Demonic possession has been the most popular theme in the horror genre as of late. Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring, Insidious, and the list goes in, have all been the talk of the cinema at one point or another. Devil's Due takes a unique approach by neglecting to incorporate ghosts into the mix unlike its brothers and sisters.
If you have ever heard of, or viewed Rosemary's Baby, it will ring bells and reveal where this take on possession received its inspiration. Is the former a bad place to learn from? Not at all. The problem lies in the fact that the 1968 version is a far superior film. And not just a far walk home from work. I'm talking as far as Canada is from Japan. Walking distance, no plane.
This found footage take on Rosemary's Baby did have some things going for it at the start, but it all went away as the film progressed.
A happy pair of newlyweds, Zach McCall (Zach Gilford) and Samantha McCall (Allison Miller) go to Dominican Republic for a classic honeymoon get-away. Everything looks wild and exciting, until a strange cab driver convinces them to try out a club nearby. Zach persuades Samantha that one more drink will be fun.
The two end up drugged, and forget everything that happened. Viewers witness the camera picking up blurred images of creepy Satanic appearing rituals, as the couple are fast asleep. Once back home, Samantha reveals that she is pregnant.
Joy surrounds the household, until the baby waiting process starts becoming very unusual for Samantha. Nose bleeds, and knock off your feet pains can occur at times for any future mother, but developing a carnivorous appetite, violent aggression, and telepathic powers are certainly not normal.
Devil's Due did a good job with casting. The two leads are easy to like, and both know how to act.
Both have potential to be in bigger and better movies, as they do have the talent. As good as it is to have focus on the characters, I cannot say I was entertained by how long it went on.
It was simply happy family chatter, that added nothing to the plot. Zach is a cocky, funny guy who means well, while Samantha is a more laid back, sweet woman who lost her parents and grew up in foster care. They love each-other very much.
I described the first forty minutes of character development in a ten second read.
It never built up anything particularly special, minus the usual you would expect from this sort of film. People being dragged and tossed by an unseen force is just not amusing anymore. It has been done in Paranormal Activity and Quarantine already, no need for more of that.
Nothing was scary or creepy. The jump scares, with the exception of one that caught me off-guard, were terribly obvious, and poorly concealed. A scene or two did have a cool, or humorous effect, standing out as more memorable than the rest.
Other than painfully phony coughs by the priest (Sam Anderson), the happenings in the church led to an entertaining few minutes. When Samantha is walking through the grocery store, make sure to keep your eyes on the bystanders. Their reactions made me smile.
The two parts I mentioned above were far more interesting than the climax and final few moments. Predictable, boring, and done before countless times. Not to mention the severe usage of plot holes in order to make this film progress conveniently.
Without spoiling anything important, here is an example. A surprise party is thrown for Samantha, but she feels tired and goes upstairs. A child wonders up later, looking for the dog I believe. She wonders into a room, and gets scared off by a creepy, possessed looking Samantha.
Does she go downstairs and make mention of this? Did no one else hear the loud pitched screams of terror? Is Zach going to question Samantha about it in the morning? Nope, explaining things would be difficult I suppose. A young child would surely run down crying, and make a big deal about it. The plot holes revealed in the last scene of a interrogation room are much worse. Asking yourself, "How?", can be expected.
Found footage is far from my favorite type of film. Thankfully, Devil's Due managed to do one thing right. Instead of Zach carrying a camera around constantly, the film makes use of security camera's when in public, and cameras are placed around the house. It is clever, and makes more sense when you think about it.
The bottom line is that this film brings nothing new to the table, or anything worth watching again. The majority of the acting is strong, but the characters themselves are not memorable or special. Scares may come for people who have never watched a horror film, or jump at their own shadow, but the experienced fans will walk out disappointed.
If this is next on your list, I would advise waiting until it comes out on Netlix. And even than, ignoring it would still likely be the smartest decision. This demonic possession phase has run its course. In all honesty, the genius "Devil Baby Prank" used to market Devil's Due is scarier and more entertaining than the actual film itself.
Superpower Film Scale: 1.5/5
1: Villainous Waste
2: Careless Bystander
3: Hero unaware of powers
4. On the verge of greatness
5. Heroic film
Standout acting hero: Zach Gilford & Allison Miller
Read more at: http://thycriticman.com/
If you have ever heard of, or viewed Rosemary's Baby, it will ring bells and reveal where this take on possession received its inspiration. Is the former a bad place to learn from? Not at all. The problem lies in the fact that the 1968 version is a far superior film. And not just a far walk home from work. I'm talking as far as Canada is from Japan. Walking distance, no plane.
This found footage take on Rosemary's Baby did have some things going for it at the start, but it all went away as the film progressed.
A happy pair of newlyweds, Zach McCall (Zach Gilford) and Samantha McCall (Allison Miller) go to Dominican Republic for a classic honeymoon get-away. Everything looks wild and exciting, until a strange cab driver convinces them to try out a club nearby. Zach persuades Samantha that one more drink will be fun.
The two end up drugged, and forget everything that happened. Viewers witness the camera picking up blurred images of creepy Satanic appearing rituals, as the couple are fast asleep. Once back home, Samantha reveals that she is pregnant.
Joy surrounds the household, until the baby waiting process starts becoming very unusual for Samantha. Nose bleeds, and knock off your feet pains can occur at times for any future mother, but developing a carnivorous appetite, violent aggression, and telepathic powers are certainly not normal.
Devil's Due did a good job with casting. The two leads are easy to like, and both know how to act.
Both have potential to be in bigger and better movies, as they do have the talent. As good as it is to have focus on the characters, I cannot say I was entertained by how long it went on.
It was simply happy family chatter, that added nothing to the plot. Zach is a cocky, funny guy who means well, while Samantha is a more laid back, sweet woman who lost her parents and grew up in foster care. They love each-other very much.
I described the first forty minutes of character development in a ten second read.
It never built up anything particularly special, minus the usual you would expect from this sort of film. People being dragged and tossed by an unseen force is just not amusing anymore. It has been done in Paranormal Activity and Quarantine already, no need for more of that.
Nothing was scary or creepy. The jump scares, with the exception of one that caught me off-guard, were terribly obvious, and poorly concealed. A scene or two did have a cool, or humorous effect, standing out as more memorable than the rest.
Other than painfully phony coughs by the priest (Sam Anderson), the happenings in the church led to an entertaining few minutes. When Samantha is walking through the grocery store, make sure to keep your eyes on the bystanders. Their reactions made me smile.
The two parts I mentioned above were far more interesting than the climax and final few moments. Predictable, boring, and done before countless times. Not to mention the severe usage of plot holes in order to make this film progress conveniently.
Without spoiling anything important, here is an example. A surprise party is thrown for Samantha, but she feels tired and goes upstairs. A child wonders up later, looking for the dog I believe. She wonders into a room, and gets scared off by a creepy, possessed looking Samantha.
Does she go downstairs and make mention of this? Did no one else hear the loud pitched screams of terror? Is Zach going to question Samantha about it in the morning? Nope, explaining things would be difficult I suppose. A young child would surely run down crying, and make a big deal about it. The plot holes revealed in the last scene of a interrogation room are much worse. Asking yourself, "How?", can be expected.
Found footage is far from my favorite type of film. Thankfully, Devil's Due managed to do one thing right. Instead of Zach carrying a camera around constantly, the film makes use of security camera's when in public, and cameras are placed around the house. It is clever, and makes more sense when you think about it.
The bottom line is that this film brings nothing new to the table, or anything worth watching again. The majority of the acting is strong, but the characters themselves are not memorable or special. Scares may come for people who have never watched a horror film, or jump at their own shadow, but the experienced fans will walk out disappointed.
If this is next on your list, I would advise waiting until it comes out on Netlix. And even than, ignoring it would still likely be the smartest decision. This demonic possession phase has run its course. In all honesty, the genius "Devil Baby Prank" used to market Devil's Due is scarier and more entertaining than the actual film itself.
Superpower Film Scale: 1.5/5
1: Villainous Waste
2: Careless Bystander
3: Hero unaware of powers
4. On the verge of greatness
5. Heroic film
Standout acting hero: Zach Gilford & Allison Miller
Read more at: http://thycriticman.com/