DVD Ahí va el diablo

It only took two of his movies to make me an avid follower of Adrián García Bogliano. He's the type of cinematic artist I deeply respect and even am somewhat jealous of. We're about the same age, but at "barely" 32 years old Bogliano accomplished nearly a dozen of long feature horror films. And although I'm certainly not claiming his movies are bona fide genre masterpieces, they are definitely interesting to explore and – on a more personal note – the type of movies that I'm looking for the most. They are raw, brutal and nihilistic low-budget exploitation efforts that genuinely re-create the atmosphere of horror during the 70's and early 80's. His "Room for Tourists", for example, is one of the cruelest torture-porn flicks out there and especially his "I'll Never Die Alone" is pretty much the only modern day rape & revenge flick that truly lives up to the prototypes of the seventies, such as "I Spit on your Grave" and "Last House on the Left". Evidently I was very eager to catch his newest effort "Here Comes the Devil" when it played at the Brussels' Festival of Fantastic Films, because it allegedly concerns a homage to the devilish cult flicks of the 70's and one giant homage to "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Bogliana again didn't disappoint, although it's different from his previous work and emphasizing more on character depth and disturbing atmosphere. Our director moved up from Argentina to Mexico for this film (I sincerely hope he isn't on his way to Hollywood!) and serves a compelling cocktail of drama, occult thriller and vigilante action. During a family day trip, Felix and Sol's preteen son and daughter request to go on a hiking trip up a hill while their parents "relax" in the car. They don't come back down, though, and the parents spend a long and petrifying night in a nearby motel. But the kids suddenly show up again the next morning, unharmed and just in a minor state of shock, and they all happily return home together. Over the next few days, however, Felix and Sol witness their children behaving increasingly bizarre and asocial. They presume their offspring fell victim to a perverted child molester and promptly seek for vengeance, but in reality something far more disturbing happened to Adolfo and Sara. They seem possessed by dark forces and deliberately head back to the hillside… The slow and sinister pacing, as well as the detailed character drawings, are the main trumps that make "Here Comes the Devil" such a haunting and unsettling thriller. Felix and Sol are very identifiable characters and, especially if you're a parent yourself, you'll mildly cheer for their unlawful (and slightly inconsiderate) decisions. Bogliano masterfully mounts the tension steadily and professionally towards a nearly unbearable climax that is – admittedly – somewhat derivative and vague, but most of all harrowing. Stellar performances from the ensemble cast, gorgeous filming locations and the exact right amount of blood and violence also contribute in making this is a true gem. Please, if you love real horror, leave all the nowadays CGI ghost and zombie crap for what it is and dig into the repertoire of Adrían García Bogliano.

Do you remember that horror film made in the 1970's that crossed Picnic at Hanging Rock with The Omen? You know, the one that someone like Jose Larraz or Jorge Grau made back in the day and that used to line VHS stores in a lurid big box?

Here Comes the Devil is a 1970's horror film made in 2012. Although not set in the 1970's, it has the feel of a 1970's horror film. For some reason, I was particularly reminded of Satan's Blood, another Spanish language exploitation movie. This is not a retro homage that winks at the viewer the way Grindhouse or Black Dynamite do. No, Here Comes the Devil is first and foremost an unnerving horror film, one without humor or irony.

The plot has two children exploring a hillside shunned by the locals as their parents take advantage of the time alone to engage in sexual play. Time passes. The children do not come back. Worried, their parents search for them and find nothing. The next day the police find the children safe and sound. All is fine . . . or maybe not. The children are different, withdrawn and having an unhealthy attachment to each other. The parents suspect their children have been sexually abused and go about searching for a suspect. In fact, the truth is much stranger.

Here Comes the Devil is a slow burn. This was more common in 1970's horror cinema than it is now (the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre for instance). Some have found the film slow. However, the film pays off with a genuinely unnerving conclusion and along the way there is an escalating sense of dread. This dread often takes the form of sexual tension, some of it involving the children. This makes the film an unlikely choice for a US remake. It also makes it feel older, from another time period. I had read about Here Comes the Devil in horror magazines like Rue Morgue and Fangoria. I was pleasantly surprised that it lived up to the hype.