Devil’s Whisper (2017)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Luca Oriel, Tessie Santiago, Marcos Ferraez
Directed by Adam Ripp
Director Adam Ripp brings the act of malevolence to a whole new level in his latest film, Devil’s Whisper – however, the notion that the “satanic possession” trope has been breached a billion times couldn’t be more prevalent, and although the movie has its moments, aside from an outstanding performance from its lead actor, there isn’t much left to set this one aside from so many before it.
The family dynamic is under the spotlight with this darkly constructed presentation – at the head of the table here is Alex (Oriel), a teenager who has decided his future resides within the church as a priest, and he’s surrounded by his father (Ferraez), mother (Santiago), and younger sister (Alison Fernandez). Together they are a strong, united household, and they are deeply entrenched in the practices of their local house of God, presided over by Father Cutler (Rick Ravanello). Doesn’t this all just sound so darn sweet and wholesome? Well, give it a little bit of time, ya sickos – something disturbing is on the horizon, and the clock starts when dear old grandma’s ticker stops, leaving the family grieving and awaiting her personal possessions. Once they arrive, it’s not long before an antiquated wooden box is found in Granny’s dresser – no way to crack this thing, but the sounds of something rattling inside evoke the whole Pandora’s box element…which if I’m not mistaken always leads to trouble.
Once the box has been opened, the soul of a rather nasty demon appears to latch onto our future man of the cloth, and if the kid had any hopes of heading to the seminary with a clean slate, he can forget that – this sinister presence brings about change in the young man in some pretty ungodly ways. Possession takes hold, but it’s not what keeps the engine running in this film – it’s the work of Mr. Oriel himself – his portrayal of a teen that is fighting for his soul is extremely convincing and frightening all in the same breath. There really aren’t any substandard supporting performances here, either – each and every cast member adds to the story with authentic emotions when it comes to their character’s capacity. If you’re one of those types that thrives on the scares, you’ll more than likely be happy with what’s provided, although it really isn’t anything that’s going to break a mold overall.
When all was said and done, I certainly did appreciate the work that Ripp put in when constructing Devil’s Whisper, but I truly think that when it comes to the development of a demonic possession flick, there remains a very sizable creative wall that was built many years ago, and it appears to be an utter task to scale and finally get over the top of – still worth a watch for those lovers of the dark side of things.
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Film
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