Ahí va el diablo

This movie has pretty good pacing. The parents are very realistic and the kids are effective as well. A pretty good small production foreign film. The subtitles in English and Spanish audio was a problem. English audio is necessary in 2022 in the states.

This is a fairly straightforward story that lacks surprises but is reasonably entertaining. See it for the shock value. Even by horror standards, this is not for the easily offended; themes include: satanism and the occult, menstruation, gratuitous nudity, gory violence, graphic sex, implied pedophilia, and described incest. Probably not a good movie for a first date!

The story isn't complicated; it meets the expectations set by the title and synopsis. The characters are equally simplistic, their actions implausible, often leading nowhere. The most sympathetic character is the babysitter, who got more than she was bargaining for and doesn't know what the hell happened! (And has the boobs to prove it!)

And what's up with the frequent, jarring camera zooms? The cinematographer should be shot. It's like a technique Robert Rodriguez would use when spoofing '70's grindhouse flicks.

This is the kind of movie you find late night on cable TV. Lots of visual punch to grab the viewer's attention, nothing complicated to force you to think too much, impulsive action that shows the writers weren't having to think too much either. Enjoy it for the gonzo exploitation flick it is and don't expect anything more.

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.

A married couple lose 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.

This is the tenth film from Spanish director Adrián García Bogliano, but likely the first one that will be widely seen by Americans (thanks to it streaming on Netflix). The only other bit we have seen of his work thus far is in the "ABCs of Death" (he had B). And yet, Bogliano is only 33, so a great many things are ahead of him -- onward and upward! Lest you thought this was going to be a fun, kid-friendly film, the opening shot is a fairly explicit lesbian sex scene. And while it never quite hits that mark again, it sets a tone that is easily maintained throughout. If this is not something you care to see, turn it off now.

When watching, keep in mind that Bogliano is influenced by 1970s and 80s exploitation and sleaze, something that ought to lend itself to excellent visuals, not unlike Ti West's embrace of the same era. He specifically has called attention to Nicolas Roeg's "Don't Look Now", a horror classic and a great film in its own right. Does Bogliano live up to his Roeg influence? Perhaps. It would not be fair to say he has become the master, but he is nothing if not an excellent pupil.

My colleague Richard Ostrom has called the film "delectably demented", as well as "moody and unapologetically graphic". Not only is he the master of the apt adjective, but he's also spot on. The film is saturated with a sexuality that dangerously walks the line between erotic and pornographic, both in its imagery and its sensuality. There is plenty of blood, too, but this actually gets overshadowed by the sex -- something not completely foreign to horror, but on a whole new level here.

Jen Chaney, writing on Roger Ebert's website, gives the opposing view, offering the film only one star. She writes that Bogliano lacks sophistication and deems the movie "a 98-minute mess with misogynistic undertones", pointing out the film's questionable obsession with female sexuality. She raises a good point, and an interesting one, but her low rating is overall unfair. With the endless parade of rubbish that passes for horror, this is more than a one star film. Love it or hate it, it is the type of film that gets people talking.

this movie wont be for everyone. I'm sure im not the only one who has a hard time with sexual horror. There is a lot of uncomfortable sexual scenes in this movie that will make it hard for some people to watch. They even get pretty damn close to crossing the line when it comes to the children yet thankfully they showed some restraint. For such a smutty type movie it did however feel intelligent. The plot was gripping and very intense and had me wondering until the end when it concludes very nicely. I liked the ending a lot and thought it wrapped things up nicely. It also left room for a sequel which would be interesting because of the unique antagonist in this movie. There isn't a lot of gore but when it shows up it was very unnerving and brutal. Here Comes The Devil is a movie that is too raw for a mainstream audience but is smart enough that it will probably find cult appreciation.