Directed by Andrew Dunt
Distributed by Starz Home Entertainment
Okay, stop me if you’ve heard this one: An assassin, a Spanish Fly dealer, and an ass-kicking demon hunter all walk into a bar … Sound like the beginning of a bad joke? Maybe, but regardless, that is the formula for the newest From Dusk Till Dawn clone to hit home video. The thing is this one is actually pretty watchable.
Our story begins with Quinn (Sawa) and his buddy Nick (Schub) making their way home to L.A. from Mexico. Quinn has decided that in order to make some extra cash, he is going to start dealing Spanish Fly to his college friends. Nick, disputing the validity of the effect (if any at all) on any taker, bets Quinn that it doesn’t work. Time to settle the bet. How, you ask? Pull over to the nearest titty bar and slip any lovely lady boozing a quick mickey. To our horny duo’s delight, the Spanish Fly seems to work like a charm as before you know it Quinn’s getting hot and heavy with one of the establishment’s hottest strippers.
Right off the bat you’ll notice one thing about Devil’s Den, and that’s its overall quality. This is a horror/action/comedy hybrid. For it to work it needs actors with chemistry and a director who knows when to reign his cast in and when to just let them go. For the most part everything is on par. Well, everything except for some of the demonic dialogue. Hearing lines like “How dare you enter my lair” spouted with a slight reverb to denote that it’s a demon talking could very well be enough to make you just hit the power button and call it a night. These moments are seriously eye-rolling bad. I don’t think there’s an actor in the world who could make them seem less cheesy.
Also, despite a few sticky scenes, Devil’s Den comes up a little shy on the gore. Normally this wouldn’t be too much of a problem or even that noticeable, but when the first attack starts up, it’s impossible to not compare this scene to the orgy of violence that was in From Dusk Till Dawn. I know, I know, judge on its own merits, yadda yadda yadda.
On the extras side of the fence, things also come off a bit on the short side. We get around a ten-minute long featurette detailing your standard making-of stuff, a photo gallery, a blooper reel, and a commentary with the director, producer, and composer. While the commentary certainly wasn’t bad as everyone was fairly personable and energetic, this baby was just screaming for one with the cast.
All in all, not a bad watch. Dare I say it; I think I’d even check out a sequel should everyone come back. Devil’s Den may be extremely derivative at times, but it’s far from being From Dusk Till Yawn. Check it out if only to see Ken Foree slicing up demonic bitches! Who needs Macumba when you’re packing cold steel?
Special Features
Belly of the Beast: The Making-of Devil’s Den featurette
Blooper reel
Photo gallery
Audio commentary
3 out of 5
Special Features
2 out of 5
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