SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER (2004)
(Note: this text was published 12 years ago on my former blog Cinematic Nightmares)
This intriguing little film marked the return of Jeff Lieberman, a somewhat overlooked director. He is known for the very good slasher JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981) and an ok horror film BLUE SUNSHINE (1977). After several years of absence, he produced this quite good low-budget horror film.
Dougie (Alexander Brickel) is a huge fan of the game “Satan’s Little Helper,” in which his hero helps the character of Satan in killing and destroying his enemies. His sister Jenna (Katheryn Winnick) comes home from her acting studies to visit the family for Halloween, intending to go trick-or-treating with Dougie as a part of the family tradition. However, when she brings her boyfriend Alex (Stephen Graham) with her, Dougie feels deeply disappointed and angry. He heads out to find Satan himself and persuade him to kill Alex. To Dougie’s delight, he encounters a man wearing a Satan mask (Joshua Annex) who is putting a dead body next to a doll on a porch (Dougie is convinced this is the real Satan and that the dead guy is a well-made doll). At Dougie’s insistence, the man agrees to kill Alex and allows Dougie to be his assistant. Following him around the city, Dougie witnesses the murders committed by “Satan,” still believing they are just makeup effects. Jenna and their mother (Amanda Plummer) are suspicious of the strange behavior of “Alex” in the Satan costume. When the real Alex recovers from his injuries, Jenna and he will try to stop the killer.
With an intelligent script and skillful direction, Lieberman draws us into the world of his characters for much of the film’s duration, which is the world both terrifying and humorous. There are no “hahaha” moments of laughter, but the blackly comedic effect largely comes from the contrast between the characters’ behavior and the colorful Halloween setting (the excellent physical acting of the character playing the killer significantly contributes to the impression). The director pulls us into the story by establishing a clear contrast between the events and the environment in which they occur – the cinematography is full of vibrant colors that highlight the festive atmosphere, juxtaposed with the horrific actions of the Satan-masked killer. This contrast is also linked to one of the film’s main themes: Dougie’s jealousy that leads to confusion and lack of contact with reality. In this context, the film can also be viewed as a coming-of-age story.
The relationship between Dougie and the killer is one of the film’s main elements, and the director largely succeeds in making it convincing. The acting is quite good, with Katheryn Winnick as Jenna and Joshua Annex as “Satan” being the best. Alexander Brickel does a pretty decent job of portraying his character, although he doesn’t always have strong support from the script, especially in the film’s second half, where his character doesn’t seem very convincing. Amanda Plummer is very convincing as an ″eccentric“ mother, dressing her daughter as a “Renaissance Whore” for Halloween.
The director sees Dougie’s confusion and lack of contact with reality to be originating from his family. Dougie is overly attached to his sister, his mother behaves in a rather strange manner, and his father is constantly absent. Thus, the problems begin directly from the family, which is not depicted as a safe haven, and continue with the intrusion of the evil from the outside. The killer’s identity is not revealed until the end, although there are certain hints, yet nothing concrete, which ultimately isn’t crucial considering the aforementioned themes that the director explores—his character is more of an archetype and a catalyst for the film’s drama.
The film has several shortcomings, especially in the second half. In the scene where “Satan” kills Dougie’s father, the reaction of the family feels odd – there’s almost no emotion from them, just a bewildered stare. Additionally, that scene features a very poor gore effect. Also, as the story progresses, Dougie’s constant naïve belief that the murders are fake or that the killer is actually Satan, and that the same person in the Christ costume is indeed Christ (whom Dougie called for help at one point) starts to become frustrating. There are no substantial changes in his behavior. Only when “Satan” kills his father he wakes up and starts to believe in the reality of the murders. Although Dougie’s lack of contact with reality is emphasized and important for the film’s themes, sometimes it requires an enormous suspension of disbelief to accept some of the things we witness on screen. The film’s ending is excellent and helps in improving the overall impression.
Although it is not a slasher by itself, this film borrows some established elements from the slasher subgenre while introducing new rules that are variations of the old ones. There is indeed a masked killer, but apart from that and the holiday setting, there are very few other similarities to a classic slasher. Jenna is not the final girl, and the entire family participates in the fight against the killer. SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER is not SCREAM, but it offers a fun take on the formula, with some classic slasher rules turned upside down.
Unfortunately, this film did not reach theaters, but over time, it has gained a cult status among fans of quality horror. It’s a film not without flaws, but its qualities outweigh them, making it worthy of a rewatch.
Rating: 3+/5
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