Something’s Changed

Maybe it is because of the over-saturation of remakes and reboots in the American market, but I am always impressed by the foreign horror films I watch. While there are plenty of devil-related flicks that have been released over the past couple of years, Adrián García Bogliano’s Here Comes the Devil is definitely one you should not skip over.

Sol and Felix take their children, Sarita and Adolfo, out for a daylong family get-together. Before nightfall comes, the siblings decide they want to venture off into the hills and see the various caves. When they don’t return after their mother’s hour and a half time allotment, Felix goes looking for them. Sarita and Adolfo are nowhere to be found. The police are called and miraculously the children return with them the next morning. As the days go by, however, Sol notices the children are acting differently and something’s changed…

Francisco Barreiro and Laura Caro as Felix and Sol, respectively, aren’t the greatest actors I’ve seen in horror, but there is a natural-ness to them that fits perfectly, bringing the feeling that viewers are getting real people being placed in a surreal situation. Because Here Comes the Devil is a film about you the devil and things relating to the devil, there isn’t much need for gore. That doesn’t stop Bogliano, though. There is one fantastic scene where we get all of the blood and gore we need to fill our maim-o-meter for the entire 98 minute run-time. Trust me… you’ll love it!

There are quite a bit of intense sexual encounters throughout this film, but instead of being the sleazy horror thing-to-do, Bogliano manages to tie this deep sexual theme into the story very well. Thus, changing the tone of the film quite a bit. Just when I thought I had predicted what was going to happen, subtle twists are thrown into the mix, changing the course of the film.

If you are interested in seeing a film that isn’t just about exorcisms and possessions, Here Comes the Devil is certainly worth checking out. Be sure to get your pre-order through Magnet Releasings in before the March 18 release date, so you can get yours hands on it as quickly as possible!

Here Comes the Devil gets 3.5 shells out of 5.