E's Reviews: The Devil's Doorway

In the fall of 1960, Father Thomas Riley and Father John Thornton were sent by the Vatican to investigate a miraculous event in an Irish home for 'fallen women', only to uncover something much more horrific.

THE DEVIL’S DOORWAY is an independent found footage horror film directed by Aislinn Clarke, and stars Lalor Roddy as Father Thomas, Ciaran Flynn as Father John, Helena Bereen as Mother Superior, and Lauren Coe as Kathleen. The film was also written by Aislinn Clarke and Martin Brennan.

To begin, I would like to say that the directing and writing of this film are ridiculously good. Aislinn Clarke, in her first full feature film, has done something few horror directors have done before: taken a film with a tiny budget, and made something so utterly horrifying, that it gave me (a veteran of found footage and horror films) nightmares. I kept seeing things that weren’t there all night long after watching the movie. I kept hearing things that weren’t there. It definitely built up a tremendous sense of dread that I just could not shake, even though I watched it during the middle of the day in a well lit room. The other thing that really sold this film, was the location. The home for these fallen women was creepy, it was atmospheric, there was a sense that there was something just...wrong about it. And the acting by Lalor Roddy and Ciaran Flynn as Father Thomas and Father John, was tremendously well done. Helena Bereen as Mother Superior was surprisingly creepy, I didn’t expect that the nun in charge of the entire place would be as disturbing as she was. Lauren Coe, who plays Kathleen, was also very good in her role.

The camera work of this film is well done, and done almost entirely I think, with an old-style handheld. The one thing about how it was filmed that really got under my skin, was the blinking on and off of the camera’s light. I kept expecting something to jump out at me, and when it didn’t, it took me completely off-guard for when something really would be shown. That being said, yes, there are jump scares. This is a found footage style movie, so it hits all the things you’d expect from found footage: shaky cam, jump scares, creepy atmosphere, dark hallways and rooms where you can’t see anything, etc. But this isn’t PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, the way this movie was crafted, you could tell, was done with care, not for a cheap cash grab. They wanted to tell a story, and to make you feel bad for the people trapped in this place, which they most definitely are. The score is sort of unsettling as well, especially during the closing credits. The softly sung Irish song that played got under my skin, and I don’t really know why. The CGI, which was very very few, was also well done and not overbearing on the viewer.

All in all, this is a genuinely creepy movie. The acting is fantastic, the directing and script are excellent, and the scares are genuine. The location is just terrifying, it was definitely what sold it to me. If you’re a huge fan of horror, found footage, or paranormal/demonic films (like I am), then check this one out!

It’s currently in cinemas on a limited release, you can also rent it on demand from digital services like iTunes or Vudu: Movies Anywhere (where I got it).

Final Score: 9.5/10