At The Devil’s Door (2014) #HorrorMovie Review

At the Devil’s Door (2014) has been on my watch list for a while, and when I finally found it among the million channels I have from my TV services, I was excited to see it. Too bad, my expectations were set way too high. You’d think from the poster on its own that it was going to be creepy and scary; it’s a demonic possession movie after all.

The opening sequence starts with an intense game of “find the button under cups” in a creepy trailer house. I loved the uneasy feelings and the freaky older woman who sat behind the man moving the cups. The smiley button with the X when Hannah makes her final pick felt like it was leading to something chilling. And the last step of her getting the $500 was strange, but not as bizarre as the man’s words, so ‘he’ knows who to take, added to the ambiance of a good thrill ride.

Too, bad they jammed on the breaks. The acting even went downhill, especially by Catalina Sandino Moreno, who played Leigh. It was like she’d just learned the lines moments before filming. If that were the case, she shouldn’t have drawn attention to it by being bland during delivery. I was relieved when Naya Rivera as Vera came on the scene – Santana from Glee, and the reason this film was on my watch list. She is the artist sister of Leigh. I won’t leave out the anomaly of Vera’s boyfriend/sex buddy, Sam, who wasn’t even close to who I would’ve cast in the role. His performance was like a fish out of water. Thank the movie gods that he wasn’t on screen often.

I like the effect they used when depicting going back in time with furniture reverse fading onto the set. I think I enjoyed the flashback sequences more than the rest of the movie. I would’ve rather stayed with Hannah through the entire film and not just in disjointed bits. There are a few other things that I enjoyed, like the way the “costume” of Hannah seemed to be unzipped down the center and fall to the floor, revealing the demon.

The final thirty minutes of the movie made no sense to me. It didn’t connect at all. Honestly, though, I’d lost interest shortly after Vera returned to the house the final time. I guess it’s possible that I fell asleep for a moment and missed something vital to the disjointed story, but I doubt that happened.

Once again, my expectations are beyond reality, and I give At the Devil’s Door 2.5 out of 5 Stars.