Devil Lives Here, The (2016)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Clara Verdier, Mariana Cortines, Pedro Carvalho
Directed by Dante Vescio and Rodrigo Gasparini
Confusion: lack of understanding; uncertainty – now this doesn’t necessarily describe me in my everyday traverses (well, kinda), but more so how I felt while checking out The Devil Lives Here, from co-directors Dante Vescio and Rodrigo Gasparini. Talk about something that “coulda, shoulda, woulda” – but when all was said and done, all my mind could do was let out an excessive expulsion of emissions…in other words, I was clouded by a brain fart.
The film takes us to South America for some fun and hijinx when four pals meet up at an old farmhouse to raise a bit of a ruckus – I mean, where better to stir up some trouble, eh? During the visit, an old tale is visited about a ruthless slave-owner who used reside at the farm during the apex of the trade-era – his name was Barao Do Mel, or appropriately enough, Honey Baron…now come on, with a name like that, how much trouble could he have been? Answer is: A LOT. Turns out that Honey Baron used to like to diddle one of his captives, leading to an infant son getting tossed into the mix, so two of the geniuses of present time decide to hold a pseudo-ceremony to resurrect the little one, and subsequently pissing off the Baron – and here’s where you can get a wee-bit lost in the shuffle. We’ve got dueling storylines: one of which there are a couple of fellows who make the trip back to the farm every 9 months in order to quell the spirit of the Baron…aside from the quad that are already relaxing at the farm – still with me? Good. Right off the bat, this could easily throw people (like myself) for a bit of a loop, but once you hang with it and flesh things out, it really comes off like an eerie presentation. Eventually, all parties will collide in a tug-of-war that will ultimately decide if evil will rise, or stay buried in the earth where it should have been left years ago.
In essence, this is a fairly easy film to traverse once you wade through the multi-veined plot direction and at times, boorishly slow dialogue and tempo, but once that curtain is lifted, you’ve got a fairly decent flick in which to directly infuse some chills down your spine. Performances from the cast are all solid, especially Ivo Muller in his role of the Honey Baron – sleazy, slimy, and oh so sadistic! Both Vescio and Gasparini employ some spooky tactics to keep this one heavy on the horror end of the spectrum, and if you’re willing to stick this one out, it’ll pay off in the end – take your time, pay attention, and this one will reward you with some genuine scares – just wish it hadn’t taken so damn long to get going.
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Film
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