The Bastion has begun toying with a new series -- Pick of the Week, as decreed by us. This week we are quite sure you don't want to miss the monthly midnight comedy revue A Demon Who Never Appeared! Saturday, Nov. 4 (or Sunday, Nov. 5, depending on your perception of such matters), midnight at the Playground Theater. To kick off this week's series feature, we visited the cast of Demon in a pretty creepy attic on Ashland Ave., for their official press photo shoot.

We followed Demon co-creator Jared Logan up two flights of stairs, the second steeper and darker than the first, to enter the attic before the flood lights had been set up. The high slanted roof peaked over a single stream of sunlight coming through the bay window, the very top disappearing into shadow. Soon, however, this window was shuttered with various wood paneling found scattered throughout the dusty, empty attic, shadows of loose insulation jumping teasingly around various beams and the single, narrow door of entry.

Soon art director Jordan-Vogt Roberts and photographer Jon Wilcox were flooding the room with lighting, making the setting less aphotic, but as they covered the lights with translucent orange sheets of plastic, the room was cast in an eerie glow, and a single treasure chest gaped open and emanated more of the unearthly orange gleam. Quietly, from unknown places, pigeons sang their ghostly coo.

Thankfully, more cast members showed up just as the chill was really beginning to set in, including Kumail Nanjiani, Hannah Gansen, Josh Cheney, and Andy Ross. Soon the room was filled with jovial laughter and the earlier willies seemed silly to have in a room full of such hilarious, talented folks.

After about an hour or so of shooting, which was peppered with discussions of horror movies (with a slant on humorous observations, of course), the world's best police chases, and graphic novel and action movie hero attributes, it was about time things began to wrap up for the afternoon. Documentarian-of-the-shoot Krystle Gemnich had to use the bathroom, so the Bastion decided to show her down the stairs and then catch a smoke while the cast finished putting all the technical toys away. "Here, the door pushes out. Or does it pull in? No, I'm sure it pushes out. It's not. Well. It's not pushing out. It seems to be locked. From the other side."

The door locked itself from the other side.

About the same time this realization set in, Kumail found a hook that jutted from one of the roof beams, unbeknownst to anyone during the time the shoot was occurring.

We were told not to panic, but a distinct sense of claustrophobia crept into our chest. After several minutes of trying to unjam the latch, it was decided that kicking the door down would probably be okay. And that's when Jordan Roberts got to fulfill one of his life dreams -- and, at the same time, be a hero to those that might have, quite possibly, been privy to a demon who DID appear.

Hey, it's Halloween time. Just sayin'. Maybe this parody shoot conjured up more than just graphics for a new, slick press kit and Web site.

Photos from top to bottom: director Jordan Vogt-Roberts with ghostly tendrils afloat -- Krystle Gemnich
The cast waits for direction -- the Bastion
Shot from above; cast looks alarmed by an unknown entity -- Krystle Gemnich

More photos here.