Devils in the Darkness (Review)

Director – Daniel Falicki (Aeon: The Last Vampyre on Earth)
Starring – David Gries (Demon Trek), Lisa Mueller (Slash Fiction), and Joseph Scott Anthony (Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption)
Release Date – 2013
Rating – 3/5

Tagline – “Pray for Michael Hill…pray hard”

The indie production companies Chemical Burn and Reality Entertainment are sister companies that send me more movies to review than I have time to actually do so.  Do not get me wrong, I appreciate every film they send me regardless if I like the film of not.  Sadly, a great deal of the films they send me end up receiving negative reviews.  As much as I appreciate all the films they send me I still have a moral obligation to my readers to be brutally honest.

With all the negative reviews their films receive I sometimes cross paths with a film that was surprisingly good but the name made me think otherwise. The film, Devils in the Darkness, is currently awaiting distribution by Chemical Burn under the alternate title All the Devil’s Aliens: All the Devils are Here which is one of the worst fucking titles I have crossed paths with.  The original title is far superior and actually has something to do with the film when compared to the new title.

**Spoiler Alert**The film follows med student Michael Hill (Gries) as he takes on a job as a home health nurse to an elderly man who lives in a secluded home. He plans on using his time there to study for his big exam but this is no routine situation.  The homeowner is a bit of a recluse that is very senile.  He is often hostile and abusive to his care givers which is why they hired Michael for the position in which he is not qualified.

As the night progresses the other female nurse with him goes missing.  As time passes Michael starts to panic and searches the house from top to bottom to find her but meets the homeowner instead.  He finds him setting on a bed covered in blood which sends Michael into a frenzy.  Michael and the homeowner then take a trip into madness resulting in alien abductions, dancing cadavers, and maniacs in the basement.**Spoiler Alert**

I love so many horror films but some of my favorite flicks are far from perfect.  Either they suffer from mediocre acting, a horrible score, choppy editing, poor camerawork, or slow pacing.  Out of all those problems that plague films the worst has to be pacing.  A flick could be filmed beautifully, the acting could be spectacular, and the score could be phenomenal but if the pacing is too slow then the audience will lose focus and stop watching the film.

A film relies heavily on editing and writing to help give the film a good pace that will keep the audience watching.  Pacing, other than moving to a shitty title, is my biggest complaint I have for this film.  The films first hour or so is painfully boring.  As I sat in my chair and watched this with my little notepad I was writing notes to prepare myself to give this one a negative review.

I hate to give negative reviews but I have to be honest with my write ups.  However, sometime after the one hour mark (the film is just over 2 hours) the film completely changes style and was able to save this sinking ship.  The last portion of the film is completely amazing.  This film really needed it’s running time cut down and most of the first half of the film removed to make the film easier to swallow.

The acting in this one is actually pretty bad by most of the cast but Joseph Scott Anthony did an amazing job in his role.  His character’s portrayal is nothing less than phenomenal and I loved every minute he was on screen.  The story is great and one of the most detailed sci-fi/horror hybrids I have seen in recent years.  However, it was just too damn long.  At least 45 minutes from the first half of the film needs removed in order to save the viewer from being bored to death.

Finally, those looking for amazing on screen kills will not find them here.  However, the film uses amazing camera work, lighting, and decent special effects to give this film a great, brooding atmosphere that many modern horror flicks tend to forget.  Overall, this slow burning sci-fi/horror medley is painful to watch at first but will really impress you if you stick with it.  I recommend this one.