The Big Picture
- Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever is the surprise sequel to the 1994 cult horror, stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Danish actors.
- Written and directed by Ole Bornedal, the sequel follows Martin's daughter Emma as she investigates her parents' past.
- The original film was a hit in Denmark and the US, with the sequel premiering at the 2023 London Film Festival.
Shudder has just released the official US trailer for Nightwatch’s sequel Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever, starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) along with Danish actors Fanny Bornedal and Alex Høgh Andersen. The surprise sequel to the 1994 cult horror is set to stream on Shudder on May 17, 2024, and will feature original cast members Kim Bodnia and Ulf Pilgaard alongside Coster-Waldau who is also reprising his role as Martin.
The sequel has been written and directed by Ole Bornedal, who also helmed the first film. Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever features Martin’s daughter Emma, played by Fanny Bornedal, the director’s real-life daughter. The story of the sequel will begin with Emma taking a job as the night watch in the same forensic department where her parents were almost murdered by the psychopathic police inspector Wormer, played by Pilgaard.
After her father starts using tranquilizers as a way to deal with her mother’s suicide, the trailer shows Emma searching for answers. The official synopsis of Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever states:
“Determined to investigate what exactly happened to her parents, 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.”
The ‘Nightwatch’ Sequel Continues The Story That Was Left Off in 1994
The original Nightwatch film was a huge success in Denmark and even made its way to the Fantafestival in 1995. Bornedal also released an English-language remake of the film in 1997 starring Ewan McGregor. The original Nightwatch’s story revolves around Martin, a law student who starts working as a night watchman at the Forensic Medicine Institute. But things start going wrong when a series of murders in the city is followed by inexplicable things happening in the medical department where Martin works.
Pilgaard plays the role of Inspector Wormer, who is the one to collect damning evidence that points to Martin as the killer. However, in the end, it’s revealed that Wormer was the villain all along. The sequel takes place almost thirty years after the events of the first film as Emma’s encounter with the serial killer pulls the killer out of his coma, triggering a chain of fateful events.
Since the release of the first film, Coster-Waldau has emerged as one of the most successful cast members after his portrayal of Jamie Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones. Bodnia, who played the role of Martin’s friend Jens Arnkiel, has also experienced commercial success playing Konstantin in Killing Eve and Vesemir in Netflix’s The Witcher. Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever originally premiered at the 2023 London Film Festival, ahead of a theatrical release that was exclusive to Nordic countries later that year. The US release of the film, however, is going directly to the horror-streaming service Shudder.
Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever will be available to stream on Shudder on May 17, 2024. Check out the trailer below.