*** This review may contain spoilers ***

*Plot and ending analyzed*

For a no-budget horror movie, it started out interesting with a sense of claustrophobia and dread. What helped also is that it is filmed at night. The acting is not too bad at this level. Up until about the fifteen minute mark the movie was running at a good solid average grade. Then the writers ruin it all, and it drops to below average at the conclusion.

Here is another example of an interesting horror movie being obliterated by a lousy "twist ending". The director makes a mess of it, a really stupid mess. The demon is portrayed as a powerful and manipulate thing and yet it gets fooled by some shoddy hustler. Yeah right. And then both he and the woman survive the demon cult attack. Terrible writing.

So if you enjoy no-budget horror movies, turn it off when it gets to the fifteen minute mark. Otherwise it will be a supreme disappointment.

Grade: D -

Nowadays the norm for movies classified in the Horror genre is generally that the vast majority isn't Horror at all. Most are dark dramas with a few dark fantasy elements, like dream sequences or one or two gory bits. These elements mostly try to fool the viewers so that the movie is ultimately categorized in the "Psychological Horror" or even the "Folk Horror" subgenres- both term so vague and inaccurate that have blurred the lines between dark dramas and real Horror movies in such an extent that most new viewers cannot really tell what is Horror and what is not.

THE DEVIL COMES AT NIGHT fortunately is a real Horror movie that tries to tell its story in an honest manner, touching themes that I personally have only seen only in obscure low budget Horror flicks as this one. The movie generally succeeds in most levels and is an entertaining and quick-paced Horror Mystery that will probably appeal more to old-school Horror fans like myself. At the same time it touches some current issues like racism, albeit not in much depth. Surely it has problems, like for example little gore and violence and that the ultra-low budget shows at times, but generally it gets a positive vote from me, something that rarely happens with modern movies classified in the Horror genre.

The plot summary is kind of misleading.

There is a cult.

But it's not really a cannibal cult.

It's a white supremacist cult formed around one man, who sold his soul to the devil, to attain godlike power...though, he must destroy the first integrated church, established in the area, to do so.

Only...to do so...he must first eat the flesh of a direct male descendent of the preacher who established the church.

A disgraced former boxer is the grandson of that preacher.

He has returned to the house that sits upon the land where the church once stood, to collect his inheritance.

Hoping he can use it to pay for the cancer treatment his only friend needs to survive.

But all he has inherited is the curse.

As he is targeted by the cult that has grown up around the boy- turned demon- who sold his soul for unspeakable power.

Hence why they aren't actually a cannibal cult.

Rather, a demonic cult, centered around a head honcho that must engage in cannibalism in order to acquire the power he desires.

The storyline is kind of weird.

Though, certainly imaginative.

It's not exactly clear to me, why the other cult members were affected by the protective boundaries of the house.

I suppose they are also demons themselves.

But, it's not particularly evident how, or why, such is the case.

And, if so, why they can be killed by traditional means.

There is, however, a rather bizarre, yet interesting- and totally unexpected- twist at the end, you definitely won't see coming.

I just wish there was a bit more gore.

As all of the kills happen off camera, by design.

Likely, due to budgetary constraints.

Considering it's an Uncork'd production, and all.

For a super low budget film, that takes place, solely, in one setting.

It's not terrible.

But it isn't great either.

I, personally, appreciated the bizarreness of the storyline, for it's originality.

And how the plot was constructed to keep you in the dark.

Plus, the acting is fairly decent.

But I could definitely see it not being up everyone's alley.

Because it definitely has it's faults, as well.

4 out of 10.