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Always a smoke. Never a light. Except this time is different: Enter the Devil is a diamond in the rough of cheap and greasy drive-in flicks. It is to be experienced and marveled at as a stunning example of effective and shocking regional thrillers. And it still works.
The American southwest is ripe territory for a series of mysterious disappearances. People just vanish here. It is the opening shotgun blast that clues us in that these vanishings might be more suspect than supernatural. Turns out, people are being hunted. Routinely. And in Enter the Devil, a seriously commanding B-grade horror flick, the answers to the who and to the why are far more disturbing than anyone ever suspected.
You haven’t been spooked until you’ve seen hooded figures traverse the desert. It’s hot enough, right? Well, this group is obviously up to no damn good. Carrying torches and crosses, this chanting group of mysterious figures quickly get down to the bloody business of cutting human flesh. Another poor and broke down traveler permanently sidelined; that’s the point of Enter the Devil, a film that is far more powerful than you might be expecting.
And, thanks to the fine work of Massacre Video, audiences get to experience the thrill of the hunt for the mob responsible for such madness with a brand new 2K scan from the original 35mm film elements. This release is the best the film has ever looked. I’ve seen rough and scratchy bootlegs of this movie, but here – thanks to the new scrub – most of the deficiencies in the print have been smoothed out.
Enter the Devil is deliciously evil. It is also an involving narrative that takes place across two borders. It turns out, as Deputy Sheriff Ozzie Perkins embarks on solving the mystery behind a man’s disappearance, that there is a wicked cult busy with border town killings and sacrifices. Fire is indeed a hard way to go, but that’s exactly what he finds when the missing man turns up far from where he was last spotted: a skeleton burned to a crisp black stain.{googleads}
Low in budget, Enter the Devil works better than most B-minded horror flicks because it feels real and the acting – featuring the subdued (but on point) performances from Joshua Bryant, Irene Kelly, and David S. Cass Sr. – keeps things in checks. There are few hysterics as the truth comes to light. The devil is very much alive and well in the desert and he’s not above using rattlers with which to do his business either.
The film has stunning visuals. It is a dry climate and you practically choke on the dust that is kicked up by boots, robes, and open-aired vehicles driving through the desert. This film is no laughing matter as there is danger lurking in almost every spot. There’s little to laugh at as it is that serious in its objective to entertain. Slow pacing and a quick 82-minutes make for one hell of an experience. These are not characters we are watching; they are living and breathing people.
And there is something disturbing just waiting to be uncovered in the desert sands by the Matt Dillon of West Texas. Written and directed by Frank Q. Dobbs, this is a masterpiece of the drive-in and now, thanks to this limited-edition release, it comes to your home to roost.
Massacre Video has done a great job with a long-neglected cult classic. Enter the Devil is striking and memorable; it may even haunt your head for days on end. Careful, though, because these rattlers are damn big and feisty, too. They WILL strike.
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[tab title="Details"]
MPAA Rating: PG.
Runtime: 75 mins
Director: Frank Q. Dobbs
Writer: Frank Q. Dobbs, David S. Cass Sr.
Cast: Joshua Bryant, Irene Kelly, David S. Cass Sr.
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Then It's Too Late For Exorcism!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Tom, I've got a hot date tonight. There's a pretty good possibility."
Theatrical Distributor:
Official Site:
Release Date:
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 16, 2018
Synopsis: Following the mysterious disappearances of several travelers in a rural part of southern Texas, a detective and a scientist from a nearby city are sent to investigate. Made to immediately feel unwanted by the locals, they soon discover the remains of one of the missing, but in doing so begin to sense that something sinister is afoot in the desolate community they’ve entered. Determined to uncover the truth, the duo quickly find themselves faced with an unimaginable evil; a terror linked to Satan himself!
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Massacre Video
Available on Blu-ray - July 16, 2018
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Thanks to Massacre Video, the new 1080p looks excellent, considering the film’s age and condition. The new 2K transfer from the only surviving 35mm theatrical print is crisp and crackling with nice color levels and shadows. The banged around 35mm print is not nearly as scratched and problematic as it was. The digital transfer is much appreciated, even if it can’t save the flick from all the print damages. The high grain is to be expected. It is presented in the film’s ratio of 1.85:1 and features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack for all of your dialogue listening needs.
Supplements:
Commentary:
-
None.
Special Features:
This limited-edition release features a blu-ray/dvd combo of the film with a side-loading slipcase and fantastic reversible cover art. The supplemental material features the new 2K Master from original 35mm Inter-negative element, captions, a bonus feature from Dobbs, an interview with a Video Nasty Scholar, another interview with David Cass, and a still gallery. Trailers from other Massacre Video releases are also included.
- Frank Q. Dobbs' California Connection Bonus Movie
- Video Nasty Scholar, Kim Newman Talks Enter the Devil
- Disciple of Death: An Interview with David Cass
- Still Gallery
- Trailers
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