When we are troubled, afraid, or sick, it is natural to seek God’s intercession, but when a family tries to help their sick child, they get more than they’d bargained for.
Of the Devil
Of the Devil is an American horror story written and directed by Kelton Jones and based on a story by James Cullen Bressack. The film stars Vernon Wells, Robert LaSardo, Jonathan Stoddard, Daniela Palavecino, Lucas Sequeira, and Eileen Dietz.
The film begins with a human sacrifice that releases a Blue Morpho butterfly that eventually makes its way into a backyard where we watch a small child playing with his neighbor’s dog. His parents are watching from the kitchen when suddenly the child, Alex (Lucas Sequeira) has a seizure. The parents soon learn that their son has a malignant brain tumor and that there is no cure. Frantic to save their son, the mother, Norma (Daniela Palavecino) turns to prayer.
A helpful neighbor (Eileen Dietz) brings her dog, Ravioli, to play with little Alex, while she and Norma talk. June tells Norma that even though the medical doctors in the states hold no hope for the boy, there might be help in Mexico. Norma jumps at the chance even though her husband Ben (Jonathan Stoddard) is against the trip. Norma is an illegal immigrant and might not be able to return to the states…plus they also have Ben’s mom to take care of.
Throwing his own religious beliefs to the side, Ben decides to take his dying son to see a Shaman (Robert LaSardo) in Mexico, where all hell breaks loose.
Conclusion
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Of The Devil as much as I did. There are so many plots to this tale of demonic possession, beginning with our learning that Ben was a former priest who left the church to marry his brother’s wife. Alex is really Ben’s nephew. After Ben and Norma realize that little Alex has been possessed, they seek help from Father Bennett (Vernon Wells).
There are so many creepy scenes that successfully draw from Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense. The boy and we viewers see the dead, which are really frightful even though the home nurse and family are unaware of them. I absolutely loved that Kelton Jones and James Cullen Bressack added this different aspect to the film, because the veil between life and death is paper thin, and I often see the dead going about their normal human duties as they did while alive. Heaven is a happier Earth. We don’t suffer. There is no pain, no anger, and no regrets. Many times, the dead aren’t even aware that they share the same surroundings as us.
Of The Devil gets an A+ from this psychic/medium because of the good story line, the believable acting, and the surprise ending. Of the Devil is now available on DVD and digital.
