The Devil's Doorway

Name: The Devil's Doorway
Genre: Horror
Released: July 13, 2018
Duration: 76 min
Rating: 48
Cast: Carleen Melaugh, Ciaran Flynn, Dearbhail Lynch, Helena Bereen, Lalor Roddy

2018

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Mixed or average reviews based on 4 Critics

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Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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The Devil's Doorway

Movie Details & Credits

NR	IFC Midnight \| Release Date: July 13, 2018

Starring: Carleen Melaugh, Ciaran Flynn, Dearbhail Lynch, Helena Bereen, Lalor Roddy, Lauren Coe

Summary: What unholy terrors lurk behind the walls of a secretive Irish convent? Northern Ireland, 1960: Father Thomas Riley (Lalor Roddy) and Father John Thornton (Ciaran Flynn) are dispatched by the Vatican to investigate reports of a miracle—a statue of the Virgin Mary weeping blood—at a remote Catholic asylum for “immoral” women. Armed with 16mmWhat unholy terrors lurk behind the walls of a secretive Irish convent? Northern Ireland, 1960: Father Thomas Riley (Lalor Roddy) and Father John Thornton (Ciaran Flynn) are dispatched by the Vatican to investigate reports of a miracle—a statue of the Virgin Mary weeping blood—at a remote Catholic asylum for “immoral” women. Armed with 16mm film cameras to record their findings, the priests instead discover a depraved horror show of sadistic nuns, satanism, and demonic possession. Supernatural forces are at work here—but they are not the doing of God. [IFC Midnight]… Expand

Director: Aislinn Clarke

Genre(s): Horror

Rating: NR

Runtime: 76 min

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Critic Reviews

Screen International - Fionnuala Halligan

Jul 12, 2018

It takes its narrative cue from the Bon Secours mother-and-baby home in Tuam, County Galway in which “significant” numbers of dead children have been discovered. Even though this is placed within a potentially-exploitative genre framework, it is still handled with sensitivity and sympathy by this latest female director to flesh out horror tropes. Read full review

Los Angeles Times - Noel Murray

Jul 12, 2018

Roddy and Bereen in particular give fully fleshed-out performances, playing agents of a religious institution they both disrespect in subtle and blatant ways. Clarke and company inject some old-fashioned scares into the context of a deeper moral rot. Read full review

The New York Times - Jeannette Catsoulis

Jul 12, 2018

This smart but uneven horror movie has little interest in fun. Read full review

The Hollywood Reporter - Frank Scheck

Jul 11, 2018

All the well-crafted effort has unfortunately been expended on a tired and overly familiar story that never registers as anything more than a compendium of horror-film clichés. Read full review

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User Reviews

Bertaut1

Nov 1, 2018

Aislinn Clarke's laudable debut feature is a found-footage horror film taking its inspiration from the history of Magdalene Laundries in Ireland, specifically the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam. The film undeniable has its share of clichés, but overall it's an impressive piece ofAislinn Clarke's laudable debut feature is a found-footage horror film taking its inspiration from the history of Magdalene Laundries in Ireland, specifically the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam. The film undeniable has its share of clichés, but overall it's an impressive piece of work, dealing in an interesting manner with a shameful part of Irish history.

In a Q&A after the film screened at Dublin's 2018 Horrorthon Festival, Clarke explained that the decision to make a horror movie about something so serious and important to the nation was because, "horror is good at unpacking social trauma", allowing a filmmaker "to metaphorically explore national pain." Far more concerned with the shifting moral positions of the two priests than it is with devils and demons or silly jump scares (although there are a few of these), the film thus functions as a kind of microcosmic allegory of Irish history; John represents Ireland of the 1960s, innocent and blindly faithful, unwilling to believe anything negative about the Church, whilst Thomas represents the Ireland of today, jaded and disillusioned, spiritually cut off from ecclesiastical doctrine, scathing of Church dogma, and all too aware of the earthly sins committed in the name of Catholicism.

Reading between the lines of the horror tropes, this is a film about human evil. Clarke, an atheist herself, is thus far more interested in showing the hypocrisy of the Church's culpability, condoning the torture of woman and the unsanctified burial of children, whilst it preached morality to the masses. In her view, the evils perpetrated by the nuns against defenceless children are far more horrific and disturbing than anything a demon could unleash on the world. Looking at issues such as the illogicality of blind faith and the history of organised religions' tendency to marginalise women, often to the point of violating their human rights, Clarke exposes the Catholic Church's duplicity, laying bare their contemptible and self-serving role in Irish history, and it's the anger and sincerity of this message that lingers far longer than any of the film's genre elements. The sympathy Clarke feels for these women and children is palpable throughout.

One of the film's greatest strengths is Lalor Roddy's performance as Thomas. Playing the priest as cynical and disheartened, worn down by years of debunking claims of miracles, at least initially, he is far more interested in the treatment of the girls than the possibility that the statue's bleeding may be authentic. As the film goes on, Thomas becomes more and more angry about what is happening in the laundry. One of the film's primary themes is the hypocrisy of the Church, and the ugliness of organised religion in general, and this theme is carried primarily by Thomas. Roddy's layered interpretation of Thomas's existential crisis is the primary reason the film works so well emotionally. Painfully aware that acceptance of dogma, faith in the Church, and belief in God are three very different things, Thomas finds it increasingly difficult to reconcile his love for God with the practices the Church carry out in His name, with Roddy's performance adding both emotional and esoteric complexity.

Aesthetically, the film is also interesting, managing to sidestep many of the inherent problems with found-footage films. For example, the fact that it's set in 1960 means it's shot on 16mm rather than VHS or hi-def. The shaky and imperfect footage also gives the film a sense of an old cinema verité-style documentary, with the amount of artefacts helping to sell the first-person immediacy of the cinematography. The film also avoids one of the biggest pitfalls of found-footage horrors – why don't they drop the camera and run. Here, the answer is simple - in many scenes, the camera provides the only source of light, hence John keeps it turned on and filming.

Of course, the film isn't perfect. As the latest in a long line of found-footage exorcism/possession horror movies, the crowded nature of the subgenre, and the general lack of quality of the films, doesn't do it any favours. Additionally, especially as it nears its climax, it regurgitates a number of genre clichés - floating beds, upside down crucifixes, scary nuns, creepy kids, creepy dolls, skeletons, underground caverns, jump scares which don't make a great deal of practical sense. Falling back a little too much on the generic conventions it has managed to avoid until the last half hour, in this sense, the film ultimately plays it disappointingly safe.

However, all things considered, this is an excellent piece of work, and an extremely accomplished debut. It looks amazing, and is far better than the majority of found-footage movies. The acting is terrific, and it's properly creepy in places. Perhaps most importantly, however, if you can look past the hokum, you'll find a socially conscious film engaging with a national scandal through which we are all still living.… Expand

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JLuis_001

Jul 19, 2018

I'm not a supporter of found footage, I have said that several times before, but I've still seen enough films of that narrative device, mostly horror films.

I wasn't planning to see this one but I saw the trailer and it interested me enough, I liked what I saw, so I decided to watch it. InI'm not a supporter of found footage, I have said that several times before, but I've still seen enough films of that narrative device, mostly horror films.

I wasn't planning to see this one but I saw the trailer and it interested me enough, I liked what I saw, so I decided to watch it. In addition it only lasted 76 minutes, so there was no problem with that.

I will not explain much about this film but I can say that although it doesn't innovate at all, the film is better constructed than many other films that use the same narrative resource.

The story doesn't have the biggest logic in the world and uses too much the jump scares to frighten you but what I really liked about this film is that it has a lot of something I always demand from every horror film that I see, something that should be basic and yet they find difficult to achieve: atmosphere, just that, and the atmosphere of this film is quite creepy, also the fact that it was decided this film should look like a recording from the 60's adds even more power to that atmosphere because the resource is successful and credible.

I reiterated, it's not a great horror film and the ending as always with found footage films is disappointing but I think it deserves a small chance to be seen.… Expand

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Damiankosior

Jul 19, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In my opinion "The Devil's Doorway" is a very poorly executed movie. This movie is a mix of Ryan Murphy's "American Horror Story Asylum" and Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby". From devil worshipping nuns, to asylums haunted by children, it has all been done before, making this movie not even original in storyline. The main protagonists, have absolutely no fundamentals, which makes them anonymous and quite boring to be honest. Father John's story about being raised in the orphanage could have expanded in a couple different ways, but all we see is him trying to run away from the truth. I don't recommend watching this movie unless you want to be bored with hopeless running around with a camera and people of the church being belligerent.… Expand

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