The Devil's Rock

There are better exercises that play with a similar idea as is this movie. Still this is not a bad movie at all. I got to watch this at a special preview at the Empire in Leicester Square. The director and some of the stars were there to watch the movie with a "kraut" (forgive the pun if you can).

Speaking of language problems, I talked to the director after the movie was over and asked him about the German language used in the movie (as can be seen on signs too). Overall a good job, that his researcher did, but there are a few minor mistakes that you might spot, if you know your German language. Overall a decent job on creating atmosphere too. A classic example of "B-movie", that will entertain people who like this stuff :o)

This was not bad at all.

The narrative was a bit weak admittedly, more explanation of the occult rituals would have been nice. The ending was also the classic writers getting tired making something quick up.

A more clever ending had been appreciated.

Overall the acting was really good. Try yourself to play a red painted demon and keep a straight face :) The two male leads, well the only ones really, delivered well.

Camera work and editing was good, though in a way that is to be expected from shooting in small spaces.

Overall, good effort from everyone involved and if you have popcorn and a nice hang over this is absolutely rent-able.

Set in the Channel Islands on the eve of D Day, two Kiwi commandos, sent to destroy German gun emplacements to distract Hitler's forces away from Normandy, discover a Nazi occult plot to unleash demonic forces to win the war.

Okay, I have to admit I had low expectations on this one. I had heard no buzz on it, the cover looked sort of cheesy, it has no names that I recognized. That was probably unfair, but I am just getting so used to the average horror film being crud. This is better than the average horror film.

The cinematography is beautiful, let us just get that out there. Such a great use of light and color. And the demon-Nazi connection? A good execution of that. We have seen some Nazi zombies, and we know that the Nazis had some interest in the occult... but I daresay I cannot recall the last time this was executed so well. This might not be quite as good as "Dead Snow", but it is in the same range and they would make a great double feature.

Where does this film sit in the history of New Zealand horror? While the budget is clearly higher than Peter Jackson's early endeavors and possibly even "Black Sheep", I feel like this one might take a while to catch on (if it does at all). Horror fans like a good-looking film as much as anyone, but they also like the humorous and cult horror films. While not devoid of humor, this is not like the tradition that Jackson started...

The Devil's Rock: British Commandos, an SS Occult Unit in search of the ultimate Supernatural Weapon, Witchcraft, a shape shifting Demon. Yes, the Channel Isles were a fun place to be during WW2.

Two commandos land by dinghy on a decoy mission to sabotage gun emplacements thereby misleading the Germans as to the likely D-Day invasion sites. But they hear female screams coming from a bunker investigating they find a Lovecraftian scene, half eaten German soldiers, a soldier who has committed suicide. A Grimoire lies on the ground.

A surviving SS officer kills one commando and captures the other. Then we encounter the Demon who handily can take on the features of your loved ones. A summoning has gone wrong. The commando and SS officer are forced to cooperate.

Great Demon, ripping heads off.

Good War/Horror film, 7/10

This film is badly marked down in my opinion. There are other films "outpost" being one title which stand out in this genre of Nazis and the occult and this has the ability to match them all with solid acting performances. This is also really for a more mature audience unlike "Dead Snow" which in my opinion has a slight comical factor about it. When you consider the small cast and the time spent on screen by the actors the plot is held together solidly. For its genre please give this film a viewing and you will be pleasantly surprised of its quality. I have not heard of any of the actors but they all gel together convincingly.The suspense building up is unbelievable.

Thanks for reading and go and enjoy the film.