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When the topic is horror movies on Netflix, let’s not forget that’s a platform where horror mustn’t be taken for granted. I fell asleep three times already watching The Devil Complex. Yesterday I made it up to some point, but fell asleep again and decided to stop watching this movie. Only to write this I decided to finish the last twenty or so minutes.
It’s sad how they ripped off The Blair Witch Project. I even thought that the female lead acts as the female lead of TBWP for moments.
Anyway, this movie’s pecadillo of ripping off TBWP, it really doesn’t have much weight as a basis from which to reject this movie. From the point of view of some the opportunism of the makers and fans of that movie, and their lies about the movie, make for an intellectual property of bad karma that could be abused by third parties without much repercussion.
- The makers of The Blair Witch Project used dishonest techniques to market it, lying to the public making it appear as if the movie was an actual creepy found footage.
- The fans of the saga spew baseless hogwash on social media saying that it’s the first found footage movie, when that is way, way far from the truth.
Now, The Devil Complex didn’t take itself so seriously, and we must consider the ingenuity of it being a found footage movie released around two decades after TBWP when that format is not expected to presuppose an intent of hoodwinking audiences with a lie about the footage being actual real life, like TBWP did.
In the places I did read reviews and loose thoughts of people who watched it, most of them seem to have fuel to go on for long debasing it, saying that it’s a very shallow movie. I wouldn’t say it’s shallow, but also I wouldn’t tell you to expect a new twist on the formula of TBWP, because it’s not that also.
If you have imagination and like mind games, this movie is very valuable. Otherwise it gives an impression of being bad and cheap, because there is no story other than the wafer-thin main plot, which is a very lean.
Character backstory, development, and arcs are kept at a primal level and I think that is appropriate with the setting, which is a very barren, very empty winter landscape.
I was enjoying it until I fell asleep the three times I tried to watch it. I was thinking, while I was watching it, that it could teach me something about how to correctly make a micro-budget horror movie and thrill the audience.
But it’s obvious that is not a good example of what I was expecting. It’s just a soporiferous walk through some Transylvanian woods. Like I said paragraphs above, it’s rather bad if you want to be spoon-fed with entertainment, or if you want a movie that’s a guide to making a certain kind of
While they walk, the characters find several clues and events that just let the viewer wondering. They are very ambiguous and not quite plot elements, more like red herrings.
If you take it for what it pretends to be, just some found footage, I think the crude style makes sense. It would have been cool to know how much did it cost, but I couldn’t find the figure anywhere. If it was made with a micro-budget, I guess it’s okay.
I’d call this movie an art-house version of The Blair Witch Project. I’ve seen a lot of people talk trash about it, but I guess they don’t get it. They don’t know, or forget, that to judge a piece of art you mustn’t consider just the piece of art itself.
It’s an English movie, and after all, that’s what’s expected from British filmmakers, to give an art-house structure to their horror movies. I think that art-house is a great style for horror stories, but, sadly, stark horror with a down ending like this movie is not what audiences want.
As I said, if you have an imagination and like to watch subtle, rather peaceful, and relaxing movies, this is a good movie to watch. You can make your own idea of what the story is about and walk out satisfied.
If you are part of the rationally overkill crowd that needs every piece of art to have an objective meaning, making for an easy interpretation, then don’t bother watching this movie, because it’s going to annoy you and you’re not going to enjoy it.
Other Horror Movies on Netflix Spoofing Previous Found Footage Flicks?
If you know of any such horror movies on Netflix, that spoof other found footage horrors, please share them if you have seen them, in the comments section below.
© Bholenath Valsan 2021 — “The Devil Complex” Review – Horror Movies on Netflix
