Film

Constantine: City of Demons - The Movie

Name: Constantine: City of Demons - The Movie
Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Horror, Action
Released: 2018
Cast: Matt Ryan, Robin Atkin Downes, Laura Bailey, Rachel Kimsey, Jim Meskimen

Fantasy

Constantine: City of Demons is a supernatural action film that takes the occult detective into literal hell to save a child. Animated with dark sophistication, it's brisk and brutal—no filler, just consequence and damnation. For fans of urban fantasy with teeth, who want their horror grounded in real emotional stakes rather than jump scares.

TMDb rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you already love Constantine's sardonic, world-weary cynicism and want it delivered through grisly, hellish animation that trades easy thrills for mood and dread.

Skip it if you want a fresh entry point, since it leans on the franchise's established mythology and an adult-only graphic tone that some viewers will find lurid rather than atmospheric.

What it asks of you: Ninety minutes of brisk, talky plotting in a murky, blood-soaked register, so it rewards close listening and does not let up for scenic breathing room.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Hellboy II: The Golden Army2008

Guillermo del Toro balances grotesque creature design with genuine warmth. Like Constantine, it treats the supernatural as a bureaucratic nightmare where doing the right thing costs you everything. Visual feast with a beating heart.

But The tone whips between comedy and bleakness in ways that don't always land. Some will find it uneven rather than ambitious.

Midnight Mass2021

Mike Flanagan's miniseries wraps theological horror in small-town texture. Like Constantine, it understands that faith and damnation are personal before they're cosmic. Deliberately paced, built for reckoning rather than adrenaline.

But Seven hours of mounting dread. If you need entertainment rather than immersion, it will test your patience.

Preacher2016

Irreverent, violent, and anchored by real character stakes. Constantine and Preacher share DNA—both follow antiheroes through supernatural consequences they didn't choose. Dark comedy that doesn't undercut the actual stakes.

But Tonally erratic across its run. Strong start, increasingly uneven. Some seasons feel like the show is improvising.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Constantine: City of Demons - The Movie

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Carnival of Souls1962

Both are about people trapped in a supernatural consequence they can't escape or explain, forced to navigate a world that refuses to make sense. Both understand that alienation is the real horror.

A visionary black-and-white film about a woman haunted after a car accident, shot in Saltair amusement park with genuine dread. Constantine's spiritual ancestor—both find horror in the mundane becoming uncanny. Predates modern supernatural cinema by decades but still startles.

But Slow by modern standards, visually stark, no exposition. If you need contemporary pacing and explanation, this will feel like a chore.

Doom Patrol2019

A supernatural ensemble that treats monster mythology as metaphor for real trauma. Shares Constantine's willingness to get weird and stay committed to consequences. Gorgeous production design; the show looks like a nightmare you want to stay in.

But Very strange in ways that alienate quickly. If surrealism feels like self-indulgence to you, this confirms it.

The Frighteners1996

Peter Jackson's supernatural heist has the same dark machinery—ghosts, con artists, and real consequences. Blends action and genuine horror without choosing sides. Underrated reminder that horror can be funny without being stupid about it.

But 90s CGI hasn't aged gracefully. Special effects pull you out more than they did then, and that matters for immersion.

Supernatural2005

Fifteen seasons of two men fighting demons, angels, and God itself. Constantine's televised ancestor in tone and structure. If you love episodic monster-hunting grounded in real character relationships, this is the obvious deep dive.

But Fifteen seasons. The commitment required is genuinely daunting, and quality fractures across that runtime. Start knowing you may not finish.

The Conjuring2013

James Wan's haunted house film proves competence can carry horror. Well-shot, well-paced, strong character work beneath the scares. Not innovative, but a solid reminder why the form works when made by someone who cares about craft.

But Deliberately conventional. If you've seen one modern haunted house film, you've seen this one—just better made than most.

Castlevania: Nocturne2023

Both are animated adventures where the protagonist pays blood prices for doing the right thing. Both treat the supernatural as logic—if you accept the premise, the consequences follow inevitably. No magic solution, only sacrifice.

A Japanese-informed animated series about a dhampir fighting Dracula. Gorgeous animation, brutal action choreography, real theological argument beneath the spectacle. Proves animation can hold complexity and violence without losing grace.

But Anime sensibilities may feel foreign if you want Western gothic. Episode one is nearly incomprehensible worldbuilding. Requires patience before it clicks.

A Dark Song2016

Both are built on the same question: what would you sacrifice to get someone back? Both treat magic as a system with real costs, paid in flesh and faith. Both understand that the deepest horror is how far love can push you.

An Irish chamber piece about a grieving woman and an occultist attempting a dangerous ritual. Constantine-adjacent but in the key of Bresson—meditative, devastated, about faith tested to breaking. Supernatural horror that works through silence and presence, not spectacle.

But Deliberately austere and slow. Two people in a room for eighty minutes. If you need plot momentum or company, the loneliness becomes oppressive.