Serving as a potent reminder that humans have always been at the heart of most real life horrors, first-time director Aislinn Clarke explores the terrifying tale of
fallen women, detailing a fictional investigation undertaken by Father Thomas and his colleague Father John into the miraculous weeping Virgin Mary statues at a Magdalene Laundry set in Ireland in the 60's. Creatively shot on 16mm in a boxy, faded format, the low-budget found-footage film clearly works within the genre restrictions, but serves enough thrills (demonic possession, creepy nuns, laughing children, loud noises, satanic worship, you name it) to satisfy horror enthusiasts. Although the true chilling narrative lies in its unearthing of Ireland's dark history and the unspeakable abuse these women had to endure, Clarke and company inject some old-fashioned scares, in addition to putting its protagonists in a moral tight spot, even if most of them are of the been-there-done-that kind, making it harder for the movie to emerge as a standout. But here's the thing: it's all technically polished, executed very well and balanced out by good performances. Ultimately whatever flaws
The Devil's Doorway may possess as an overly familiar genre piece, you can't deny it's effective.
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