You may feel like you’ve had your fill of demon/possession films but occasionally one comes along that grabs your attention.
The debut feature for Josh Lobo is one of these films.
Set around Christmas, estranged brother Steve is visited by his sibling Matt and his wife Karen for the holidays.
Little do they know he is keeping someone trapped in the basement who he believes is the devil.
The first thing to say about this film is how beautifully shot it is. Lending tropes from German Expressionist cinema, we have plenty of slow tracking shots that create moments of dread with nothing but the claustrophobic score.
Lobo has clearly watched John Carpenter’s Halloween; which is a perfect example of creating a mood with music and lighting.
The interesting way they play the plot is the ambiguity of whether the person in the basement is the devil or if Steve has completely lost his marbles.
We do get some answers but we are made to wait for them.
Another masterstroke was keeping the demon behind a closed door and for the most part, all we hear is their voice; and we as the audience are left to ponder who or what is behind the door.
A won’t go more into the plot as it will give away some nice surprises but as a debut I Trapped the Devil is one of the finest horror films of 2019 so far.
You can catch it at Arrow Video Frightfest 2019 on Saturday 24th August.
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