The Devil's Doorway

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.

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.

I'm usually not a big fan of found footage movies but this is one I actually liked. The storyline is simple and 'logic'. But what is the most astonishing thing about this movie is that it proves it's possible to draw relatable and plausible characters within it's short playtime. This is also thanks to outstanding acting by the three main characters. It's become very rare- especially in horror- to have the combination of writing, directing, acting and cinematography in such a perfect manner. I must say the scene where the mother superior starts to sing was the creepiest thing I've seen in a long time. Congratulations!

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

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.