DEVIL'S WORKSHOP (2020)
Blu-ray + Digital
Label: Lionsgate
Rating: R
Region Code: A
Duration: 95 Minutes
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Chris von Hoffmann
Cast: Radha Mitchell, Timothy Granaderos, Emile Hirsch
In The Devil's Workshop (2022) struggling actor Clayton (Timothy Granaderos, 13 Reasons Why) has been attempting to make his big-break into Hollywood for the past 15 years and has nothing to show for - his closet claim to fame is a deleted scene from a popular crime series. He's also envious of another actor who seems to fall ass backwards into roles without even trying, that being annoying hipster Donald (Emile Hirsch, The Autopsy of Jane Doe), who is also up for the same part in an upcoming movie, that of a demonologist. Hoping to get a leg up on his overly self assured competitor Clayton seeks the help of an actual demonologist that he finds online, Eliza (Radha Mitchell, The Visitors), a former reality TV actress, but he gets more than he bargained for when she invites him to stay the weekend to cleanse his soul and rid him of his his self-doubt. As the weekend gets under way she puts him through some bizarre rituals, including the sacrifice a goat and dousing in it's blood. It starts to become clear that she is sort of seducing him maybe, or wanting him as a surrogate son, but what is exactly happening is a bit ambiguous to a point, and once it gets to that point it goes off the rails in a comically over-the-top way made me appreciate it's willingness to go overboard, but didn;t win me over.
With that said, I loved how weird and off-kilter it was, I think Radha Mitchell's unhinged performance is quite a bit of fun, her back and forth as she toys with Clayton for reason not exactly clear is fucked-up, tense and weird, but that tension is broken up by some humor that stops this from being the nail biter it might have been otherwise. Part of the problem is that I found it hard to connect with the main character, he's not likable, and the story didn't do much for me either. I applaud the gonzo sexed-up demonic finale though, I just don't think the flick offers more than a fun one-and-done watch. There's a version of this that could have been quite good, the elements are there, it had brief moments where it's firing on all the right cylinders, but it falls apart for me.
