I just watched the latest Mahal Empire movie, Devil's Knight, which will be premiering just in time for Halloween. If you're familiar with Mahal Empire movies you know they make high quality indie horror movies with budgets in the ballpark of $300k-$400k. These aren't ultra low-to-no-budget $5-$20k indie horror movies, they're polished and have high production value. They're not quite Terrifier 3, but they're miles beyond most of the ultra low budget stuff we watch on Tubi.
If you've seen previous Mahal Empire movies such as Attack of the Unknown, Bridge of the Doomed, Bermuda Island, Night of the Tommyknockers, Bloodthirst, or Arena Wars you'll recognize a lot of actors from this massive ensemble cast. Even if you're unfamiliar with Mahal movies, you'll recognize Daniel Baldwin, who I've loved since Homicide: Life on the Street, and Oscar nominee Eric Roberts who was fantastic in Christopher Nolan's Hollywood blockbuster The Dark Knight. Angie Everhart (Bordello of Blood, Another 9 1/2 weeks) is another familiar face, and John Wells, who was excellent as the lead in Arena Wars and Bermuda Island, shines again here.
As I've said many times in the past, Greg Tally is a chameleon. I first saw Tally in Bermuda Island and Craving, and it's hard to believe those two characters were played by the same actor. He does it again in Devil's Night. He's basically the Gary Oldman of indie horror, he successfully undergoes a transformation for every movie role.
Mahal Empire regulars Darryl Goldberg and Janet Wang have an awesome scene together in this, Janet's character is fantastic and I'm pleased to see her in a role that really shows off how talented she is. She shines in Devil's Knight. I expect to see her in even bigger and better roles in the future. Bishop Stevens looks great (and huge!) as the Minotaur. Wesley Cannon and Denny Nolan are a couple of other Mahal regulars you'll recognize, and indie legend Rudy Ledbetter makes an appearance - drink! Kevin Hager is great as the King. Victor V Gelsomino, another Mahal staple not only acts in this one, but is also one of the writers, credited along with director Adam Werth.
Mahal Empire movies use a lot of supporter talent and these actors consistently give better performances than many established "big name" actors who appear in other low budget indie movies, which is a testament to the great directors the Mahal brothers hire, and shows a quality director is one who can get the best performances out of their cast. Adam Werth, who directed Devil's Night and Bermuda Island, and Michael Su who was the director of photography on Devil's Knight, and who previously directed Bloodthirst and Bridge of the Doomed, illustrate how great directors can elevate their cast. I've heard Craving director J. Horton has been tapped to direct a Mahal movie in the future and he's another director who really makes the most of what he has to work with. If you're an aspiring actor just starting out and you want great, top quality footage with high production value for your reel, sign on to a Mahal Empire movie.
Joanna David did a fantastic job on the costumes, everything has an authentic feel, especially the armor. The Mahal brothers went all out and leased an actual castle for this movie, they didn't just film it all in front of a green screen as many lower budget movies would have to do out of necessity. It makes an incredible difference and really shows through in the final product. Tyler David Gilbert's score is great and sets the medieval tone perfectly. Really adds to the film and sucks you into the era.
Vanessa Giacoletti's makeup work is phenomenal, John Wells and Janet Wang in particular looked excellent. Tom Devlin (Daredevil,Red Dragon) is a master of practical effects and a true artist. The Bone Demon and Hook Creature both look fantastic. Devlin's team did an incredible job and there are lots of great kills with phenomenal practical effects. Lots of blood flying around in this one.
Stunt coordinator Terence J. Rotolo did an amazing job with the fight choreography, this is an action movie as much as it's a horror movie, and there are several very well acted fight scenes that looked far more believable and realistic than what I usually see in indie horror. One action sequence that really stood out was a sword fight between Kim Kelly and Sarah Nicklin, who both absolutely nailed it. Again, Mahal Empire movies really are a step up from most of the indie content I watch. I love no budget horror movies but you can really see the difference in quality when you're watching a Mahal movie.
I won't spoil the ending, obviously, but my son definitely wants a sequel to this one. Make sure you check this out when it is released on VOD and physical media, and stick around through the end credits so you don't miss the mid credit scene!
