Starring
Madi Vodane, Linda Bella, Michael Madsen, Kelly Erin Decker, Benna
Tucker, The Onyx. Directed by Jared Cohn. (2016, 93 min).
Since
there's nothing new under the sun, modern horror directors are challenged to put a creative spin on familiar material to
justify their movie's existence. That challenge is even more daunting
when strapped with limited financial resources. With
Devil's Domain, writer/director Jared Cohn appears up for it, but sometimes falls victim to his own budget and narrative
inconsistencies.
The
movie is a modern take on the reliable old deal-with-the-devil tale.
Lisa (Madi Vodane) is an insecure, bulimic teenager who becomes a
cyber-bullying victim after coming out as a lesbian to her best
friend, Rhonda. Another trusted friend, Andrew, shoots hidden video
of Lisa purging & masturbating, then posts it on the
internet. A complete pariah at school and misunderstood at home, she
contemplates suicide before receiving an online message from Destiny
(Linda Bella), a sexy incarnation of Satan. Destiny offers to help Lisa
get even with everyone who's wronged her in exchange for...well, not
to give anything away, but I suspect Cohn is a big fan of Rosemary's
Baby.
The
whole revenge-through-Satan thing is nothing new, though using it to
address - however superficially - the issue of cyber-bullying gives
the story a timely twist. However, since Destiny and her minions
begin slaughtering Lisa's tormentors before any deal is even made,
why is this Satanic pact even necessary?
 |
| "Guys...I burnt my marshmallow." |
Maybe
Cohn wants to get to the sex & death before his audience gets
bored with exposition. Fair enough. There's plenty of gonzo gore,
with special effects which range from decent to silly. Bella
certainly makes a hot-looking Satan worth selling one's soul for, but
the demon she sometimes morphs into resembles the work of Face-Off contestants. And despite numerous scenes which tease
the viewer into anticipating a few sleazy encounters, aside
from Bella's revealing outfits and some titillating spit-swapping,
those seeking carnal thrills will probably be disappointed. This is grindhouse without the grind.
Still,
there's an earnestness to the proceedings that's sort of charming.
Cohn & company display an appreciable amount of creativity with
an obviously limited budget, some of which must have gone to secure
the services of Michael Madsen, the only recognizable name in the
cast. Speaking of which, the performances, while nothing exemplary,
are certainly adequate for the material.
While
the overall tone is a bit too serious for its own good, and not
even remotely scary, Devil's Domain manages to mine a fair bit
of fun from an overused premise. It's all been done better - and
smarter - but at least it isn't boring.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
MAKING-OF
FEATURETTE
RED
CARPET PREMIERE INTERVIEWS
SLIDE
SHOW
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD...LIKE CAT CHOW
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