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First, the Recap:
The toll of maltreatment. It’s difficult enough, at least it always appears such, to navigate life’s challenges without having any forces outside of ourselves also weighing down upon us. We are making all efforts to be the person we wish to be, yet when the circumstances continue to build up against that goal, and all attempts to rectify the situation have not yielded anything but further pain, do we end up finding that being pushed to the edge causes us to make even worse, more extreme choices to find the liberation we’re so desperate for? Struggling actress Zara (Rocio Scotto), confronts not only a floundering career, but her completely ungrateful and abusive husband Robert (Jason Faunt). Despite all her patience, his actions and attitude finally break her–but not in the way HE would have preferred it to be–setting off a chain of ever-increasingly disturbing events and a dire path Zara embarks upon.
Next, my Mind:
Human horror gets infused with supernatural horror, colliding then exploding with the sounds of rage and diabolical intent carried forward by revelations of a pure embodiment of evil and the release of menacing degrees of inward malice through this eerily unnerving, surprisingly dramatic, definitively unflinching horror/thriller from writer/director/producer Andrew de Burgh, co-producers Steve Boyle and Ananya Chopra, plus associate producers Isaac Nolan, Tom Suarez, and Roberta Sparta. What SHOULD put the notion of “never make deals with the Devil”, regardless of the circumstances, on full display, the film instead wildly paints a ominous portrait of the lengths we might aspire to go to in the most drastic of circumstances and pairs it with the subsequent, lasting impact it all has on our psyche and accompanying decisions going forward as we experience what WE believe is cathartic escape from overt neglect and persecution. While we’re at it, let’s also make not-so-veiled statements about the atmosphere and politics of L.A., Hollywood, and social media to boot so that what we’re ultimately left with is one insanely, deliciously creepy, but (to certain magnitudes ONLY, mind you) relatable 102-minute romp.
Giving us a narrative centered on an abused wife and down-on-her-luck actress who ends up showing what occurs when a fascination with the occult turns into a twisted tale of absolute vengeance both in the present and, most assuredly, her future provides a degree of pacing that relies greatly on an immediately tension-filled but slow-burn delivery ushering us into the fray that continues to boil until converting into an all-out frenetic cacophony of hauntingly tangible worldly and otherworldly, bloody, calculated mayhem in the second and third acts. But, what I appreciated about the grander execution of the narrative was that it didn’t JUST settle for only being ONE kind of horror/thriller, but rather deftly combined elements of different aspects the genre offers and molds them intelligently so that character and story ARE still KING here as opposed to some over-the-top gore fest or just another supernaturally-based, “the character is possessed” approach. Additionally, what actually got me was that, even if VERY sporadically placed and VERY, VERY dark, there were moments admittedly I’d classify as humor mixed in as well.
Then, as indie film is SO adept at doing (I feel like I’ve said this, oh, I don’t know, INFINITE number of times, and rightly so!), the thematic forays the film chooses to reside within and convey to us are legion, including but not even remotely limited to the pressures of results-driven careers, domestic abuse, marital communication breakdowns, how we’re shaped (voluntarily or otherwise) by the arenas we inhabit, social media’s not-so-great facets and influence, the brave face we attempt to hide pain under, the actualities of what can be learned on the internet (talk about scary), film tropes, the corruption of Hollywood “fame and success” and what it takes to get there (ie: casting couch! Just AWFUL!), the draw of arrogance and charisma to our detriment (or, in Zara’s case, benefit?), how surface beauty can blind us, the luster of wealth, religion, the price of perceived power, and even societal issues here in the States, it’s all got due time and all DOES fit into the story being told. Providing depth like this plus eliciting such a blatantly dread-filled energy and truly frightening look at what evil can lurk inside or be brought out makes for a deftly written finale here that puts the perfect cap on what we’ve seen. The music score, as with any good film of this ilk, lends itself beautifully to creating that effectively sinister, nightmarish tone and mood.
This became my first time watching Scotto on screen, and I will unequivocally state she turns in on whopper of a performance here, going from innocent, overwhelmed, timid, shell-shocked woman to grimly transformed, chillingly cunning siren of murderous machinations through her role as Zara, a beautiful, caring but abused wife and actress whose time spent being verbally and physically assaulted by a pig of a husband comes to a head, leading her down unnatural paths to gain the upper hand. Once immersed in the shadowy and highly divisive darkness consuming her, Zara’s only outlet to satisfy the growing hunger is to make examples of as many people she can, even as she might also be manipulated by a darker force beyond our own world. Will she pay the price of dabbling in things not meant for human beings, or end up allowing it to fashion her forever into a vehicle of ongoing retribution against a patriarchal world? Scotto having to embody this level of all-encompassing, utterly unhinged manner must have been some kind of feat, as the way she acts out Zara’s newly developing then unapologetically malignant behavior is so realistically portrayed by her throughout, and it manifests this air of pure disquiet that’s so deeply necessary and stirring.
Faunt arrives as Zara’s total cad of a husband, Robert, a man who not only disrespects his wife, but isn’t at all receptive to genuine degrees of anything she attempts to do to agree with or support him, as his blame of their life’s issues all get pushed on her. As his temperament and treatment of her builds to more and more nasty levels, Robert might soon discover that not only should he have realized his wrongdoings when it comes to Zara, but that he should have expected somehow, it would all come back on him. Faunt is excellent in making us watch a character we love to hate, and the wishes for Robert’s comeuppance are so adeptly brought about by the actor’s astute performance. Raj Jawa plays Robert’s longstanding best friend Derek, who more often than not seems to overlook the fact that Robert is as bad as everyone else believes or knows he is. But, as events unfold, Derek tends to end up poking his nose into affairs that could put him on the figurative (or literal??!!) chopping block. Kylie Rohrer is Maya, Derek’s very sarcastically forthright wife who more than has her existing and never-going-away opinions about Robert especially, even as her own, slightly holier-than-thou demeanor may cause trouble to come knocking.
Primary supporting roles arrive from James Hyde as Jeffrey, a big-time Hollywood producer whose personal scruples and/or moral values basically don’t exist, Andy Lauer is Office Gerrard, a high-strung L.A. coop who gets called in to investigate some strange occurrences and is more than adamant about doing so, and Isaac Levi Anthony as Steve, a young, hotshot businessman who comes upon Zara in a local bar. Additional supporting appearances are made by Emily Roslyn Villarreal, Camila Abrantes, Felix Merback, Molly Anderson, Caledonia Wilson, Jonathan David Maner, Me’Tra Dee Carter, Cailynn Knabenshue, and Kumar Jawa (as himself). So, in total, “The Seductress From Hell” conclusively and with total abandon lives up to its title in more than one way, transporting you into a realm of nerve-wracking tension, unforgiving reprisal, dark deals, and unrepentant wrath that carries within it sincere (but also disconcerting) messages about this contemporary culture that bear paying attention to, a cautionary tale that shouldn’t be dismissed lest YOU might become the target of the next seduction, whatever form it takes. Just hope it’s name isn’t Zara!
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
