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Satan’s Little Helper Blu-ray Review

 



  • Director ‏ : ‎ Jeff Lieberman
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Katheryn Winnick, Amanda Plummer, Alexander Brickel
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Synapse Films
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Widescreen, Surround Sound, Anamorphic
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 40 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ October 25, 2022


 

         The dark premise for the horror film Satan’s Little Helper is boldly original, with just enough social satire to go with the carnage expected from the slasher sub-genre. Suspension of disbelief is a must to be able to enjoy the plot, which is more than a little absurd at times. In some ways that actually adds to the campy fun of the film, while other times it just feels like a cheaply made straight-to-DVD horror film that was sloppily thrown together. While the premise is great, the execution often leaves something to be desired.

       

        The film follows nine-year-old Douglas 'Dougie' Whooly (Alexander Brickel), a seemingly average kid aside from his obsession with an odd video game in which Satan is the hero. When Dougie’s older sister Jenna (Katheryn Winnick) returns home from college for Halloween, he is disappointed to find that she brought along her new boyfriend Alex (Stephen Graham). Upset at his sister, Dougie asks a serial killer dressed as Satan to help him by sending Alex to hell, mistakenly believing his new friend is the character from his video game. The masked psycho complies, bringing violence and carnage to the disturbed young boy’s life.

 

        While Dougie’s mistake is understandable given his age, it is less believable when the rest of the family believes the killer is Alex in a costume. They don’t seem to have a problem with the fact that he stops talking and Jenna even gets intimate with the masked killer believing it is her boyfriend. This is very difficult to believe, but humorously campy nevertheless. Despite the violence in Satan’s Little Helper, much of the movie comes off more like a comedy than a horror film. Even the look of the film is more like a comedy than horror, with most of the scenes brightly lit in a way that would have fit better with a cheerful narrative.

 

        The Blu-ray release for Satan’s Little Helper from Synapse Films comes with an audio commentary from director Jeff Lieberman. There are also three featurettes included in the extras. The first is a vintage behind-the-scenes look at the production, while the others include a newer making-of featurette and a tour of the movie’s filming locations guided by Lieberman. There are also newly translated subtitles for the hearing impaired and a promotional trailer.

 

Entertainment Value: 6/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 5/10

Historical Significance:  2/10

Special Features: 7/10

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