October 23rd, 2014 - Here Comes the Devil (2012)

I'm kind of having a hard time with this one.  One the one hand, there's a lot to like about Here Comes the Devil.  It's a good combo of supernatural/possession horror and family drama, with just a sprinkle of police procedural thrown in.  It goes after some big ideas about revenge (think Prisoners with Hugh Jackman from last year), the difficulty of adolescence, and familial responsibility, but ultimately ends up just on the "good" side of the "good/great" line.

After a seemingly unconnected scene of exploitative-feeling sex/murder, Here Comes the Devil centers on a family of four who are on a day trip in Tijuana.  The children (the sister of maybe 13 and her younger brother, aged 11-ish?) decide they want to check out a nearby hill - you know the old saying about kids and hills!  Mom and dad acquiesce, and quickly have sex in the car and pass out.  When they awaken, the kids are nowhere to be found.  Night falls, and obviously the parents are very concerned.  They contact the police, who convince them to rest for the night in a hotel.  They feel guilty, stressed, and devastated - and some cracks in their relationship start to show.  But the kids turn up the next morning, and everyone is relieved.  However, as the days go by, Mom starts to notice that not all is well with the children - something happened to them out on the hill.  Were they attacked? Sexually Assaulted?  Or something worse?  You can probably tell by the title...