The Sudbury Devil

If you're wondering if you should watch this movie the answer is an emphatic yes!

The Sudbury Devil is a wild experience that waste no time immersing you into the world of late 17th century New England. Writer/Director Andrew Rakich's deep knowledge of this period is evident in every frame, for me his commitment to the setting alone makes it worth the watch. That being said, I came for the history but the story and performances had me gripped to the screen. The Sudbury Devil delves deep into New England lore to craft a narrative filled with complicated characters and has you watch as they come to reckon with their own personal convictions. Fed by stellar performances and an amazing score, The Sudbury Devil will take you on a disturbing little trip into the world of Puritan New England.

I sincerely recommend you check it out!

This had been on my watchlist for a while, but I don't have any recollection of adding it, so it must've been witchcraft.

I love folk horror. I love all those weird superstitions and local legends that manifest themselves in these movies. I love the weirdness and the unpredictability. Yet, there's a truth to them. There's a mid-19th century French book called Satanism & Witchcraft, which argued that witchcraft was adopted by women, because the feudal society gave them no other options for gaining any kind of control over their own lives. While the contents of the book is just garbage, this argument does have a certain proto-feminist appeal to it.

Now, I don't know if Rakich is aware of this book, but the film makes a similar case. Feudalism might not exist in this world anymore, but the driving force behind it, Christianity, does and is still as harmful as ever. On paper, the witch might be the antagonist here, but it is hard to see her as the villain.

On the other hand, our protagonist, Fletcher, might try to play the part of a man of god, he is definitely not the hero. He does not seem comfortable with what they are doing from the beginning, but it takes a long time before we are told why and that's great.

All in all, this doesn't quite rise to the pantheon of folk horror, but is very close. The microbudget does sometimes show, but you can also argue that it gives the movie character. There are some points where the movie, which feels more like psychological horror, looks like a cheaply made slasher and it doesn't really work, but overall that's a small complaint.

If a history is grotesque, so too should be its depictive art. The Sudbury Devil is a visually and auditorily striking ride from start to finish.

Writer/Director Andrew Rakich draws on his knowledge of the history of the American colonies, their fears, their hangups, their desires and their treatment of the indigenous peoples of this continent to tell a story of the birth of a monster. His attention to detail is evident, and for those that catch everything that he does right, this film is a feast of historical context done right.

Dillon DeRosa's work on the score is simply immaculate. Subtle, communicative, and as otherworldly as the forces at work within the visual narrative. Music is a language that speaks to the quiet and pattern-reading parts of our mind, and DeRosa has written us something wonderful and eerie.

The cast in this movie is relatively small, but every performance is given with delightful fervor. In particular, the work done by actors Benton Guinness, and Matthew Van Gessel stood out to me personally for their roles as John Fletcher and Isaac Goodenow, respectively. (Bonus points to actress Linnea Gregg however, for speaking the truth and message of the movie most plainly, in certain lines.)

All in all, I enjoyed this movie immensely. It is worth pointing out that it will *not* be to everyone's tastes. It follows a reasonably straightforward narrative, but watcher beware, strangeness abounds. There are many parts of this movie which are undeniably surreal, and markedly uncomfortable to watch. This, I believe, is by design. It's not a movie's obligation to keep a watcher comfortable, and given the subject matter at hand, that caveat applies doubly.

From me, ten stars. It's not the most approachable film, but it is a FANTASTIC religious/historical horror experience. Do not watch it with your parents.

Objectively, this film is incredible via several metrics. For starters, its budget is used so well that you could hardly tell it was made for less than $25,000. That alone should put this film into the realm of Indie cult classics, but it's further supported by the wealth of acting talent and the well-thought-out, historically accurate script. Overall, it's a fantastic historical film that gives great insight into the mindsets of the average New Englanders during the Puritan era.

All of that being said, it's MOST DEFINITELY NOT FOR EVERYONE. Personally, I'd say I'm one of those people. The vibe of the film was, in my opinion, too occult, too sexual, too gory, and too esoteric for my taste. It's a film that's most certainly not for the under-18 crowd, but that being said, the vibe doesn't take away from the fact that it's very well made.

I finally decided to watch it after being a fan of Atun Shei Films for years, in particular his Checkmate Lincolnites series. I've been a massive fan of his for all that time, so going into the movie, I generally knew what to expect, in that I sort of knew it would probably not be a film that I loved. I was correct in that assumption. I didn't love it, but I was intrigued nonetheless.

It's not a movie for the faint of heart, and it's not a movie for the Karen crowd, but if you're looking to expand your horizons, I guarantee you that even if you don't love it, you'll at least be able to appreciate it for how impressive it is.

So while it's not the film for me, it may very well be the perfect film for you.

Movies made by YouTubers are often horrible garbage. Most are made just to be a cash cows while a few others are made with genuine interest. Unfortunately for either case, they often times serve more to make an audience cringe than to entertain. However, Andrew Rakich's "The Sudbury Devil" completely flips this narrative.

This movie is excellent with great acting, cinematography, and directing. The dedication to historic period dress, dialogue, and setting must be praised as one of the best representations of the period. It is up there with the "The Witch." The special effects or practical effects are amazing with extremely realistic gore. It cannot be understated how amazing this movie is on such a low budget (according to the Indiegogo campaign, this movie had a budget of $4,453).

As for negatives, my major gripe is that this movie needs subtitles. Fans of his channel might be able to understand dialogue clearly but there is a language barrier in understanding 17th century English dialogue for the average viewer. Subtitles would help in this regard. Some other minor nitpicks are that the visual effects sometimes look out of place and poorly composited. Another issue is that some scenes sometimes last too long specifically ones of the erotic nature.

I should mention that this movie has explicit sex, nudity, and gore. If you are reviled by such bawdiness I would avoid this movie.

This movie is loaded with themes. Showcasing the disturbing Puritan ideology and the hypocrisy of its followers. The audience confronts the disturbing reality of how the colonization and creation of cities like Boston are built through the genocide and repression of indigenous people, racial minorities, and other so called "sinners." At least that is how I interpreted it.

In conclusion, this film is not without its flaws. However, it remains an excellent piece of media that shows that one does not need a lot to produce a great movie. It defies the typical expectations of so called "Youtuber Movies." I highly recommend especially for the Halloween season!