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| Images courtesy of Yellow Veil Pictures |
The Adams' family are legends in the independent horror genre. Their portfolio is full of award-winning low budge wizardry. Their last feature, Hellbender was an intriguing take on witchcraft and female empowerment that garnered critical acclaim as one of the best horror films of the year. Their latest offering is one of the most visually stunning and mysterious horror films of the year. Featuring memorable imagery, shocking violence, and an exceptional use of low budget techniques, Where the Devil Roams is one of the Adams' best films yet.
A family of carnival workers commit atrocities across the Catskills as the show travels through the heart of the great American depression. In the midst of the violence, a shocking, infernal discovery alters everyone's path. The Adams' (Father John, Mother Toby Poser, and Daughter Zelda) script contains interesting, sometimes meandering dialogue that fuses with a musical soundtrack to create a hybrid ambiance. Black and white sequences interspersed with colorized scenes have a jarring effect, sling-shotting the viewer from the grimy backwoods of the past to a hyper-violent present.
Zelda Adams shines as Eve, the mysterious daughter of a murderous union. Through the film she sings songs while adorned with celestial wings, an echo of an into scene involving a man who no legs reciting a poem whose prose is an important omen. As the emotional center, her scenes with he rparents form a framework that they (as both cast and crew) slowly erode throughout. She is supported by her parents, both in and outside the film. John Adams' Seven is a doctor while Toby Poser portrays his viciously efficient wife. The Scenes of violence are bookedned with humorous exchanges and bizarre post-murder rituals, all of which leave it to the viewer to interpret while also enhancing the mystical vibe. The Devil is clearly present in this vintage Gethsemane, perhaps made apparent by a Faustian bargain with a shady magician.
All of these elements are captured with the Adams' outstanding
cinematography. This is a blood-tinged mood piece, where folk lore, occultism
and superstition meet, and while there are humorous moments dappled in between
the carnage, it is the dark magic at the center that forms the connective
tissue, leading to a jaw dropping finale.
Coming soon to Tubi, Where the Devil Roams is yet
another triumph for the family of filmmakers. Using trickery and smoke,
they pull the viewer into a peculiar familial dynamic whose creed is death,
yet, is clearly also infused with love for one another, perhaps indicating that
we sometimes hurt the ones we love the most.
--Kyle Jonathan