Watching Ahi Va el Diablo, aka Here Comes the Devil, you might be surprised that the movie wasn’t directed by Rob Zombie … or, to borrow a joke from TV’s The Simpsons, that it was directed by his non-union, Mexican equivalent, Roberto Zombie-o.
After all, the horror movie has most, if not of all, of the hallmarks of a Zombie-directed film: Hot, sweaty sex? Check. A greasy, grimy, gritty and even sleazy aesthetic? Check? A horror-metal soundtrack? Check. Sometimes-amateurish performances? Check. The look and feel of ‘70s-era “exploitation” horror? Check. Sometimes incomprehensible and nonsensical camera angles and camera work? Check. The list goes on and on.
Instead, the film was (supposedly) made by Adrian Garcia Bogliano, a Spanish writer/director who – to be fair – has been making movies at least as long as heavy-metal-musician-turned-director Zombie has. Though … has anyone seen the two of them in the same place at the same time?
Devil also echoes Zombie in one other, very important aspect. It’s an acquired taste. Its degree of nastiness rivals that of the original versions of Last House on the Left and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as Fede Alvarez’s highly divisive re-imagining of/sequel to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead, though it replaces some of that latter film’s more graphic gore with semi-graphic sexual content.
Or, in other words, it’s not for the faint of heart. And it’s not for the easily offended, either. In the end, it may only appeal to die-hard horror fans, particularly those who already love or are familiar with Bogliano’s work.
Much of Devil’s flimsy story is a mystery. Early teen Sara (Michele Garcia) and her pre-teen brother Adolfo (Alan Martinez) disappear while they’re exploring a nearby hillside and cave while on a family trip. Their squabbling parents, Sol (Laura Caro) and Felix (Francisco Barreiro), seem mollified when police find the kids a day later, but then things get really weird and crazy.
As it turns out, a serial killer once prowled the same area. Felix has bruises all over his back. There are also questions of whether Sara was sexually assaulted and, if so, by whom. (maybe it was Lucio, a creepy truck driver who was nearby when the kids first disappeared). And the family’s home has become subject to earthquake-like shaking as well as other unnatural phenomena.
Bogliano’s explanation for/resolution to all of these questions (and more) may confuse inattentive viewers who were put off by the self-indulgently slow start to the proceedings. Others may say the conclusion is a bit predictable.
And again, some of the acting is pretty amateurish, though you sort of suspect that Bogliano was going for that vibe, particularly with the kids, who never seem quite right or that comfortable. All this might be more acceptable if the film’s supposedly “shocking” moments didn’t feel so exploitative and so desperate (a lesbian encounter between two teens that opens the film, in particular.)
Jeff Michael Vice can also be heard reviewing films, television programs, comics, books, music and other things as part of The Geek Show Podcast (www.thegeekshowpodcast.com), and can be seen reviewing films as part of Xfinity’s Big Movie Mouth-Off (www.facebook.com/BigMovieMouthOff).