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ENTER THE DEVIL (1972)
Directed by Frank Q. Dobbs
Something Weird DVD-R
Reviewed 01.11.07
Buy
it from Something Weird!
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
Never before has sleep been rolled
out with such unfettered pleasantry.
You can take THAT statement all
the way to the bank. Or the desert.
In the barren void of Terlingua,
Texas, times hop to their own beat.
Men drink Pearl Beer, and only Pearl
Beer. Mercury mines serve as ideal
locations for holiday getaways.
Most distinctively, red-robed Penitente
Cultists have a thing or two to
say about small town politics. Namely,
they don't like 'em.
Enter The Devil has tiptoed
into the room. Playing out quietly,
stylishly, and just a little bit
skewed, it's the very definition
of "regional rarity".
The film feels like S.F. Brownrigg
(Don't
Open The Door) rubbing
off on Leonard Kirtman (Carnival
Of Blood) in an isolated
patch of Texas no-man's land. But
nothing much happens. However, for
the first time in a long time, blank
traits carry little baggage. I like
it when a car blows up before falling
off of a cliff. Unless I'm mistaken,
so will you.
Hoots! Hollers! Chants! When a sniper
shoots out a tire and a rustic guy
goes missing, the law moves into
action. Action, of course, entails
a dusty hunting resort which shares
space with an abandoned Mercury
mine. The Caucasian goons sling
sexual innuendoes (and an attempted
rape) at the Mexican house-girls.
The Sheriff talks about re-election.
Deputy Brooks may be sleeping with
one of the girls. Subsequently,
a cult of torch-bearing Penitente
spooks capture random people and
sacrifice them in creative ways
(barbed-wire burning, rattlesnake
kisses, etc.). Yet, we need more!
Dr. Leslie Culver arrives about
40 minutes in. She's researching
a book about, well, "cults".
Lodge proprietor Glenn may be able
to help the good doctor out.
Satan, where art thou? Enter
The Devil picks up no pieces
and offers no devil action. Short
on explanation and long on conversation,
your assumptions are correct: This
is a slow one. The senses, contrarily,
are alive and kicking. Locations
are dry and beautiful. Cinematography
leans on thoughtful compositions.
Swiping piano strings (ahoy again,
Carnival Of Blood!) hold
hands with a theme song by someone
named Happy Shahan. Choppy, goofy,
and suspenseful aspects pay off
in unexpected ways. Like the Devil
himself, trashy elements are absent
in Enter The Devil, but
the film still intrigues. It's all
in the isolation.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Something Weird says,"From
a 35mm print that's as rough as
the desert!" Well put. Eclipsing
Donn Davison's Honey
Britches as the most charmingly
damaged print I've ever witnessed,
the presentation of Enter The
Devil is a trash lover's paradise.
Constant green emulsion damage.
A nice helping of jump cuts. Thick
mono goodness. Heaving grain. The
film's mysterious aura is enhanced
tenfold by the scrappy print. On
the downside, there's a heavy compression
issue thanks to the DVD-R limitations.
I want my VCR.
EXTRAS
Like all of Something Weird's DVD-Rs,
this one is stacked to capacity
with promo goodness. A 25 minute
reel of spookshow and spookfest
trailers unfolds after the feature,
most of which can be found on the
Monsters Crash The Pajama Party
DVD.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Pull up a stool and crack a Pearl.
Enter The Devil is no hit.
On the other hand, it's an oddly
fulfilling little lullaby for your
next lost weekend. Happy Shahan,
the mic is yours. |
Sucker
The dirty cowboy
She's into bricks
Crosses 'n' Robes
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