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[Cinepocalypse Review] Mechanical ‘The Devil’s Doorway’ Plays Like a Collection of Horror’s Greatest Hits

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one: there’s something strange going on at a home for young women. An older priest and a younger priest are called to investigate. After increasingly mounting signs, they discover something demonic at work and must fight back against these evil forces. Oh, and it’s all shot first-person, found footage style. Does any of this sound familiar?

I don’t mean to suggest that The Devil’s Doorway, the debut feature from Irish filmmaker Aislinn Clarke, is ripping off one single movie. But watching it during its Midwest Premiere at Chicago’s Cinepocalypse film festival, it was hard to shake the feeling that the movie plays like a collection of Horror’s Greatest Hits. Found footage? Check. Demonic possession? Check. Creepy nuns? Check. Children’s laughter? Check. Loud noises? Check. That it’s packaged all up in a single film couldn’t quite outweigh the fact that it’s all been done before.

But here’s the thing: it’s all done very well. If you are someone who likes the found footage aesthetic and/or is creeped out by religious horror, there’s a very strong chance that The Devil’s Doorway will play like gangbusters. I have to admit that both sides of that equation tend to leave me cold, so I may not be the intended audience for this particular movie. As an outside observer, however, I can still appreciate how well Clarke constructs the scares and pays off the moments of dread. This is a very well-made movie, one which first and foremost wants to be completely scary. That’s worth something.

It’s 1960 in Ireland, and young Father John (Ciaran Flynn) and the older Father Thomas (Lalor Roddy in an impressive performance) are sent by the Vatican to investigate a series of incidents taking place at a home for wayward young women. The statue of the Virgin Mary is bleeding from the eyes. Father John decides to document everything with his 16mm camera, the footage from which comprises the entirety of the movie. Father Thomas remains doubtful of a supernatural presence, but the more evil the two men discover, the harder it becomes to deny the presence of the Devil at work.

There are limitations and questions that immediately arise as a result of Clarke’s decision to shoot the movie as found footage (Who was responsible for editing this? How did Father John never have to put on a new reel of film? If he’s shooting 16mm, where is the camera noise?), but these are problems inherent in almost every movie shot in this style. We have to be willing to accept the aesthetic. Clarke uses it to her benefit to; by telling the story from a subjective POV, we as the audience are restricted to only what Father John’s camera can capture. It forces us to look and see only where the filmmaker wants, which also makes it easier to create spooky noises and jump scares just outside our limited field of vision. Again, these things are true of every found footage movie in theory, but not every found footage movie is able to put it into practice as well as this one does.

The scares can be effective, too, as though Clarke made a checklist of all the stuff that tends to scare us (minus clowns…there are no clowns) and went right down the list. Possessed nuns are scary, and dark tunnels are scary, and dozens of hands appearing in a doorway is scary, and menacing children’s laughter is scary. All this stuff is executed well, but it also feels kind of perfunctory. It’s going to play upon every nerve and fear of some viewers, but once I became aware of just how many familiar tropes The Devil’s Doorway was leaning on, it all started to feel mechanical.

My reaction to The Devil’s Doorway really begins and ends with the fact that it’s not for me. The performances are good, the technique impressive, the atmosphere effective. All of it works the way it’s intended to work, provided you’re not too quickly reminded of a dozen other movies that have covered the same ground. Aislinn Clarke has made a good film. Now I’m excited to see her make a film that feels more her own.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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