Nicholas McCarthy’s 2012 debut The Pact was a twisting, suspenseful little film that I really enjoyed. The good news is that McCarthy hasn’t suffered from the ol’ sophomore slump. I like his new film, At the Devil’s Door (formerly known as Home) even better than The Pact. At times it’s terrifying and McCarthy deftly plays with suspense until it becomes near unbearable. It plays out against a dark, unpredictable canvas and features three strong female actresses who all get their turn to play lead.

The narrative structure of At the Devil’s Door plays out like three separate horror films, all of which are consistently and profoundly creepy. It’s an offbeat structure, but McCarthy pulls it off nicely. Even though it has almost an anthology feel, the transitions are smooth enough to make it cohesive. This is the type of horror film that really gets under your skin and makes your nerves feel all funny. At the center of it all is Ashley Rickards, who’s probably best known as the star of MTV’s Awkward. After running away with her boyfriend, she returns home a changed woman. I mean that in the demonic possession sorta way.

I’m wary to give away anything further about the plot because the twists collide in a very effective way and it’s best to go in fresh. I will say that there are a lot of horror tropes that in the hands of many other directors would’ve felt just like that, like cliches. But McCarthy manages to make elements like haunted houses, possession, and evil children feel completely like his own. The atmosphere he creates is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife and he doesn’t just depend on loud noises to scare us. And hot damn are there some scares in the film. There are your run-of-the-mill jump scares, sure. For the most part though, the film relies heavily on its eerie tone and shocking moments of terror to scare the audience.

There is some CGI in the film but for the most part, the successful scares are played out with practical effects. There’s one moment that spooked me where a dresser drawer opens. That’s it. Just a drawer opening. That’s how potent the overall sense of dread is in At the Devil’s Door. A drawer gave me a wicked bad case of the willies.

Anyone who enjoyed The Pact is going to love McCarthy’s impressive second film. It’s clever, bizarre, and wildly satisfying. From beginning to end it’s filled with thrilling ideas and claustrophobic tension. Despite the presence of cliches, At the Devil’s Door is one of the most inventive and effective horror films I’ve seen in a while.

Don’t miss it when IFC Midnight releases it on VOD August 8!