The Devil's Rock (2011)

Just what I expected

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Entertaining, not too long, plausible (for the history and fantasy adepts among us), original story line, solid acting and hey, sure the quality of the effects would be at home in a B-movie but as indicated above the rest was well put together, i was entertained, she was sexy but dangerous and probably better than real all those loves (better?) left behind, oh memory can be such a harsh mistress. As i mentioned, usually not a fan of the gore or horror, this was time well spent, enjoy.

A commando infiltrates an isolated SS bunker on the eve of D-Day, only to find the threat from within is even more demonic than expected.Well, I had high hopes for this. It opens very well - really atmospheric seascape, then a tense mine-field scene, a fateful choice by the hero to divert from the mission, a creepy labyrinth to smother all hope, and a promising two-handed drama that switches hunter and prey.But it swoons into Hammer-style cheesiness. There were some really sharp points to be made here about war as the ultimate horror, and this story failed to make a connection, instead collapsing into goodies v baddies. Also it always amazes me how Anglo-Saxon horror is so coy about sexual images. So the story ends up really stunted, visually and dramatically. What a pity. I wonder if the funding system is effectively censoring films like this.It is well shot, the actors are good - although delivery of lines was often a bit hard to make out - and the music and dialogue start with good restraint but fail to break out.Overall, bright start but becomes dull.

THE DEVIL'S ROCK is a little-known but more than effective Kiwi horror flick set during the dark days of WW2. It's one of those films that links the Nazis with the occult, exploring their penchant for black magic with a very dark storyline, although unlike most it doesn't go down the obvious route and just real with Nazi zombies. This time things are a lot odder, and dare I say it, more effective.The film is oddly set on the Channel Islands, as a couple of soldiers infiltrate a Nazi bunker and discover that a massacre has just taken place. What soon unfolds is a plot involving devil worship, black magic, and the summoning of a powerful demon with a taste for human flesh. For a low budget movie, this is decent: for most of the running time we're trapped with three actors in a single location, and yet it never feels stale or boring.I'm not saying that THE DEVIL'S ROCK is a masterpiece, because it isn't. The acting and script are only average. Matthew Sunderland gives the best performance as the conflicted Nazi colonel, and it's a shame when his character turns out to be far more ordinary than you expect from the set-up. Still, there's plenty of flowing gore on offer here, alongside effective demonic scenes that bring to mind the best of the Dennis Wheatley classic, THE DEVIL RIDES OUT. Horror fans should enjoy themselves.

World War II, just before D-Day, two New Zealand commandos kayak to Forau, in the Channel Islands, to take out Nazi gun emplacements. They hear female wailing and whimpering, and drop the mission to investigate. After tiptoeing through endless corridors, they encounter blood splattered walls, gory entrails, slain German soldiers. Naturally, they proceed. After all, some damsel needs rescuing. Pocket thriller that, despite low budget, looks fine. Solid acting by all, as well. Film is of two halves, however. First part, clues lead to mystery, tension approaches dread. Second part was stagy. Seriously, it felt like an off-Broadway or outer London play. Lot of dialogue. Cerebral rather than gut piercing. Still, a nice little flick, especially for indie buffs.