A those few precious days before college… not quite an adult, definitely not a child… a time to experience things purely for perhaps the last time… a chance to gather up your pals and go traipsing into a jungle for a little R n’ R, and perhaps a chance to stare into the gaping maw of hell itself, you know, for the fun of it all…
So yeah, a gang of friends head down the raging rapids and end up at a hotel located deep within that verdant landscape. Of course this leads to them encountering all manner of odd occurrences that reveal there are supernatural shenanigans afoot, but is it the hotel and jungle that are cursed, or do the simply bring out the darkness that already dwells within?
Let’s get the biggest challenge some of you may face with Face of the Devil; while the runtime is brief (around eighty minutes), this is definitely an entry in slow-burn horror territory. If you are waiting for wall to wall effects and gore, you might want to mosey on past this one cats n’ creeps.
That being said, I found the pacing to be solid, and the clues and scares offered up by director Frank Perez-Garland and writer Vanessa Saba (who performs acting duty in the film as well) make for an engaging and suspenseful narrative.
Another big plus here are the actors on hand… rather than being the usual obnoxious fools, are in stead incredibly personable and likable (not to mentioned rather fully realized and thought-out) which leads to us giving a damn whether they live or die via that classic ol’ chestnut; audience sympathy!
Additionally, the scenery here is gorgeous, and the cinematography courtesy of Roberto Maceda Kohatsu is quite excellent.
All in all, Face of the Devil is a fun lil’ romp into the horror biz, with some good ol’ supernatural scares and teens in peril… well worn territory, but very well done!
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