Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Satan's Little Helper Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 29, 2022

Writer/director Jeff Lieberman made a name for himself with strange genre offerings, building a career with 1976’s “Squirm” and 1978’s “Blue Sunshine.” He pushed through the 1980s working on projects such as “Just Before Dawn” and “Remote Control,” eventually stepping away from helming opportunities to manage other professional obligations. “Satan’s Little Helper” is Lieberman’s return to duty, with the 2004 endeavor aiming to revisit his sense of humor with a darkly comedic tale of murder involving a serial killer and the little boy who worships him. “Satan’s Little Helper” aims to be cheeky and merciless, which is a strange tonal combination for anyone to manage, requiring a special creative touch that Lieberman struggles to maintain, unable to generate an inviting flow of mischief to help viewers understand how he wants them to react.

Young Dougie (Alexander Brickel) is excited to reunite with his college-age sister, Jenna (Katheryn Winnick), who’s returning home for Halloween, planning to spend time with the obsessive boy. However, the older sibling ruins any potential fun by bringing along Alex (Stephen Graham), her boyfriend, whom Dougie immediately rejects, refusing to accept him as part of the group. Frustrated, the child turns to inspiration from his favorite video game, “Satan’s Little Helper,” soon finding a demonic figure in the neighborhood to follow, pledging his allegiance to this “Satan Man.” Dougie wants his new bestie to murder Alex, and Satan Man is willing to help, making sure to take lives on their way to their target, with the kid finding a father figure in the serial killer, who’s soon introduced to his sister and his mother, Merrill (Amanda Plummer).

Lieberman has an interesting premise with “Satan’s Little Helper,” which finds Dougie completely taken with the Devil on Halloween, focused on a violent video game while dressed up in his Satanic costume. He’s hoping for joy when reunited with Jenna, carrying a defined crush on his sister, but jealousy soon blurs his vision, making a mental plan to murder Alex and reclaim his sibling’s full attention. Dougie is dangerous, and there’s potential for real threat in “Satan’s Little Helper,” which soon introduces Satan Man to the story. A masked, mute figure using Halloween to cover his presence in town, the serial killer is eager to get to work, slaughtering locals, which helps to attract Dougie’s attention. The boy lights up at the thought of serving Satan, and a strange buddy comedy breaks out, with Lieberman trying to find the fun in the pairing.

Such amusement doesn’t emerge in “Satan’s Little Helper,” which tries to be edgy with its juggling of horrors, including Satan Man’s destruction of a cat to help paint a sign with its blood, and there’s shopping cart fun at the grocery store, watching the odd couple strike down babies and the elderly. The film becomes a Troma movie at times, hoping to be outrageous with taboo violence, but Lieberman doesn’t have a sharp sense of the macabre, and his jokes always land flat. A story threatens to break out with Alex and his growing awareness of what’s going on, unable to warn people while managing his own father issues. There’s trouble at home as well, watching Jenna try to decode obvious signs of danger, while Merrill is mostly fixated on cider and sexualizing her own daughter, adding quirk to the effort, which isn’t as subversive as Lieberman believes.

Satan's Little Helper Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Satan's Little Helper" deals with the feature's use of early HD cameras to capture its brand of low-budget tomfoolery. The digital cinematography hasn't aged well here, and the viewing experience does what it can with such resolution limitations, including editing choices to use zooms to create close-ups, which are easily spotted. It's a softer look at frame particulars, with fine detail reaching as far as possible with Halloween mask textures and skin surfaces. Neighborhood tours are reasonably dimensional. Colors are appreciable, handling bolder reds with Satanic hues, and suburban greenery is acceptable. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is decent, dealing with flatter blacks. Source is in good condition, but some anomalies are present, including several instances of mild ghosting, which may be inherent to technology issues.

Satan's Little Helper Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix offers crisp dialogue exchanges, managing different performance capabilities with ideal balance. Scoring delivers a full synth sound, supporting suspense and comedic moods. Sound effects are clear.

Satan's Little Helper Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director Jeff Lieberman.

• "The Devil and the Details" (32:38, HD) is the making-of for "Satan's Little Helper," featuring interviews with writer/director Jeff Lieberman, mask creator Jonathan Fuller, makeup FX creator Anthony Pepe, cinematographer Dejan Georgevich, and actor Alexander Brickel. Story inspiration is recalled, with Lieberman finding an idea after discovering a scary mask and dealing with a "gorilla gram" at his 50th birthday party. The helmer details his career after time on 1988's "Remote Control," continuing to work on screenplays and documentaries. Casting for "Satan's Little Helper" is examined, pointing out the eccentricities of Amanda Plummer. The hunt for a working mask is recalled, including the development of the Satan Man creation. Technical challenges are studied, covering shopping cart cinematography and work with digital cameras previously used on "Attack of the Clones." Overnight shoots are remembered, and the release of the feature is tracked, ending up a home video offering, skipping theatrical. Lieberman closes with pride, making it clear the endeavor was completely tailored to his sense of humor and horror.

• "Mr. Satan's Neighborhood" (22:37, HD) pays a visit to White Plains, New York, where "Satan's Little Helper" was originally shot. Writer/director Jeff Lieberman hosts this tour, providing interesting behind-the-scenes information with every new location. Along for the ride is the original Satan Man mask, which Lieberman converses with.

• Behind-the-Scenes (4:58, SD) is a brief look at the creation of "Satan's Little Helper," offering on-set footage of the production in motion while writer/director Jeff Lieberman provides commentary on the daily work.

• And a Trailer (1:35, HD) is included.

Satan's Little Helper Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Satan's Little Helper" doesn't feel secure in its execution, handling uneven performances from younger cast members, who are often encouraged by the director to play their parts broadly, working to indicate that all this nasty business is meant to be a cartoon. A move to the light doesn't help the dark, and the helmer battles to make his scary business stick with authority, leading to a final act that's not suspenseful, especially when humor is largely favored in the first hour of the movie. There's a certain enchanting perversity in Satan Man's relationship with Dougie, and there's a more interesting tale to be had just by following these two as they make their way across town, killing people and increasing their bond. However, Lieberman is hoping for more of a group effort in the feature, which restrains his vision for a sicko comedy, forcing viewers to deal with a punishing broadness to the endeavor that confuses exactly what "Satan's Little Helper" is supposed to be. It's not funny. It's not frightening. It just is, which doesn't help the 100-minute run time fly by.