BELZEBUTH
(DVD Review)
Starring
Joaquin CosÃo, Tobin Bell,
Tate Ellington, Giovanna Zacarias. Directed by Emilio Portes.
(2017/114 min).
FROM
RLJE FILMS
Review
by Josey, the Sudden Cat😽
Be
forewarned...nearly all of the victims in Belzebuth are
children. And not a carload of dumb teenagers being punished for
premarital sex. We're talking little kids. In fact, the
opening scene features a demon-possessed woman who sneaks into a
hospital nursery and slaughters all the newborns with a scalpel
before slitting her own throat.
I
only bring it up because some horror fans might have a problem with
the film's copious kiddie carnage. Carve up all the hunky douchebags and nubile nymphs
you like...just leave the toddlers alone...
...and
dogs. Spare the dogs, please.
No
children are actually shown dying, so I guess its a tribute to Emilio
Portes' directorial skill that the opening scene still feels brutal
as hell (probably more-so if one is a parent, like yours truly). For
better or worse, though, it's an unforgettable sequence that promises
a relentlessly grim ride for viewers who are up to the challenge.
While Belzebuth doesn't completely fulfill that promise, the
film holds together long enough to be worth checking out.
If
you've seen The Final Conflict (aka Omen III), you
might recall the segment where Damien commands his disciples to kill
every child born on a specific day in order to prevent Jesus from
returning. That's the basic premise of Belzebuth. Joaquin
Cosio stars as Emmanuel Ritter, a cop in Mexico whose son was one of
the newborns killed in the nursery. When more children are
mass-murdered, the FBI sends paranormal agent Ivan Franco (Tate
Ellington) to aid in the investigation (I doubt the FBI actually has
such a division, but we'll play along).
 |
| Tobin Bell...ready for his sponge bath. |
Spotted
near every murder scene is Vasillo Canetti (Tobin Bell), a defrocked
priest covered in inverted cross tattoos, who becomes their number
one suspect. When it becomes apparent that one kid in particular is
the target of these attacks, but has so-far been lucky enough to be
somewhere else, it turns Canetti might actually be trying to save
him.
Frequently
disturbing without ever being all that scary, the first half of
Belzebuth plays like a police procedural with
supernatural overtones. Like the opening sequence, the death scenes
involving children are handled tastefully, but with diminished
impact. Still mourning his own son's murder, Ritter definitely earns
our empathy, Cosio's performance exuding the right amounts of anguish
and anger. Everyone's favorite modern scream king Tobin Bell
is...well, Tobin Bell, providing most of the story exposition in his
indubitably creepy fashion.
Ironically,
the film becomes less horrific once it's revealed Ol' Scratch is
behind everything, at which time Belzebuth employs a lot of
the usual genre conventions. The final act – an escape through a
tunnel snaking under the U.S.-Mexico border – has its moments, but
treads familiar ground and includes some really clumsy CGI. Still,
the film is well-made, moves at a brisk pace and offers a nasty shock
or two for the stouthearted.
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
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