By Andrew Buckner

Rating: **** out of *****.

The Devil’s Left Hand (2023), from prolific writer-director-co-producer Harley Wallen, instantly establishes its laser-like focus on its characters and on its classic horror atmosphere. This occurs in an attention garnering three-minute long opening sequence which involves a medium, Vesna (Aphrodite Nikolovski), a seance, and an evil spirit. From herein, the 98-minute picture, which was filmed in Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.A., rarely wavers from these admirable points of initial interest. This is as practically every scene in the tightly paced, if routinely structured, movie either further develops the relationships and dealings of the leads or gives us acutely assembled and photographed bits of terror fused tension. These latter stated ingredients masterfully recall the time tested tone established in the commencement of the piece. Oftentimes, these elements are issued in the same section to great emotional and unnerving effect.

The narrative concerns Richie (in a strong, credible, and commanding chief turn from Kris Reilly). He is a young man who is forced to face both his murderous past and his bleak future after a shapeshifting demonic entity, Agramon (persuasively depicted by Calhoun Koenig), takes control of his life, threatens him and his friends, and challenges his perceptions. This is after a chaotic supernatural event at a housewarming party. Soon the fiend begins growing in power and killing those closest to Richie and his companions. In an attempt to thwart these violent actions, Richie and his confidants band together to find a way of obliterating the hellhound.

In The Devil’s Left Hand, Wallen smartly continues the central theme of dysfunctional families that he previously utilized in an equally gripping fashion in his excellent backwoods slasher feature, Ash and Bone (2022). This topic is at its most impactful in the early moments in the production, which involve Richie and his hospitalized mother, Sharon Stann (brilliantly played by Laurene Landon). The aforementioned segment reminded me in setting, tenor, and in its subtle displays of internal grief of the harrowing episodes that take place in Bellevue Hospital between Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and his mother, Mary (Vasiliki Maliaros), in the originating stretches of William Friedkin’s masterpiece, The Exorcist (1973). A similar resonance is also spied just as capably in a flashback to Richie’s childhood involving Carter Stann (in a marvelously ominous performance from Yan Birch) which arrives in the second half of the fabrication. This is a compliment to both the ability of the players as well as Wallen’s auteurship of the extract.

The dialogue resorts a bit too often to overused terminology. Still, the all-around solid cast, with Kaiti Wallen’s depiction of Cassidy and Harley Wallen’s representation of Zeb being some of the many standouts, as well as Wallen’s assured direction are more than enough to forgive these slight misgivings. Adding to the potent skill of the excursion is Bon Lucas’ moody and remarkable score. Moreover, the editing from Alex Gasparetto is top-notch. The introductory and concluding credits are slick and visually stylish. Additionally, the sound design from Kaizad and Firoze Patel is impressive. The special effects are wisely sparse, but enjoyable. Conclusively, the cinematography from Michael Kettenbeil is tremendous. It nicely enhances the overall timbre of the exercise.

The last few seconds of the cryptic and otherwise engrossing finale are less haunting than they aim to be. Furthermore, the undertaking, which starts to feel too talky in the climactic expanses of its third act, could benefit from a ten or so minute trim. Regardless, The Devil’s Left Hand, from Painted Creek Productions and Auburn Moon Productions, remains another stellar installment in Wallen’s terrific filmography. Tense, entertaining, and thoughtful, it’s one of the best genre outings of the year.