A film about Satan and the devil, how classic. There's an undercurrent of pure dread to this flick. It works its way through the film's veins using music cues, whispering demonic voices and haunting images. Ethan Embry's performance is superbly crafted. A well-meaning dad, that rocks out to metal and paints pictures all day. He feels very real and not like a caricature. (He also gets ripped for this flick, I guess because he paints shirtless for a few scenes. It seems unnecessary, distracting and unfitting for his character but sure).
He begins to hear voices and see things and paint horrible stuff he doesn't understand. It's all very unnerving and convincing and seems to be leading to some inevitable catastrophe.
But the film lets up in the home stretch. It becomes a bit of a supernatural home invasion flick. The film seems undecided about whether there are real demons at play, which unfocuses the movie and makes it seem unsure of itself. The film isn't exactly about investigating the place demons have in the modern world either. It just knows they are inextricably linked with metal. A lot of the build-up seems for naught in the end and it's a real shame.
Byrne has great ideas, a wonderful grasp of character, atmosphere, tension, but maybe not enough to say?
