Deal with the Devil

Director - Benjamin Thomas (People are Stupid, Quality Value Price)

Starring - Eric Wolfgang Nelson (Under the Veil, While We Were), Don Brandon, and Thom Murray (The Ghost Who Walks, T.E.R.A.)

Release Date - 2018

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "What would you give to have it all?"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I have a Wild Eye marathon I usually toss in a mixture of movies that are great along with a few that are duds.  After watching Creature from Cannibal Creek and 2020: Fallen Earth, and falling in love with both of them, I was ready for the next movie to be one that misses it's mark with me.  I decided to toss in Deal with the Devil.  The artwork and title made me believe that I was going to be sitting through a painfully dull and generic horror release but I was wrong.  This movie was not what I was expecting and it was a lot of fun.  Thank you Wild Eye for sending this one my way.

      The film follows a true crime author who is renting the home of an infamous serial killer.  He has scheduled interviews with neighbors, friends, and family to understand the reasoning behind.  What he doesn't know is that the man had made a deal with Baal to become a successful artist and had to return the favor in blood.

     I didn't know what kind of movie Deal with the Devil was going to be when I tossed it in but the artwork was really turning me off of the film.  I can understand why you want a flashy and well made poster for a film.  You want to catch the attention of potential viewers.  However, I feel that the artwork for this particular release doesn't paint the proper picture.  The acting in this one is absolutely phenomenal.  If I would have saw this movie in 2018 I would have said it was the best acted indie feature of the year.  The entire cast delivers award winning performances which really blows my mind considering how little experience some of them have.  The story for this one goes two different ways.  This causes some confusion at times but the risk was well worth the reward.  I really enjoyed the true crime author living in the house investigating the murders while we are given flashbacks between the killer and Baal, as well as, the murders.  As I stated earlier, it does get a little confusing at times, but the film was still well worth the gamble.  Finally, the film has some bloody moments but the kills are not the focus of the film.  I know most modern horror films spends a lot of time on the blood and gore but Deal with the Devil is more character driven than it is blood and gore.  Overall, Deal with the Devil is not like the other horror films you can find on store shelves.  The focus is the story and it tells the story well.  I highly recommend this one because it well worth your time!