Devil's Doorway

As horror films go, it isn't groundbreaking. As found footage horror goes, it did its job.

So as you've noticed by the trailer, the film has a unique way of presentation, using the old-school aspect ratio. Its not perfectly clear whether they used real film stock, or created it digitally, but as someone who worked at a film archive, I can attest that they did a pretty darn good job. But is it scary? Is it really like the critics say, that its the best found footage film in years, being a ode to The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby? Well no, its not anywhere close to those masterpieces, but I agree its much better than the found footage garbage we so often see. With a boat load of Hollywood found footage trash, we also get a wave of films made by anyone who has an iPhone, and the vast majority of them are terrible, and while Devil's Doorway is not amazing, its certainly to as bad as I'm used to.

But was it scary? Its hard to say yes or no, I would rather say it was hit and miss, some of it got me, some of it didn't. The atmosphere also appeared and disappeared, sometimes it was effective, sometimes it was either not there or was not as effective. Its no masterpiece, but it most definitely had some cool stuff in there. The aspect ratio adds to it, the story its based on is an interesting one (surprised it has been done to death), and some of the plot points, shocks, and scares were alright. Again, alright, not perfect. So don't go in expecting a masterpiece like some critics say, or are paid to say.

I'm not big into found footage, but this one is sort of footage being shot, not found. The priests are genuine, not typical Hollywood Catholic priests. The Magdalene laundry was a real place, and it wouldn't surprise me if this kind of thing happened in those horror houses-there were more than one in Ireland until the early 1990s, I believe. You sort of know what is happening, but you still want to see it to the end. Very scary, a few minor jump scares, and one or two major ones. Ghoulish, hellish, and pure evil. And the fact that there is an atypical ending actually supports the integrity of the priests while bringing into stark relief the evil of the antagonists.

Ok. To be fair, the movie wasn't as Bad as most found footage. But it did what found footage always does which is show you not much but shaky cameras looking around, in the dark with the lights going out, and sometimes catching only glimpses of things. Like the rest, it mostly relies on the Viewers' imagination rather than actually making a good film that doesn't choke. That said, at times it Is creepy and a bit disturbing as well.

This week's found footage horror is set in 1960's Ireland where we find a couple of priests dispatched by the Vatican to investigate a 'miracle' at a 'fallen' women's Laundry run by the sisterhood.

Zero build-up quickly gives way to Excorcist/Blair Witch cliches galore, as we once more tread the weary path of shouting, screaming, levitation and tripod-free DP work that we've seen countless times before (and done far better) in this long exhausted sub-genre.

I caught Writer/director Aisleen Clarke's debut effort at Nottingham's Mayhem 2018 Film Festival. Clarke followed the screening with a very informative and generous Q&A session which I found far more interesting and engaging than most of what she'd just served up on screen.

The use of 16mm and authentic location choice were big pluses in her movie's favour, as were the performances - not least from Lalor Roddy as the wisely sceptical Father Thomas. Its in the quieter moments where his monologues to camera accompanied only by the night time wind outside that TDD really hits home. Otherwise its business as usual as the seen-it-all-before possession tropes pile up faster than the linen in the wash room.

If Clarke had forsaken the FF for a more formal approach with a slow build-up and a tight reign on the creepy-kids-that-go-BOO-in-the-night traits, then she might have come up with a winner, instead of this strictly third place, non-event spook-show. A missed opportunity.