In the Devil's Courthouse (2011) Online

This movie stinks. Cheesy special effects, choppy dialog from horrible actors. The narration at the very beginning of this movie (and I am using that term very loosely) is the only thing that makes any sense at all. One has to question whether any of the people in this had any acting ability whatsoever... The actions of the characters make little sense. The dialog between the two cops and his wife could've been better done by a group of high school thespians. I would warn anyone not to spend money on this. If you can find it for free somewhere it might make for a study of how not to make a movie, or an episode of something akin to RiffTrax perhaps. While I might actually visit the Devils Courthouse in North Carolina, I will definitely never visit this film again.

I wanted to like this movie, but in the end I was just happy that it was over. I have never been so happy to see a group of characters in a movie die*. The male actors were all idiots and @$$holes and the women shrieky, whiny harpies. The only characters I actually liked were Josh (the female leads boyfriend) and the guy in the wheelchair.

There is one thing about the movie that I actually liked...the monsters. Sure the costumes were gods-awful, but their vocalizations were creepy as hell, and different than most other Bigfoot/Sasquatch type movies. I also appreciated the fact that their appearance matched the type of creatures that have been reported by witnesses in that part of the U.S.

*Spoiler*

*Though I felt cheated because I never got to see the character I found most annoying bite it. Sigh.

IN THE DEVIL'S COURTHOUSE is a trashy shot-on-video horror flick with an interesting title and that's about it. It turns out that the Devil's Courthouse is actually a mountainous location in North Carolina but the director of this movie fails to do much with it, just making it look like yet another boring rural woodland locale.

The story is about a bunch of characters who head off into the wilderness before being stalked and killed by some unknown creature. Two of the characters are a bickering brother and sister. There's some mild romance and making out within a tent for those who are into that kind of thing. The romantic dialogue is very insipid and sounds false. The horror is badly staged and the depicted antics are more silly than anything else. It's a general waste of time.

This one is a stinker. No real way to say it except to just put it out there honestly.

The acting is horrid, consisting mostly of shrieking and screaming from the girls, with occasional outbursts of shouting and one-liner clichés from the guys. There are emotional scenes that are dropped into completely inappropriate places. The plot is worthy, but it's potential miserably wasted by bad writing. The story is explained early on in the form of a narrative, and then later on is repeated nearly word for word as though it didn't sink in and we needed a reminder. The story idea could have made sense, but ultimately didn't. The characters make NO common sense decisions, with the exception of a plea to "stick together" that is exuberantly ignored. The special effects are cheesy as heck. The fake blood really looks fake! What's the point of that?

All of this aside, the movie could have been watchable but had very poor production value. The frame rate is about 25 or less, making it blocky and the images jumpy. It just looks poor quality from start to finish.

The music is the usual hard rock grind associated with gore films of this sort. C'mon people.. imagination?

**Small Spoiler**

The biggest problem is that you don't feel anything for any of the characters. There is a scene with a bunch of girl scouts getting ripped apart by monsters. But since you only ever see them twice in the whole movie, and they squandered both scenes by singing an endless and nearly monotone rendition of "Row Row Row Your Boat", you almost feel relieved when they die. There's no empathy in this film for ANY of the characters. You pretty much just figure right from the start that everyone dies.

Face it. If the movie can't make you feel bad about a bunch of girl scouts getting axed, then believe me it won't make you give a nickel and dime about anyone else.

**Spoiler Ends**

Anyone who gives this anything above a 3 rating is pulling your chain.

The special effects and scenery were great, however, the COP ie "the actor" was not taken out soon enough. This movie, like the Blair Witch Project, is based on a real place and folklore. The filmography also is light years ahead of the Blair Witch Project which says a lot since this film is the first major production for the film's writer and producer. I am really looking forward to Brain Juice Productions next release and if they have decided what it will be they are not talking. It has always been fun to pick out who will "get it" first but this Monster was different but that's all I will say so watch the movie. If you like blood and mayhem it's a must see. Overall, I give this film a thumbs up.