Premise: A woman investigates the sudden death of her sister and how it's connected to a suicide nearly 20 years earlier with satanic undertones.
The core idea of this movie is excellent and the structure is delightfully unexpected. It's basically broken into three chapters with the lead character changing. That, mixed with some time-hopping made it difficult to stay on my feet. I like that the movie never lets me feel settled. It explains just enough to get the point across but not enough to take away the creepiness. It's a story of an evil force that is trying to be born. It can shift hosts as needed, but it does rely on the host to carry it to full term. That's badass. I really love the end when Naya Rivera goes to the 6-year-old and tells it "I know you're a demon" then tries to kill it. It's even better that she's unable to and that's how it ends.
Despite the fun premise, some of the execution was a little off. I wished it would've leaned even more into the creepy tone, like an Oz Perkins movie (Gretel & Hansel, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House). I appreciate that it doesn't over-rely on jump scares, but they aren't replaced with much else.
I didn't realize this was from the same director as The Pact, but it makes sense. Both had a really wicked idea at the center and struggled to do much with it. They even have titles that don't make that much sense. I suppose At the Devil's Door works a little better for this movie. Also similar to The Pact, this movie does just enough right to make me curious to see what else this director does next*.
*After writing this, I realized he made The Prodigy which I also watched recently. That was not intentional. And, I wasn't crazy about that movie. Perhaps the spell is broken.
Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend
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