Amish horror. Not something you think of very much. It’s also not something many directors do, either. Sure, Wes Craven did Deadly Blessing, but those weren’t the Amish. Children Of The Corn? Again, close. It seems like hardly anyone’s really used the setting to really tell a good Amish horror story. With The Devil’s Hand, directed by Christian E. Christiansen and penned Karl Mueller, we’ve gotten our Amish horror story. Or not.

On the 6th day of the 6th month, six Amish women give birth to six daughters in New Bethlehem. Elder Beacon (Colm Meaney) believes this to be a bad omen, according to a prophecy of the Amish Antichrist, The Devil’s Hand. While one of the mothers does kill her baby (and herself), the remaining girls are spared. As the five remaining girls’ 18th birthday approaches, one of the girls, Mary (Alycia Debnam Carey), begins to have visions of the other girls being murdered. Like clockwork, the girls one by one begin showing up dead, just like it happened in Mary’s visions. Is Mary the Devil’s Hand, or is something else going on?

Being a sucker for Deep Space 9, Colm Meaney’s presence in the film grabbed my attention immediately. Yes, the show’s been off the air for almost 16 years, but damn it, it’s Chief O’Brien! And while his character is more than a little one-note with his constant harping on about fire and brimstone, I still got a kick out of him. As for the rest of the acting, it’s a mixed bag. Like Elder Beacon, many of the characters are one-dimensional. Jennifer Carpenter plays the entire film as Mary’s stepmother Rebekah with a permanent scowl, while Rufus Sewell does the concerned father thing as Jacob, but doesn’t have much more to do other than be a plot device. Thankfully for Carey, she’s given a little more to do as our protagonist, and is quite good with what she’s given.

Tone-wise, the film is best described as a slasher with supernatural elements thrown in. You have a whodunit with that nagging Antichrist aspect, but it also mixes in a coming-of-age story with Mary rebelling against her sheltered life in New Bethlehem. Is this the Amish idea of The Devil’s Hand? Probably not, but it would give way to accusations of being in league with Ol’ Scratch for not conforming to the rest of the town. Of course, I’m babbling and dragging this out, as there’s some serious problems with this one.

First off, look at how many editors tackled this film. Three are listed in the credits, and the film shows it. It’s a case of a film being edited to the point that there’s no focus. Scenes feel cut down, particularly when it comes to the horror aspects (gore, nudity, tension). And yeah, you have that coming-of-age story thing, which takes away the film’s focus as a slasher. The slasher aspects pop up sporadically, and only fully take over near the film’s conclusion. Really, the whole thing feels like it’s trying to reach multiple audiences that couldn’t care less. And yeah, it does sound like an all-too-familiar problem with certain horror films. There’s a reason why this film sat on the shelf for a couple of years, and had a name change from Where the Devil Hides. To top things off, The Devil’s Hand is far too dark at times to see just what’s going on. It’s like the crew for the lighting were on a tight budget.

As you’d guess, The Devil’s Hand isn’t what you’d call a great way to spend 100 minutes. While some of the acting is good, the characters are for the most part one-note, the horror aspects are undermined in favour of telling a CW-style melodrama, and the film just doesn’t take advantage of it’s setting to tell a compelling story. I would say throw it on for while you’re ironing, but you’ll probably get more enjoyment out of ironing clothes, and turn The Devil’s Hand off.

Video/Audio:

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, the film looks pretty good. Colours are consistent, as is the image detail (during scenes where you can see what’s transpiring, that is). There’s no apparent softness to the picture, and by the same token, no glaring edge enhancement or overbearing grain.

Unlike the video, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track does have some problems. For starters, it appears that the dialogue and sound effects are mostly relegated to the right rear channel. In fact, much of the sound originates from the rear speakers. There’s still some activity coming from the front channels, but overall the experience is haywire. The audio also didn’t appear to move around much, either. So much for the immersion.

Extras:

The only extra is the film’s Theatrical Trailer. Also included is the Ultraviolet copy of the film, and a slipcase replicating the cover art.