Unlike modern horror movies, classics never disappoint. Just when we thought that classics had their day and that the golden age of horror cinematography had passed, an unexpected horror sequel to 1994’s Nightwatch—Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever–was just announced, and it’s headed to Shudder soon.

The Hype Is Real

Part of that excitement can be attributed to the fact that the original movie fared exceptionally well at the time of its release and is still favored among the fans of classic horror. Another aspect of the hype also stems from the fact that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kim Bodnia, and Ulf Pilgaard—the cast of the original movie—are also reprising their roles. So, while the release of Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever three decades beyond the release of the original is surely unexpected, the fans are welcoming the sequel with open arms.

Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever

The movie is set some 30 years following the original narrative and centers on a 22-year-old medical student working as the night watch in the same forensic department where her parents were almost killed by the famed psychopathic serial killer—who also makes an appearance. So, it basically expands on the already existing story, and if it’s anything similar to the original movie, horror fans are in for a true treat.

The Original Nightwatch

Those who aren’t familiar with the original 1994 Nightwatch might remember its 1997 remake that was helmed by the same director based on a reworked script for the English-speaking market. Unfortunately, the remake didn’t fare as well with the horror-loving audiences as the original film. The original Nightwatch centered on a night watchman at a morgue, whose shift coincides with a series of murders in his home city, leading to mysterious and unexplained things happening at his workplace.

A Well Received Film

Nightwatch was a Danish movie released for the European market, and its contemporaries regarded it as “slickly made but fairly conventional.” It’s currently listed among the top 100 Danish movies and still stands as a great classic horror film—among those that built suspense using narrative elements instead of CGI and sound mix. Unfortunately for all fans of classic horror, modern scary movies are all but scary—the genre has been watered down to jump scares, CGI, and action sequences with stale horror staples.

The Shudder Release

A demonic nun? Really, is that what frightens modern horror fans? What happened to the feelings of dread similar to those described in Iron Maiden’s “Fear of the Dark” track that the classic horrors inspired in all of us?

Unfortunately, the genre has evolved to cater to broader audiences who want to feel scared when the movie is on and not spend the following night questioning their own existence and sanity.

The upcoming Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever premiered at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival, ahead of a theatrical release in Nordic countries in late 2023. The US release is scheduled for May 17–the film is going directly to SHUDDER.