As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
Some movies, after you finish them, leave you feeling confused and uncertain what just happened.... and why? Tonight, I witnessed the movie known as, 'Devil's Domain'. As to why it was called that, I'm not entirely sure. There were so many different things going on in this film, but none of them seem to make sense. I mean, the overall story was coherent and there were some interesting and good things going on. However, in the end, I just don't know what to make of it? Was it an allegory on bullying? Was it preaching to us about the dangers of reality television? Could it have been a warning about being careful what you wish for? I'm just very unclear on the whole thing. Written and directed by Jared Cohn, a man who has a pretty healthy resume. This is not his first film and looks like it won't be his last. He's also an actor and is quite active in the film making world. The lead actress, who plays Lisa, Madi Vodane is very charismatic and enjoyable to watch on the screen. Linda Bella, who plays the “she-devil”, is pretty well cast and they both do the best with what they have. Even Michael Madsen, who seems to have fallen out of the good graces of Hollywood, was convincing in the minor role that he played. (Speaking of which, if you want to see a recent film of his that was excellent, check out 'The Lumberjack Man'. It was fantastic!) There was just some major failings that can't be overlooked.
The film tells a cautionary tale about Lisa. A high school girl, who's failed attempt at making a friendship with her best girl friend, into more of a girlfriend, winds up making her an outcast. This puts a huge target on her back, as it seems like the entire school has turned on her. When a note, looking like its written in blood, falls on her desk. She signs a death warrant on some of the people who've done her wrong. The first to go, is a girl who's 'poofed' away to a red room, where she's chainsawed to death, while being Snapchatted to the entire school. They all assume it's a hoax. Nobody ever talks about it again. Back to Lisa.... She's bulimic, unpopular and headed down a path towards suicide. When her next door neighbor shoots spy cam footage of her binging, purging and then masturbating, it spirals her out of control. After coming home from her massive public shaming, she is contemplating ending her life. While cruising Facebook, a new friend seems to appear, Destiny. This new friend quickly invites her to come and meet her. She sends a car to pick her up and Lisa winds up at a rather shady looking location, full of people who appear to be 'hangers on' of Destiny's. They have a little love making session and Destiny reveals that she's the devil in disguise. She tempts Lisa into signing a pact, that has no real clear definition of what the payment will be, just that Lisa will be famous and can get revenge on her classmates. Just prior to this, a couple more people die. Nobody says anything and they just seem to disappear. Things go from bad to worse, as Lisa soon realizes that this is not just a game, but a real life deal with Satan, that has real consequences. (None of which include the mentioning of any of the multiple high school students being horribly murdered by the devil.) It all ends, eventually, with the truth of the deal coming out.... she's to have the son of Satan and bring about the end of the world? What's a girl to do?
'Devil's Domain' is a mess of a film. Outside of the enjoyable performance of the lead and some solid practical effects, the rest of what transpires is not very good. I legitimately can't tell you what the purpose of this film is? It's very simple in it's execution and story line. It almost feels like it's trying to be a modern, younger take on 'Rosemary's Baby', but in a more direct and violent kind of way. Sadly, it doesn't have any of the cache or suspense that Roman Polanski's film did. There's also some major issues in the plot and it doesn't feel very satisfying when it's over. Like when you eat an entire bag of chips and dip. It may have been kind of fun here and there, but you end up on the couch feeling like you made a huge mistake that you can't take back. I also, seriously, feel like Jared Cohn was trying to make something with a deeper meaning behind it, but a good idea isn't enough to carry a film if you can't flesh out the script enough to make it make sense to the viewer. I, also, kept waiting for something to happen with all of the deaths in the film. Like maybe the police would come to suspect Lisa being behind them or that it would somehow be blamed on one of her bullies. Instead, that piece of the film is just swept under the carpet with no explanation. Like the deaths of the bad people didn't matter and there were no repercussions for them. Maybe the devil can just make it all just go away, like it never happened, but then you need to explain that to the audience. Perhaps I'm just grasping at straws and picking apart the movie too much, however, I want to leave a movie with something more than an empty pit in my stomach.
If I was to say something positive about 'Devil's Domain', it would be that it serves as a good palate cleanser. I can honestly say that whatever the next film is that I watch, it will seem good in comparison to this. I'm not a film maker and don't claim to be one. I'm not a frustrated screenwriter and I'm just giving my opinion on what I saw, but I've seen enough horror films in my day and read enough books about them, that I know what makes a good film. I respect Jared for setting out to make something that he wanted to make, but that doesn't make it good. This is barely a 2 out of 5 star film and that is solely based on the leads and the special effects. Even the music, which is made up of quite a few larger named artists, isn't utilized in a way that moves the film forward. Not too mention the horribly out of place use of Onyx's song 'Slam'. What teenager in 2016 has any clue about that song or would want to hear it played at their house party? I even saw Sticky Fingaz name being boasted about being in the cast. If he's got a role in this film, even if it's just at the party, he's so well hidden that I didn't even see him. There are so many other great independent horror films out there, that you can spend your time on. I can't recommend this as being one of them. Only watch this, if you want to see if you can determine the purpose of it being made.
This film is now available to rent on VOD, with a Blu-ray release set for July 17.
If you want to see a similar story, done better. Check out: 'Rosemary's Baby' or read the Bible
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