of the devil
Directed by: Kelton Jones
Starring: Jonathan Stoddard, Daniela Palavecino, Eileen Dietz, Robert LaSardo, Vernon Wells, Lucas Sequeira, Devanny Pinn
After young Alex Cortez collapses in his backyard, doctors diagnose him with a brain tumor which is all but inoperable. Reeling in shock and grief, Alex's parents consider taking him to an alternate surgeon in Mexico, but the consequences could be incredibly dire…
Of The Devil is a low budget/independent horror film which takes an age-old premise (possessed child) and surprisingly delivers something unexpected and genuinely disturbing.
The film starts with a sequence which proves to be largely unrelated to the main plot (except to establish a demon-worshiping cult down Mexico way) but nevertheless is an excellent opening and allows the film to set out its stall. This film may not have the budget to pull off the gore fx we'd like to see, but it manages to convey the level of vicious brutality its going for.
Then we meet Alex, playing with his toy soldier in the back yard, when a bright blue butterfly lands on his finger and instantly he's having a seizure while witnessing unsettling images in his mind. It’s a really nice visual touch to have this seemingly benign, beautiful creature be so deadly.
Alex's mother Norma hears about an "alternative medicine" surgeon in Mexico who could save Alex's life. However as she is an illegal immigrant, she cannot risk being caught and deported so her husband Ben makes the trip. To say things do not go smoothly would be an understatement, in fact the film delivers a real hammer blow of a shock at this point. This is exacerbated when he returns home and must confront Norma. The acting here by both Daniela Palavecino and Jonathan Stoddard is excellent and really emotionally engaging.
Lucas Sequeira does a good job as Alex. His performance is unsettling because Alex doesn't understand that what he's experiencing isn't normal, so he approaches everything in a matter of fact manner, such as when he starts seeing deceased family members, Sixth Sense style. There are some moments which don't work so well, like when he's acting scared by the crow attack. Robert LaSardo is an instantly recognisable actor and he has a great scene as the "surgeon" having to convince Ben to let him operate on Alex.
Of The Devil's main problem is budget. While the production values are generally good, there are spots which could have been tightened up. There are a couple of bad CGI moments (the crow pecking the window) but there are some good practical fx too, such as the demon and zombie brother who both stalk around the house at times. Also, this film has one of the squirmiest and disquieting dream sequences - when you see it, you'll know!
The lack of budget may also account for the rushed finale which seems to hardly have time to develop before its all over. This may be actually intentional, and the parent and priest's lack of preparedness leading to its ending.
THE VERDICT
While there are flaws, none of them relate to the story being told or the cast. Its purely budget and a lack of polish. OF THE DEVIL is a very good horror thriller which really surprised me at times in the directions it zipped off to. Not only that but there are some genuinely unsettling moments which really knocked me off-guard. Interestingly, while there are low-budget nods to some of the classics such as The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby it barely pays lip service to the film you’d expect to be a major inspiration.