Plot
A married couple loses their children while on a family trip near some caves in Tijuana. The kids eventually reappear without explanation, but it becomes clear that they are not who they ... See full summary »
Release Year: 2012
Rating: 5.3/10 (227 voted)
Director:Adrián García Bogliano
Storyline
A married couple loses their children while on a family trip near some caves in Tijuana. The kids eventually reappear without explanation, but it becomes clear that they are not who they used to be, that something terrifying has changed them.
It only took two of his movies to make me an avid follower of Adrián
García Bogliano. He's the type of cinematic artist I deeply respect and
even am somewhat jealous of. We're about the same age, but at "barely"
32 years old Bogliano accomplished nearly a dozen of long feature
horror films. And although I'm certainly not claiming his movies are
bona fide genre masterpieces, they are definitely interesting to
explore and – on a more personal note – the type of movies that I'm
looking for the most. They are raw, brutal and nihilistic low-budget
exploitation efforts that genuinely re-create the atmosphere of horror
during the 70's and early 80's. His "Room for Tourists", for example,
is one of the cruelest torture-porn flicks out there and especially his
"I'll Never Die Alone" is pretty much the only modern day rape &
revenge flick that truly lives up to the prototypes of the seventies,
such as "I Spit on your Grave" and "Last House on the Left". Evidently
I was very eager to catch his newest effort "Here Comes the Devil" when
it played at the Brussels' Festival of Fantastic Films, because it
allegedly concerns a homage to the devilish cult flicks of the 70's and
one giant homage to "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Bogliana again didn't
disappoint, although it's different from his previous work and
emphasizing more on character depth and disturbing atmosphere. Our
director moved up from Argentina to Mexico for this film (I sincerely
hope he isn't on his way to Hollywood!) and serves a compelling
cocktail of drama, occult thriller and vigilante action. During a
family day trip, Felix and Sol's preteen son and daughter request to go
on a hiking trip up a hill while their parents "relax" in the car. They
don't come back down, though, and the parents spend a long and
petrifying night in a nearby motel. But the kids suddenly show up again
the next morning, unharmed and just in a minor state of shock, and they
all happily return home together. Over the next few days, however,
Felix and Sol witness their children behaving increasingly bizarre and
asocial. They presume their offspring fell victim to a perverted child
molester and promptly seek for vengeance, but in reality something far
more disturbing happened to Adolfo and Sara. They seem possessed by
dark forces and deliberately head back to the hillside… The slow and
sinister pacing, as well as the detailed character drawings, are the
main trumps that make "Here Comes the Devil" such a haunting and
unsettling thriller. Felix and Sol are very identifiable characters
and, especially if you're a parent yourself, you'll mildly cheer for
their unlawful (and slightly inconsiderate) decisions. Bogliano
masterfully mounts the tension steadily and professionally towards a
nearly unbearable climax that is – admittedly – somewhat derivative and
vague, but most of all harrowing. Stellar performances from the
ensemble cast, gorgeous filming locations and the exact right amount of
blood and violence also contribute in making this is a true gem.
Please, if you love real horror, leave all the nowadays CGI ghost and
zombie crap for what it is and dig into the repertoire of Adrían García
Bogliano.
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