The
Devil's Hand
(2014/Lionsgate DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: D Film: C
Forgive
Me Father, For I Am Sin...
If
you take The
Exorcist
and The
Village
and mix them very non-creatively, then you get The
Devil's Hand,
which is directed by Oscar Nominated Christian E. Christiansen (He
was nominated for At
Night
- Best Danish Short Film, Live Action of 2007.) The film centers
upon five girls born into an Amish community that believes them to be
part of a Satanic prophecy. The film stars Rufus Sewell (Dark
City),
Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colm Meaney, Thomas McDonnell, and Jennifer
Carpenter.
On
June 6, six women in a close-knit Amish community go into labor and
deliver six girls, sparking fears that they could fulfill an ancient
prophecy. The prophecy states that six girls will be born on the
sixth day of the six month (6-6-6) and that one of them will become
The
Devil's
Hand.
Out
of fear, one mother kills both herself and her daughter shortly after
her birth, and the remaining five girls grow up with relative
ignorance of the prophecy. As they come closer to their eighteenth
birthday, their actions are constantly monitored by the community;
especially Elder Beacon (the always solid Colm Meaney), who views any
ungodly actions as proof that one of them is Satan's minion. This is
all made more troubling by the fact that one of the girls, Mary
(Alycia Debnam-Carey), has started having terrifying visions that
could suggest that she is the Devil's Hand. As tensions rise, a
mysterious figure begins to murder the girls one by one...
Presented
in standard definition with an anamorphically enhanced widescreen
aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and a lossy English 5.1 Dolby Digital audio
track (and a Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital track as well). Both are
adequate for the DVD format but an obvious Blu-ray upgrade would help
over issues with compression and loss of detail.
Extras
are merely a Theatrical Trailer.
All
in all, there have been worst possession films. If that is up your
alley then you may enjoy The
Devil's Hand
but you're not necessarily missing out not seeing it.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
