Along Came the Devil (2/5)

Along Came The Devil is a new horror thriller that starts out pretty well, but quickly becomes strangely confusing and then it’s over.

This lays the groundwork for some intense storytelling, but alas it doesn’t last. Instead, it leaves the viewer pretty confused about who’s who and where certain other characters are.

Also, there’s something off with the editing of Along Came The Devil. Unless the devil stole parts of the story, it feels almost unfinished at certain points.

Religious horror

I’ve always been fascinated by religious horror along the lines of The Excorcist. Not only am I fascinated by the forces of good and evil, but I find it captivating that people always try to find explanations.

Something bad happens and it’s the devil. If someone does something evil, then they must be possessed. It must be comforting to just explain everything through religion. Clearly, that’s not something I can relate to. Though I do believe in good and evil. I just think it’s all part of human nature.

While Along Came The Devil might try to play ball with the big religious horror classics, it does not come close.

You’ve got some explaining to do

From the very beginning, there are things that just do not make sense. The first scene features a father, who’s pretty cold and cruel towards his two daughters. The girls speak English with a North American accent and the father speaks British.

It’s not a big deal, but it does require some explanation when the rest of the story unfolds. Especially an explanation as to why he’s so cruel towards them and why he has them in the first place.

Great storytelling is about the suspension of disbelief. And Along Came The Devil misses the mark on this so many times. Something happens in school with the teenage girl, but we never get to know what.

This alone begs the question; Why even include it in the movie, if you’re not going to use it in any way? So much of the story seemed unfinished. Or even worse; It felt like certain scenes were included because the director just wanted that particular kind of scene.

Wasted potential

In my opinion, the actors do a very fine job in Along Came The Devil, but they have very little to work with. Bruce Davison (X-Men) is on point as Reverend Michael, but even his character feels strangely stunted.

It feels like the story in this movie could have lead to so much more. The story just never takes off fully. Instead, we get bits and pieces that we get to put together however we please. And then it’s all over.

Jason DeVan directed this movie and I don’t know that I’ve watched anything by him before. This movie certainly doesn’t make me want to seek it out either. Unfortunately.

Along Came The Devil will be out in Theaters & On Demand August 10, 2018.

Details

Director: Jason DeVan
Writers: Jason DeVan, Heather DeVan, Dylan Matlock,
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Madison Lintz, Jessica Barth, Bruce Davison, Matt Dallas, Kyla Deaver

Plot

Ashley (Sydney Sweeney, “The Handmaid’s Tale”) is sent to live with her estranged Aunt Tanya (Jessica Barth, Ted 2). While in her old hometown she has visions of her deceased mom, driving her to contact the spirit world. Ashley unknowingly unearths a demonic force, which leaves her loved ones fighting for her soul.