The Devil's Hand - Vergib mir Vater, denn ich habe gesündigt

"6 girls born on the 6th day of the 6th month. Their 18th birthday is approaching. 1 will emerge." When the 18th birthday of the daughters of Jacob Brown (Sewell) and others in a quaint Amish town approaches things become uneasy. One of the town's leaders and elder Beacon (Meaney) recounts a prophecy about the devil coming to the village. He fears that these girls are the reason for the happenings and begins to do anything he can to stop the prophecy from coming true. The girls on the other hand have a different story to tell. Going in I was expecting yet another cheesy low budget horror movie. I was surprised at how much I liked this. Without trying to start something I do think that religion in the hands of the wrong people is very dangerous and this movie is an example of why I feel that way. The best part of the movie though is that it stays one step ahead of you and you never really feel comfortable with what you are seeing. That is the sign of a good movie to me, one that keeps you guessing at the same time you are becoming angry at what you are seeing. Overall, a surprisingly good horror movie that deals with one of the scariest things of all, evil done in the name of God. I give this a B+.

Let's start off by saying this movie does not reinvent the wheel and I don't think it tries. However I thought the story was compelling and the characters were entertaining enough to make me immerse in the story. You have some familiar faces with well-known actors and they are doing a great job depicting their characters whether they are good or evil. You have some gnarly kills and some decent gore that also enhances the watching experience. The overall story has been done before but I think the execution was fine and as soon as I started watching the movie I pretty much guessed the end so you might find it predictable. While this is certainly no masterpiece I think that if the plot summary sounds interesting to you, you should give it a try and see for yourself. [5,7/10]

This movie had some promising elements and very good production value. Despite what seems to be a modest budget, the lighting and technical aspects of the filmmaking on display here are all pretty top notch. The young female leads are also pretty strong and the fundamental idea behind the story seems like solid starting point.

Unfortunately, there's really not many more positive things I can think to add. The way the story unfolds is completely predictable and not even slightly interesting on any level. It's pretty much the same old same old that you see in any "powers of the devil"-type horror movie. No new ground is broken.

And while the movie is far from being terrible, it's just as far away from being good and ends up as a textbook example of genre mediocrity.

WHERE THE DEVIL HIDES is a modern-day horror flick with at least a different setup to the usual one: it's set in a remote religious community, which feels very Amish in style (but isn't). A fire-and-brimstone preacher keeps the locals in line until a series of brutal murders leads some to believe that there's evil in the midst.

Sadly, despite the difference of the setup, the execution of WHERE THE DEVIL HIDES turns out to be entirely humdrum. Everything that happens has been done better elsewhere, and it's all very choreographed and unexciting. One of the worst things about this film is the look, which is all dark colours and shadows; in other words, like 99% of other modern horror flicks that try to be atmospheric.

Even worse, WHERE THE DEVIL HIDES manages to waste the talents of a pair of decent cast members, Rufus Sewell and Colm Meaney, by having them not do very much at all. Jennifer Carpenter (of QUARANTINE fame) also has a role. In the end, though, this one's a struggle to sit through because it's so slow and predictable, and it's still as forgettable as all the others.

Prophecy stalks a religious community. The fools! Or are they?

Strong theme and good acting, but the story is rubbish - a disapproving rant about irrational behaviour, yet the end is beyond irrational. No problem with criticism of religious faith, but this was so obviously a caricature that I couldn't believe it, and the final reveal felt cheap. I think it's a case of being so contradictory that you end up agreeing.

The story telling is weak - gaping gaps in the logic, plus several scenes you have to excuse just to keep up with events. It does look great, although the music is too busy. And so coy about the sex and violence - I understand the need to meet standards, but this was disgustingly tame.

There is a saving grace, thanks to the actors. Colm Meany had a cheesy role, but the actresses were beautiful and intense. Pity the story didn't allow them to take over.