"THE DEVIL'S WORK" (2024) Bewitches The Home Invasion Genre
Watching a home invasion movie can trigger a visceral sense of fear and dread as viewers imagine themselves in the character's shoes. It can make them feel the relatable feelings of vulnerability and defenselessness in their own homes as they watch in the dark with their eyes occasionally darting across the room. The horrifying tension builds with each creaking floorboard and a shadowy figure that seems to be just around the corner, heightening the audience's anxiety as they witness the invasion unfold in terrifyingly realistic detail that will make you rethink that deadbolt you have on your front door or if you may have left a window unlocked. This fear stems from the primal instinct to protect one's home and loved ones, amplified by the realization that such horrific scenarios could feasibly happen in real life. This blend of terrifying suspense, morbid dread, and the unnerving familiarity of homes all over the world being violated creates a chilling, yet memorable viewing horror movie experience that lingers long after the credits roll.
Recently here at Macabre Daily we’re reminded how chilling watching a horror movie at home can be when we got the chance to watch ‘The Devil’s Work’ from Terror Films Releasing. This movie stars Cassandra Kane, Mark Fantasia, Luca Sardelis, and Kerry Reid. It was written/directed by the talented Ursula Dabrowsky. The synopsis for this movie is as follows:
“A young couple’s romantic weekend away at a remote cottage turns into a harrowing fight for their lives when they are terrorized by an unhinged, homicidal sibling.”
Writer/Director Ursula Dabrowsky shared her thoughts about making ‘The Devil’s Work’ recently when doing press for the horror movie by saying:
“The Devil’s Work is inspired by films such as ‘Birdman’ and ‘The Silent House’, films that have been made using a production methodology whereby you are shooting in long takes and the idea is to give the illusion that the film has actually been shot in real-time. You really feel immersed in the main character’s experience on screen.”
The use of long takes and the hard work that went into making this movie was an enjoyably horrifying experience showing the beautiful way this movie was shot. The camera follows the main characters Charlie (Cassandra Kane) and Dustin (Mark Fantasia) around the cottage as the story starts as a delightful vacation between two people who love each other and builds up the incredible suspense as this slow burn that takes you on a wild ‘cat and mouse’ heart-stopping chase. This shows the amazingly artistic talent that writer/director Ursula Dabrowsky has that might be lacking in some recently released horror movies. The way that the camera gracefully follows each character is a devilish ballet of good vs evil. It frames and follows each character by showing their emotions at the perfect moment to make you hold your breath with fear by never missing a beat with the fluid motion of the camera.
The beautiful cinematography isn’t the only stand out in ‘The Devil’s Work’. The story has a lot of elements in it that build a foundation for the slow but very enjoyable burn that leads up to the suspense in the final act. Having many of the elements laid out to us at the beginning of ‘The Devil’s Work’, as well as blink-and-you-miss-it moments in the background adds an extra element of fear. There are also a lot of moving parts within the story like the relationship between our two main characters Charlie and Dustin, the side plot of Charlie’s sister Lindy, and wondering if all the things she is experiencing are all in Lindy’s head with the element of the threat of possible witchcraft. These parts are perfectly in sync and don’t overlap, which helps the story flow without any distractions by having each part as important as the other.
A lot of the story’s build-up to the increasing fear of what happens next is thanks to the great acting skills of Luca Asta Sardelis who portrays Lindy, Charlie’s deranged sister lurking in the shadows. The way that she seems to appear out of thin air, gracefully sneaking in the background and quietly adding tension between our two main characters. She has a great way of standing still in the background and looking menacing all at the same time. It almost gives off those crazy Jason Voorhees vibes as if he is quietly standing there holding his machete, ready to pounce.
‘The Devil’s Work’ also shows a lot of skill with each of the actors using their truly excellent acting prowess to stay on their mark and keep the movie going strong with each of the long takes. Most movies have the luxury of being able to fall back on the many takes while shooting, but this movie takes a lot of skill and patience to stay on task when doing these longer takes. Every actor in ‘The Devil’s Work’ was clearly picked for their amazing patience, pinpoint focus, and the way to radiant talent on the screen while all of the horror nerds watching gleefully enjoy the terrifying events that are slowly unfolding before them. You can tell by the way everything is from start to finish that the actors, directors, crew, and everyone on the team worked well together with how everything was executed on screen by the way it comes off as if it was done one time flawlessly.
‘The Devil’s Work’ from Terror Films Releasing will be premier on TFR YouTube AVOD Channel on May 10th at 7 PM with the filmmaker and cast participating in a live chat with the fans, followed by a digital release on May 24th. For more news on all things horror, be sure to stay tuned to Macabre Daily for daily updates.
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