Blu-Ray Review: At The Devil’s Door

By Brad Henderson

As a cinephile I’m often asked the question, “what is the scariest film you have ever seen”? I have a list of scary films but not too many actually scare me. I’ve been watching horror films since I was 4, so I’m a little desensitized at this point in my life. I get creeped out of course, but it takes a little bit more for me to look over my shoulder at the end of the film.

I would say the last film that actually creeped me out was Paranormal Activity 3. Go ahead, laugh; everyone else does. I think that is because people haven’t seen Paranormal Activity 3 and they don’t take me seriously. I always ask if they have seen it and the majority of the time people say no. I believe if Paranormal Activity 3 was a separate film from the franchise people would be talking about it still, but instead it gets lumped in with the rest of the mediocre films. I still claim it’s one of the scariest films ever made.

It seems people disagree a lot when it comes to “scary” movies and I think they are a little confused about what scary really is. I’m talking about films that make you shiver, stop breathing, and haunt you. Jump scares don’t count, ever. Just because you jump up and down and scream, doesn’t mean it is scary. I’m talking about films that truly terrify you to no end and after you watch them, you may have trouble sleeping for the next couple of weeks.

After watching At The Devil’s Door I’m still creeped out.

At The Devil’s Door is one of the scariest films I’ve seen. Hands down. There are a few films that have stuck with me and this is one of them. At The Devil’s Door is set up in a very unique and clever way. The film is almost set up as an anthology and delivers a couple of surprises and goes into directions that I wouldn’t expect. This film is also loaded with unnerving moments and I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Between the outstanding camera work, the daunting atmosphere, and the eerie score you are in for a total creepshow.

I’ve seen the majority of people kind of shrug this movie off and I’m unclear why. I do admit the wrap up to the film is a little discombobulated. I have a small theory about it, but most do not agree with me. I truly believe my theory because I think it makes perfect sense of the craziness towards the end of the film. Because this is a spoiler free review, down below I will state a few words in order to give you my opinion on the ending. It won’t spoil too much but I think you should read it after you see the film.

There are many elements needed to successfully create a legitimately scary film these days. We are used to the same mumbo jumbo and we need fresh ideas with a substantial mix of quality filmmaking to bring us the terror that we need for this day and age. Luckily we have filmmakers seeking out new ways to scare us and I love it. I’m hoping others take notes and try to make visually haunting films like At The Devil’s Door and the more recent It Follows. We need more films of this caliber and I hope there are more to come.

At The Devil’s Door was released by MPI Home Video on December 16.

**SPOILER ALERT**
She sold her soul.