Demons from Her Past (2007 TV Movie) User Reviews

Death Took Her Away and Got Her Back to Gilroy

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 15 September 2008]

Allison (Alexandra Paul) returns from Paris to her hometown Gilroy for the funeral of her grandmother after an absence of twenty-five years. On 10 July 1981, while driving her car on the road with her friends Quentin (John Ralston) and K.C. (Rob Stewart) that are drinking beer supplied by Quentin's brother Ray (Michael Woods), the wasted K.C. takes the wheel from Alison and steps on the accelerator, hitting and killing the boy Patrick Jason Connelly. However, they leave the crime scene; call their mate Jeremy (Kevin Jubinville) to give an alibi and commit perjury in the trial, telling that they were playing football and Allison was driving alone. She is convicted and spends three years in prison, destroying her life. Now that her grandmother is gone, Allison wants to prove her innocence and clear her name, but Ray is the local Sheriff; Jeremy is the director of the hospital; and K.C. is running the elections for senator. Quentin becomes the hope of Allison to get a confession and achieve her objective, but K.C., his wife Ellie (Sophie Gendron) and Jeremy decide to silence Allison.

"Demons from He Past" has an interesting premise – an innocent woman that decides to clear her name. The beginning of the story is intriguing, disclosing the present and the past of Allison. However, in a certain moment the story becomes a predictable television movie with the usual collection of clichés, one-dimensional characters and absurd situations, like the naiveness of Allison or the attitude of Jeremy as a doctor. Nevertheless, "Demons of Her Past" entertains and is not a bad movie, and the beautiful Alexandra Paul has a good performance. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Passado Negro" ("Dark Past")

You need to bury the past just as much as we do

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 2 January 2013]

***SPOILERS*** Better then average made for TV Lifetime movie with ex woman convict Allison Buchanan, Alexandra Paul, coming back to her home town of Gilroy in order to clear herself form a trumped up charge of vehicular homicide she was railroaded into. That in her friends who actually were responsible for young Jason Connelly's, Steven McPhall, death 25 years earlier having Alliison,by perjuring themselves in court, take the rap for it.

We get the entire story, in flashback, of what happened that terrible day back in July 1981 within the first five minutes of the movie. So there's no Perry Mason like surprises in the end for us to find out who the real hit and run driver was. What there is in the movie is how those responsible for young Jason's death and cover up tried at first to get Allison to drop the entire matter and when that didn't quite succeed then murder her to keep her quite!

Things did change a lot in Gilroy with the person who took the wheel from Allsion K.C Hollings, Rob Stewart, running for state senator and the now Sheriff Roy Baxter, Michael Woods, being the one who supplied the beer that got K.C, who was underage at the time, good and drunk behind the wheel. It was the weak link in the chain Roy's younger brother Quentin,John Ralston, who was the third person in the killer car whom Allison decided to put the screws on in bringing the entire tragic incident to the surface! As expected the weak and guilt ridden Quentin who had the hots for Allison back in high school broke down under pressure and agreed to sign a confession of what happened that day, when Jason was killed, in the local Gilroy newspaper. What in fact Quentin signed was his own death warrant!

***SPOILERS*** Despite death threats against herself and being unmercifully harassed by K.C Hollings and Sheriff Baxter Allison stands firm in her determination to clear herself, by bringing the truth out, in Jason Connelly's death. What that leads to is a complete collapses of K.C Hollings plans to shut her up with Sheriff Baxter taking Allison side! Baxter soon fond out that his kid brother was bashed in the head by K.C's campaign manager and wife Ellie, Sophie Gendron, while taking a midnight swim in the Gilroy Marina. And it's then later to make sure that Quentin didn't recover from his injuries he's put to sleep for good. That's done by his attending physician who established an alibi, in them not being at the scene of the accident, for him his brother Ray and K.C at the time of Jason's death! That alibi was provided by non other then the now beloved and well respected head of operations at the Gilroy State Medical Facility Dr. Jeremy Warner, Kevin Jubinville.

***MAJOR SPOILER*** With a desperate Dr. Warner, under orders from his boss K.C, kidnapping Allison and planning to bury her alive he's in for a big shock when his, what he thought at the time, co-conspirator in all this Sheriff Baxter shows up with the entire Glroy Police Depertment to arrest him for among other things the murder of his kid brother Quentin! As for both K.C and Ellie they were already behind bars at the Gilroy lock-up courtesy of Sheriff Baxter who had them brought there!

Poor acting and dumb character behaviour hampers everything else

[r96sk · 5/10 · 7 July 2020]

'Demons from Her Past' isn't actually that terrible, but the poor acting and dumb character behaviour hampers everything else down.

The premise is more than decent, but the way the characters are portrayed just doesn't make sense a lot of the time - they have an annoying knack of explaining their plans straight to their enemies in private settings, before reacting with shock that it led to bad things for them.

The acting doesn't help either, with none of the cast giving anything memorable. I didn't connect with the supposed protagonist, Alison (Alexandra Paul), all that much, despite the obvious nature of the antagonists. Another negative is the music, which isn't bad but it's definitely overused; it felt like every scene needlessly had a dramatic score behind it.

Not an awful film, just not a good one at all. The concept does hold potential, though.

Ho hum

[phd_travel · 5/10 · 13 October 2019]

I like Alexandra Paul's Lifetime movies. This one is about average though. A couple of boys cause a girl to crash a cat and kill a young kid. They flee and leave her to take the fall which she does. Years later she comes back to town and proceeds to get them to fess up. Not that convincing how the sheriff changed to a good guy.

Ok but nothing special.

Allie Versus Her Bully Boys in Gilroy

[lavatch · 8/10 · 12 May 2020]

After 25 years, Allison "Allie" Buchanan returns home to Gilroy for the funeral of her grandmother. But she is also determined on settling the score with three bullies from her high school years. On a country road, Allie was driving with her friends who were intoxicated. The wheel was taken from her by one of the drunken boys, the Buick veered, and young Patrick Jason Connelly was killed while riding his bycycle. The boys ran from the scene, then banded together to assign the blame to Allie.

After spending three years in prison for manslaughter, Allie has brooded for years about being scapegoated. Finally, she has decided to right the wrong against K.C., Jeremy, and Quentin. The linchpin of the group is K.C., who is an aspiring politician. Jeremy has become a successful physician and is planning a wedding to Brigitte, a former Miss Pennsylvania. The local sheriff, Ray Baxter, is in the back pocket of K.C. for getting him off the hook for stealing money after a drug bust.

The wild card in the equation is the guilt-ridden Quentin, the younger brother of Ray. Quentin was the best friend of Allie. Tortured for years with the guilt of betrayal, Quentin vows to make a statement proclaiming Allie's innocence. But he is knocked into a coma by Ellie, K.C.'s ambitious wife, then administered a lethal injection by Jeremy.

The most interesting character development in the film is that of the sheriff, Ray. Due to his honest and decent wife, Marilyn, Ray has a change of heart that leads to a remarkable transformation. The actor was outstanding in revealing the gradual change that came over Ray as a matter of conscience.

The demons of the past in Gilroy are exorcised due to the tenacity of Allie and the fortitude of Marilyn. The resolve of Allie and Marilyn is no match for the corrupt bully boys of Gilroy. The deep, dark secrets of the past are finally brought out to the open. There is a sense of redemption for the rule of law and decency due to the strength of two strong women.