Review of Here Comes the Devil (2012) by Alain G — 22 Jul 2014

Here Comes the Devil, despite an unwieldy title, is appropriately creepy and tense, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the plight of a couple that temporarily loses its two children while visiting Tijuana - only to find that the kids are now exhibiting some peculiar behavior.

Felix (Francisco Barreiro) and Sol (Laura Caro), after a day of sightseeing, allow their kids Adolfo and Sara to hike up a hill and do some exploring while their weary parents wait in a gas-station parking lot. The parents fall asleep, and when they awake it's almost dark with no sign of the kids. The police are called, but because of the lack of light the search is put off until the morning. Felix and Sol blame each other and themselves and argue, suffering a sleepless night.

The next morning, though, good news: Adolfo and Sara have been found. They're returned to their parents, but it soon becomes clear that the children have changed. They're largely uncommunicative with their parents but have seemingly formed a stronger bond with each other. Around this time, Sol discovers some oddities about her daughter's entry into puberty and becomes quite suspicious.

There's a lot of atmosphere here and not an overwhelming amount of dialog (it's in Spanish, with subtitles), both of which I consider pluses. What's up with the kids? Is someone or something controlling them? Probably. Are they in danger? Very likely. Sol becomes more frantic with each revelation, and when she discovers someone who may have been on the hill with the children - she suspects molestation - she and Felix take matters into their own hands to resolve the issue. But do they have the right guy?

Caro, our protagonist, is aces high, and Barreiro is a fine match as the husband who just wants to put all of this madness behind them and be thankful his innocent children are back safe. Something's sure amiss with Adolfo and Sara, but each step down the winding rabbit hole leads further into utter madness. It's probably more serious than even molestation. Here Comes the Devil is just straight up frightening.

PS: I've seen this film compared favorably with Peter Weir's 1975 classic Picnic at Hanging Rock, and I have to agree.