and shot with the shooting crew and everyone in wardrobe and the sets fully dressed.”
Patrick Gerber co-stars as expert exorcist Father Adrian in DemonX.
Though DemonX is a supernatural thriller, Fischer believes that viewers who prefer frights to fights will enjoy it as much as those who like their entertainment the other way around.
“I think what sets DemonX apart from other series in this genre is its combination of being a horror/fantasy and action series. Depending on the episode, the series can have elements of a dark horror, kick-ass action show or some serious fantasy elements,” says Fischer.
Blended with fast-paced fisticuffs and ghoulish spooks, DemonX also reflects on the eternal conflict between good and evil in our world. “I consider it (the series) to be CONSTANTINE meets UNDERWORLD,” adds Fischer, referencing the two popular supernatural-themed movies. “There are dark religious/supernatural themes explored with some standout action elements, and a nice dose of horror added to top it all off.”
However, Fischer also feels that some in the web series business may feel challenged to tie a label to DemonX because of its genre-blending style. “I think this (the use of multiple story genres in DemonX) will be both a blessing and a curse. It will make the series harder to define for more traditional festivals/distributors, but my hope is that fans will like (the) fact that the show can’t be easily pigeonholed genre-wise and will thus attract fans in a variety of genres that are enticed by all these unique elements.”
With Demon X’s first season now released, Fischer states that the series’ success goes hand-in-hand with the successes of Frostbite Pictures and web series producers writ large.
J. Douglas Stewart plays Father David, protector of Lilith (Cassandra Ebner) and trained demon slayer in Frostbite Pictures’ DemonX.
“Our hope is that the show does well on the festival circuit and resonates well with viewers. With enough accolades internationally and enough viewers clamoring and pushing for more Demon X, hopefully a distributor and financier would provide funding for more seasons. This benefits Frostbite, and in some regards, all independent creators. Success for one of us that results in expanded budgets and stories will, and has, led to the same thing for other creators working outside of the studio system.”
In summation, Demon X’s survival counts on its most important partnership: the one it shares with its audience. “Ultimately, I hope viewers find the story, characters and the series engaging. So much so, that they share the series with others that they feel would also enjoy it,” Fischer comments.
“The series doesn’t have to be a commercial or ratings phenomenon for the team or myself to consider it a success – although, that would be nice. In all honesty, if the series connects with a group of fans that appreciate it for all the blood, sweat and buckets full of demon goo that went into it, then that will be more than enough.”
AMAZON VIDEO: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NGJR78D/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=demon+x&qid=1549908201&s=instant-video&sr=1-1
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGVuJK2tbP5NXexWYG9DWeQ/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DemonXSeries/
TWITTER: @DemonXSeries
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/demonxseries/
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