Devil’s Domain (Blu-ray)
Staci Layne Wilson
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Starring Michael Madsen, Sticky Fingers, Madi Vodane, Linda Bella
Directed by Jared Cohn
Lisa “Loser” Pomson (Madi Vodane) can’t even make it to her high school locker without being mocked, teased and dissed by her classmates. Not just the so-called mean girls, but basically everyone. It wasn’t always like that. A couple of years ago, these kids were her friends. For some baffling reason, Lisa has become their favorite target. Needless to say, it’s send her self-esteem right into the toilet.
Literally: when we first see Lisa onscreen, it’s a bowl’s eye view of her purging her cookies. And this is only the beginning of the gross. Devil’s Domain is knee-deep in goo, gore, and viscera of various ilk. Lisa doesn’t seem that unlike most teenage girls – she’s worried about her weight, she loves music, she clashes with her parents, and she’s obsessed with social media. It’s this obsession which leads to her downfall.
One night, a former friend of Lisa’s comes to visit her under the guise of guilt and wanting to apologize for bullying her in school. But he betrays her by secretly placing cameras in her bedroom and bathroom that result in horrifically embarrassing videos being posted online for the whole world – or at least, everyone in school – to see. As she walks the gauntlet of taunts, several sneer, “Just kill yourself!” Poor Lisa takes the advice to heart, but before she can breathe her last gasp, a mysterious stranger saves her.
Lisa’s savior in spandex hot-pants is Destiny (Linda Bella), the self-proclaimed “most badass bitch in the universe.” Could it be… SATAN?! Well, yes. But Destiny is everything bi-curious Lisa ever dreamed of. Not only is she beautiful and naughty, she promises to get revenge on each and every one of Lisa’s tormentors – and, she is going to post videos of their deaths online. The two form an alliance, as each has something the other desires.
The springboard into the horror is certainly appropriate and topical, but Devil’s Domain never gets past Dante’s first circle of hell. The barebones plot is stretched to the utmost limit as its padded with repetitive, recycled clichés. Vodane is a good actor, and it’s fun to see Michael Madsen as her dad in a small role. Bella as the Lady Satan has screen presence, but her performance is wildly uneven. The same goes for the gore effects – the talented Vincent Guastini is credited, but I’m wondering if he only did certain set pieces. Most are pretty shoddy. The filmmakers would have been much better off had they used the wasted VFX and CGI budget to hire a better cinematographer and editor (both are quite bad).
Overall, the movie isn’t quite bad enough to pass as camp but it’s just good enough to keep you watching. If you enjoy teen horror and the deal-with-the-devil trope, give The Devil’s Domain a try. If not, skip this one.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
