The Devil´s Left Hand

As long as we can go back in history almost every culture on Earth believe in a battle between the good and evil. No matter what religion or faith you have, you will most likely find scriptures about events in the past where evil creatures or demons have tried to destroy humanity. Luckily some humans have thought back and refused to let any evil take over. I remember on New Years Eve in 1997 i was invited to a mansion to celebrate New Years Eve with family members out in the countryside. There was barely any snow just a cold wind, and late that night after the clock striked 12 to a new year, my uncle suggested we should try and summon a spirit at an old table in the living room. So we all sat down and he put out a glass, hoping that the glass would move if we could get connected with some entity. At first i wasn´t sure if this was a good idea but i went along with it. I never felt the glass moving but apparently my uncle did feel it. If he really felt something happened who am i to say that it didn´t. All i remember was that i personally did not experience anything that night at that old table. There are a lot of horror films out there to choose between that take on the subjects of contact with evil entity or demons, and i have seen so many films that it´s easy to forget some titles. Not because they are all bad it´s just that so many films are made every year that perhaps it´s easier to remember the horror films that might be more interesting. So let´s bring up one film that i do remember because i enjoyed it called From A House On Willow Street. Directed by Alastair Orr, this film tells the story of a gang of criminals who break into a house to kidnap a young woman named Katherine ( Carly Burchell ) to try to get her rich father to pay a ransom. What they don´t know is that Katherine is actually possessed by something very evil. From A House On Willow Street definetely does something interesting, turns a typical kidnapping story into a fight against something demonic with some twists along the way. It is a film that you might appreciate if you enjoy horror films with possessed people, that doesn´t follow the usual plot. If you have a chance to check it out on VOD or physical media i suggest you give this film a chance. Director Harley Wallen is by now a very well known name in the independent film industry who have directed several films and of course the brilliant TV series Tale Of Tails. I was given a chance to see his new film The Devil´s Left Hand and of course i was excited. How can you not be knowing it´s Harley Wallen back as a director. So the question is, does this film live up to my expectations or is this unfortunately not as good as i was hoping it would be?

At a housewarming party arranged by Richie Stann ( Kris Reilly ) and Cassidy ( Kaiti Wallen ) with friends, they invite Medium Miss Vessna ( Aphrodite Nikolovski ) to hold a seance. Miss Vessna manage to contact some entity, but it seems that this entity may not be so friendly. When the seance is over the people who were at the seance will begin to notice strange things happening in their ordinary day life where Miss Vessna contact her friend Zebula ( Harley Wallen ) for help to understand what they are dealing with.

One thing i have always noticed when it comes to director Harley Wallen is that in each film he makes, he always tries to give the main characters enough space so they can show who they really are. We saw that in his film known as Ash & Bone and especially in the TV series Tale Of Tails. I appreciate that he makes sure that the main characters become interesting because it helps the story become more fascinating as well. Harley have digged into horror films in the past before, especially in the film called Ash & Bone and i enjoyed that film. But The Devil´s Left Hand is a completely different kind of horror film than Ash & Bone. You could say that The Devil´s Left Hand is more of a possession horror film with clear influences of historical demonic figures. A perfect example of that is when we face the true side of evil and learn what the evil entity really wants. This is where The Devil´s Left Hand definetely hit the right spot especially for fans of horror films that are fascinated by evil spirits. How do you deal with the situation when an entity enters your home? Do you try to ask for help or deal with it yourself? The film does dig into this especially with the character Miss Vesna ( played by actress Aphrodite Nikolovski ), where you wonder did she open a door for an entity through her seance? The performance of Aphrodite Nikolovski fits the character of Miss Vena and she is able to give us a mysterious approach. One of the most interestining characters in The Devil´s Left Hand is without a doubt the character Zebula ( played by director Harley Wallen ) who fights against evil spirits and demons. You get a feeling that Zebula have a troubled past and knows how difficult life can be. I love the scar look as well on Zebula, it helps his character look unique. I have to mention wonderful actress Laurene Landon as the character Mother Stann. This is definetely one of the stronger acting performances in The Devil´s Left Hand. Laurene really goes all in for her character and that leaves a strong impact. Lovely actress Kaiti Wallen is here as well and she´s just so natural on screen as always. Of course we have to talk about legendary actor Yan Birch who plays the character Father Stann. Since he is playing an evil character i feel he knew exactly how to make his character feel really evil, as if he stepped right out of hell. The fight against evil in The Devil´s Left Hand is also a story of dealing with your past, and director Harley Wallen manage to construct the story effective without making the plot too complicated. There is no doubt that The Devil´s Left Hand is a well made horror film and i especially enjoy the atmosphere of this film with beautiful cinematography from Michael Kettenbeil. If director Harley Wallen keep making quality films such as this one, i have a feeling he will find himself in cinemas across Sweden in the future and im hoping that The Devil´s Left Hand will give him that respect.

Rating: DDD