Devil's Domain Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		1.5

Devil's Domain Blu-ray Movie Review

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Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 26, 2017

It’s a rare film that can simultaneously cheapen both contemporary issues like cyberbullying and sexual preferences and an iconic legend from days of yore, in this case the Faust story, but that’s pretty much exactly what Devil’s Domain does. Kind of similarly to some aspects I discussed in my recent Drone Blu-ray review where I mentioned that some potentially provocative content is buried underneath some ham fisted writing and presentational elements, this film has some interesting foundational concepts that are never properly dealt with. Devil’s Domain’s very title hints at some ostensible subtext in this tale of a deeply troubled teen girl reaching out for some demonic help, in that the Devil is on the internet, and actually reaches out to the teen via what might be thought of as a Satanic Skype app. Lisa (Madi Vodane) is weathering the slings and arrows of a tortured high school life, one made worse by the fact that she’s pretty seriously bulimic (the film doesn’t shy away from some pretty graphic representations of this disease). Lisa also has a somewhat troubled relationship with her mother, Carol (Kelly Erin Decker), though she fares better with her stepfather, Bill (Michael Madsen, evidently badly in need of a quick paycheck). When Lisa’s bulimia is captured by a hidden camera and then broadcast to all the mean girls at her high school, as well as some revelations about Lisa's dabbling with lesbianism, Lisa’s life becomes even more intolerable, exacerbated by the fact that Carol seems more concerned with the social fallout for the family than for any torment her daughter may be experiencing. When a mysterious stranger named Destiny (Linda Bella) pings in on Lisa’s laptop one evening, offering Lisa a way out of her troubles, the teen is only too happy to accept.

Already Devil’s Domain is flirting with some pretty touchy subject matter, something that only increases when Lisa takes to self harm in response to the trials she’s suffering. Weirdly, in writer-director Jared Cohn’s presentation, Lisa doesn’t seem that much of an outsider. She’s pretty, she seems confident, and it’s revealed that she had at least one pretty close friendship (something that also hints at the incipient lesbianism that runs through the film). So some of this angst that’s such a part of the film’s early going seems positively contrived and ultimately manipulative feeling.

The whole girl on girl aspect gets at least a somewhat innovative workout (so to speak) once Lisa ends up in Destiny’s lair, and the two go at it, albeit rather chastely in panties and bras. Lisa still doesn’t quite get who (what?) Destiny is, until Destiny morphs into her “true” form, at which point Lisa has a typically f-bomb laden teen response. One way or the other, Destiny tells Lisa that for a little promise Lisa could make, Destiny can easily mete out revenge on all the duplicitous kids who have been tormenting Lisa for so long.

The rest of the film is a fairly vignette laden enterprise of those nasty teens getting their comeuppance, and while there is probably enough gore, blood and guts (along with singed ears—but that’s another story) to satisfy most horror fans’ needs for such things, the story itself just careens wildly and never ultimately builds to any kind of catharsis. This haphazard quality actually begins early on, with bizarre cutaways (no pun intended, given the chainsaws on display) to sidebars involving other proposed partners of Destiny, all of whom meet their fates (and/or maker) in pretty spectacularly gruesome ways.

There are some really interesting and maybe even commendable ideas wafting through Devil’s Domain, including the almost sociopathic rudeness that the internet seems to engender in some. The basic setup here isn’t the problem, it’s the way Cohn has written the film and his tendency to go off on tangents, presentationally speaking, something that repeatedly undercuts the film’s momentum. It’s perhaps salient to note, as the main making of featurette makes clear, that this was a production of Cleopatra Films, the cinematic arm of Cleopatra Records, and a Cleopatra exec is on hand in the featurette discussing the allure of horror and especially the ability to market Cleopatra recording artists as part of the soundtrack. That sounds like a different kind of deal with the devil, and one that at least explains the appearance of unnecessary band performances in a party sequence, as well as the film’s relentlessly music driven soundtrack.

Devil's Domain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Devil's Domain is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cleopatra Films and MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Perhaps appropriately given the film's hellish subtext, Devil's Domain was shot with RED cameras, though the film's constant use of red grading definitely tamps down detail levels in those sequences (see screenshots 4 and 5 for just two examples). When not filtered aggressively, the palette looks relatively natural and detail levels are commendably high. There are some recurrent issues with compression and/or noise, most evident in some of the darker scenes, where some splotchiness is visible (see screenshots 16 and 17). One flashback scene has been graded toward more of a yellow- green color, and looks surprisingly warm and well detailed.

Devil's Domain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kind of oddly, given the fact mentioned above that this comes from Cleopatra, home of Cleopatra Records, Devil's Domain is offered with only a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track, something that may disappoint fans who actually come to the film because of the thundering music from Cleopatra artists. While there's good surround activity here, courtesy of both the music and well placed sound effects, the low end isn't particularly forceful. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly and while the entire track lacks a bit of "oomph", there are no actual issues with damage or distortion.

Devil's Domain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Devil Made Me Do It (1080p; 6:15) is an okay EPK that does have some fun looks at the devil makeup.


• Red Carpet Premiere (1080i; 8:05) features brief interview snippets with the cast and crew.


• Slide Show (1080i)


• Trailer (1080p; 1:46)


• Commentary with Writer-Director Jared Cohn

Devil's Domain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've been stuck in my own review hell lately with a number of films that recycle various ideas presented much more effectively in films like Rosemary's Baby. The kind of sad thing about Devil's Domain is that is has a quite interesting basic concept, and some of the ideas presented in the film are similarly interesting. But with some not ready for prime time level performances, and a screenplay that jumps all over the place, this is one Faustian bargain that you may want to avoid. Video looks generally good (with a few transitory issues), but audio is only lossy, something that seems odd given the film's prevalence of music and effects.