The eyes of the devil is an interesting film on the evergreen theme of demonic possession, with a talented cast, among which it stands out Ben Cross, here in his last film appearance before his disappearance. the film has very fascinating locations, and was mainly shot in Sofia in Bulgaria, and above all, a director now considered a veteran of the horror genre such as Daniel Stamm. A well directed work, equally well acted and written with style, which almost seems to come from the past, in particular from the eighties, and has the only small defect of not adding anything really new to the genre, although it remains very pleasant.
The eyes of the devil, production and cast
The film had a decidedly troubled gestation, with several changes at the helm and in the production, from the original story, dated 2018, which turned from The Devil’s Light to The Devil’s Flameup to the last and definitive title of Pray for Devillocalized in Italian with The eyes of the devilwith which it was then released in theaters. You remember The Last Exorcism of 2010? It is a film shot style False Documentary, which is among the most interesting of the new millennium. Apparently the title must have also been very popular with the executive producers, who when planning a new film on the theme of demonic possession, never too celebrated and one of the most exciting in the macro horror sector, chose the same director, the Teutonic Daniel Stammtrue veteran of the genre, who also boasts in his CV 13 Left of 2014, an excellent remake of a little-known but interesting Thai horror, and collaborations in television productions such as Fear Of The Walking Dead And Into The Dark. In the cast of the film we find not too well known, but very talented actors, the protagonist is the Canadian actress Jaqueline Byerswhich after debuting in the holiday film blizzardsdirected in 2003 by LeVar Burtonhas made itself known above all thanks to TV, with The Strain And Salvation of the BBC, in which he plays the main role. The interpretation in the film The eyes of the devil it is perhaps his best acting performance so far seen in twenty years of career. Sister Ann’s character is deep and compelling. The British actor is decidedly more famous Colin Salmonwho plays Father Quinn and who we remember twenty years ago in the film Resident Evil from Paul W. Andersonwhich you find herebut also in the series of James Bond, and for playing Dr. Moon in the cult series Doctor Who. Video game lovers will also remember him for playing the game Blood & Truth for Playstation VRwhich we reviewed in this page. In the role of Dr. Peters we find an actress of the caliber of Virginia Madsenunforgettable as Princess Irulan in DUNES of the Master David Lynchwhile in those of the possessed girl Natalie, the debutante Posy Taylor. Very good acting by Christian Navarro, in the role of Father Dante. The actor began his film career playing an infected zombie in the film Day Of The Dead 2: Contagium of 2005, apocryphal sequel to the original work by George Romeroand today he is known for being the protagonist of the series Netflix titled 13 Reasons Why. A special mention for Ben Cross, unfortunately recently passed away, and to whom the film in the end credits was in fact dedicated, which is also the last one in which he participated, in the role of the Cardinal. The shooting of the film took place during the summer of 2020 in Bulgaria and the artist passed away shortly after August 15th, just ten days after completing his scenes for the film. The actor is known for his role in another famous film on the subject, namely Exorcist: The Beginning of 2004, fourth film of the legendary series The Exorcistfrom William Peter Blatty, which, however, constitutes a prequel. The actor has also taken part in several cult films, such as Moments of glory from 1981, The first knight of 1995 and especially the film reboot Star Trek of 2009, in which he played the Vulcan Sarek, father of Spock, in the controversial alternative timeline created by the mocking JJ Abrams. Also active on TV, we remember him for many appearances, from the seventies to today, among which they stand out On the edge of reality, Tales from the Crypt, Poltergeist and Banshee. The film, distributed by Lionsgatewas shot two years ago, therefore, but it arrived only last month in US cinemas, and now in European ones.
Welcome to the Vatican Academy for Exorcists
The plot of the film is interesting and very traditional, and tells us about the decision by the Catholic church to officially reopen a Vatican Academy for Exorcists, which had been closed for many years, following a suspicious increase in the world of cases of demonic possession. However, the school is open only to priests, exclusively male, and canonically forbidden to nuns, who limit their service as auxiliaries of the institute. One of these, Sister Ann, particularly attached to the theme, for reasons that we will discover during the film, decides to follow the lessons secretly, stealthily slipping into the back rows of the classroom where Father Quinn holds the lessons. The latter, recognizing the girl’s great spiritual gifts, decides to ask the Cardinal to be able to include her in her courses, thinking he can make her the first female exorcist of the modern era, given that the last one had been Saint Catherine of Siena in the distant last years of the thirteenth century, a real historical fact mentioned by the film. A particular case studied by the academy is that of the mysterious girl Natalie, a victim of possession and particularly resistant to spiritual treatments. From this incipit an interesting but at times too classic plot develops, which, although set in the present, in fact we see computers, the Internet and modern means, prefers to give a lot of space to the iconic Vatican Secret Archives and research through paper documents and historical films in cassettes VHS, undoubtedly more intriguing for the public, with excellently reconstructed locations. Equally sumptuous is the Academy, which fascinates with its symmetrical staircases, its enormous leaded stained glass windows in Gothic style, and whose light is used in a dynamic way in the film’s scenes, in contrast with the ancient and dark dungeons, where the victims of demonic possessions are found, in spartan medieval cells, studied by the same. In fact, the real location of the film is remarkable, which is at Sofia in in Bulgaria, where a large part of the film was shot, also with a large contribution from the local technical cast. The film proceeds in a very linear way in the interesting plot, with some jump scare moments, actually predictable, and a discovery of new elements that come together to create a true generational drama. Throughout the film we find ourselves between classic genre opera effects, well done, traditional make-up, greasepaints and a pinch of computer graphics. All the elements quote the classics of the genre with full hands, with mysterious apparitions, possessed patients dancing, traditional candles lit by a demonic wind and recitations of arcane formulas from the Holy Scriptures. Most striking of all is a huge fountain of Acqua Benedetta, which is among the best elements of the film. The eyes of the devil It’s fast paced, it’s very well directed, and it features remarkable actors who are well-placed in their characters. Moreover, the open ending could predict a sequel, which will obviously depend on the success of the film in theaters and on Home Video. Nothing new, of course, and everything vaguely seems already seen, resembling the many films on demonic possessions that crowd the history of the genre, but the film is written, directed and acted with style, so if you love themed horror exorcism, we would like to recommend it, but don’t expect a revolution.
The eyes of the devil is a new and interesting film on the all too classic theme of exorcisms on people possessed by the devil, directed by the veteran of the genre, Daniel Stamm, who we remember for The Last Exorcism of 2010. Having abandoned the False Documentary, this time the director tries his hand at an all too classic and academic film, which, while exciting, well shot and acted, adds nothing new under the sun, indeed, in the dim light of candles. Good performance by the cast, in which the late Ben Cross stands out, here in his last appearance on the big screen. If you love the genre, and you like eighties-style productions, you can still give this film a chance, which manages to entertain with a fluid story without downtime.
The Devil’s Eyes Review, Ab insidiis Diaboli libera nos Domine. | GamesVillage.it