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It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these rapid-fire film review deals, hasn’t it? Unfortunately, given the volume of indie horror flicks, they’re pretty much a necessity, or else I wouldn’t get to nearly as many films as I do now. Granted, that number has been on the lower end as of late, but let’s see if we can get it up a notch or two! Let’s not keep the devil waiting.
The Devil’s Left Hand
(Directed by Harley Wallen; Starring Laurene Landon, Yan Birch, Kaiti Wallen; 2023)
“A Demonic entity breaches a Medium at a young couple’s housewarming party, wreaking havoc and terrifying the attendees. After they party, the entity begins stalking the guests. They attempt to fight back, but don’t know who they can trust as the Demon can shape-shift and appear to be anyone. The stakes grow higher when the Demon begins killing them, one by one.”
The Devil’s Left Hand is an interesting piece of indie horror—not in an “introspective” sort of way, but in what elements the filmmakers chose to include. In essence, this follows the same routine most ghost flicks do nowadays: a group goes to a medium, uses a spirit board, contacts something they shouldn’t have, and appropriately gets haunted by a specter that wants to kill them… eventually. There’s a good bit of time spent with characters talking in circles about their situation instead of showing the action unfold. Usually, this wouldn’t bother me too much. I mean, hey, I get it. Budgets are tight, and you need to fill the runtime somehow.
Here’s the problem, though: this movie is nearly two hours long. I can’t help but be less forgiving, especially since the characters weren’t strong enough to hold even an ounce of my attention. There’s a decent 90-minute movie in here if only they’d trim the fat around it. Or rather, there would be, if it had a proper ending. By “proper ending”, of course, I mean “an ending”. It just stops without any sort of resolution. I don’t know if they’re planning a sequel or just ran out of time, but it’s unsatisfying.
All that said, there are still satisfactory aspects. I appreciate how everyone’s so ready to assume ghosts were the cause of the supernatural shit happening to them. No one tried to explain it all away with tired concepts like “reason” and “logic”, which is a breath of fresh air considering how these things normally go. The medium (Aphrodite Nikolovski) and her ghost hunter friend (Harley Wallen) are by far the best characters, both in terms of performance and attire. Seriously, their outfits gave me Van Helsing vibes, I dig it. Also, the ghost/demon/left hand is—for some reason—an onryo, a type of Japanese ghost woman. That’s fine, I like variety, but it does make me question why Judeo-Christian demon-repelling methods work against it.
Overall, the film would’ve benefited from a shorter runtime and… y’know… an ending, but as is, it’s fine. The acting is decent, the cinematography is solid and not too “clean” looking, and the few gore effects there work well enough.
Watch The Devil’s Left Hand on Tubi right here!
Victim No More
(Directed by Bob Heckman; Starring Hans Paul Hendrickson, Deana Naja, Joe Winchell; 2022)
“Robin is a young man whose family members are surviving victims of serial killer Jason Voorhees. He sets out to prove to his loved ones that Voorhees is dead, and that the infamous Crystal Lake campgrounds are now safe.”
As far as the Friday the 13th franchise goes, it’s safe to say the fans are the sole reason Camp Blood stays in business. I’d even go so far as to claim that any studio offering would be hard-pressed to match the love and respect fan creators have shown in their unofficial indie horror films. From The Never Hike Alone series to Night of the Beast to My Special Boy, there’s no shortage of campfire tales featuring our favorite pissed-off goalie. That includes this recent watch, which continues to share as much passion as the rest—Victim No More!
The love can be immediately felt, with establishing shots of New York City taking the screen and the opening credits carrying the same font from that one movie. There’s so much previous lore that’s lovingly and abundantly referenced, but never to an obnoxious level. Friday the 13th isn’t known for being reserved, so such things fit just fine.
Characters are standard fare, at least in the first half, after which the film switches gears for a fun surprise of a finale. Curiously, the filmmakers opted not to adorn Jason with his traditional facial attire. There’s not much reason for this departure, but when has there been much reason for anything in these flicks besides the rule of cool? Most importantly, the kills score up with the best of them, being as brutal as they are creative. If you’re a Friday the 13th fan, then you should take this trip back to Crystal Lake, for sure. You won’t regret it!
Watch Victim No More on YouTube right here!
Life of Belle
(Directed by Shawn Robinson; Starring Syrenne Robinson, Zachary Robinson, Sarah Mae Robsion, Matthew Robinson; 2024)
“In 2018, Annabelle Starnes went missing. York County police released surveillance footage of the home in hopes of new leads.”
This is a PRIME example of how creative and competent an indie horror feature can truly be. Made with a budget of only $100, Life of Belle stands out as one of the most unique found-footage films I’ve seen this decade. Utilizing an innocent enough narrative—a young girl named Belle (Syrenne Robinson) making videos for her YouTube channel—it manages to curate a genuine connection to Belle’s family, which makes all the ensuing horror much more tragic.
And what horror it is! The depiction of one’s sanity slowly fading away due to one’s own refusal of treatment can be a bit hard to watch at points, especially when the kids are involved. There’s not much more I can say without venturing into spoiler territory, which I’m hesitant to do, since this film works best when going in as blind as possible. There are some nitpicks I have—mostly the ending, for those pattern-seeking readers amongst us. But nothing subtracts from the film too much. For something that was made on a day’s paycheck and lil’ elbow grease, this flick is outstanding!
Watch Life of Belle on Tubi right here!
I’m serious about Friday the 13th, by the way. Y’all are the only ones keeping that ship afloat, and I’m all grateful for it! Tune in next time to see what other indie horror films cross my screen, and trust me… There are many. Same Dread time, same Central channel!
Categorized:News
