Thomas Smith's Demon Squad: Tooth & Claw

Cody checks out a long-awaited sequel.

Several years ago, director Thomas Smith brought us the low budget film noir fantasy horror film Demon Squad, introducing viewers to Nick Moon, a hard-boiled private eye type who’s based in Mobile, Alabama and has some magic tricks up his sleeve, along with some weapons. The movie got a major visibility boost when it was featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000's thirteenth season in 2022, which allowed Smith to raise a bigger low budget for the long-awaited follow-up, Demon Squad: Tooth & Claw.

While Smith, who also crafted the screenplay with Devon Coleman and Erin Lilley, had more money to work with this time around, viewers shouldn’t expect to see a dazzling increase in action. There are some cool visual effects, but action scenes are sparse and understated. This remains a film noir detective story that’s built on dialogue rather than spectacle.

Nick Moon, played by Khristian Fulmer, is still running his private detective agency, Full Moon Inc., with the assistance of empath Daisy O’Reilly (Lilley)... but when we catch up with him in this film, he’s facing some issues. A confrontation with a ghoul reveals that he’s mystically tapped out. His techie spiritualist buddy Hank Treme (Rob Eubanks) informs him that he could wipe out his life force if he keeps using magic.

This would be bad news at any time, but this is especially bad timing given that a series of mysterious murders are being committed across the creature-filled city of Mobile and, while hellhounds can be counted out, there’s a strong change that whoever’s responsible for the killings may be a werewolf or a skinwalker. And don’t overlook the demon that keeps showing up to complain about the death of its pet ghoul. 

With werewolf and skinwalker interviews leading nowhere, and a local politician - Michael Anthony Bagozzi as Deputy Mayor Ingram - hassling him, Moon even has to turn to TV psychic Chari Divine (Victoria Antonelli) to see if she can help him crack this case.

I haven’t yet watched the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode that the first Demon Squad was featured in, but I enjoyed the movie when I watched it back in 2019, finding it to be clever and entertaining. I was glad to have the chance to return to the world Smith and his collaborators established back then and to catch up with the characters after all this time – and while the sequel was a bit slower and chattier than I was hoping a bigger budgeted Demon Squad to be, Tooth & Claw is an enjoyable, worthy follow-up.

Moon, Daisy, Hank, and Chari are all well-written, likeable characters, and it’s fun to watch them make their way through this world of monsters. I didn’t find the mystery they’re trying to solve to be the most compelling, but it reaches a good resolution.

Now we have two Demon Squad movies – and if Smith has the ideas and is able to raise the funds, I would gladly watch more. An ongoing, multi-chapter Demon Squad franchise would be great to see.

But, for now, let’s set aside the daydreams and focus on what we have right in front of us. If you liked the first Demon Squad, the second is definitely worth checking out. Demon Squad: Tooth & Claw can be rented or purchased digitally on Prime Video, and is also available on DVD and Blu-ray via Kunaki.