Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 17% (Critics) / 87% (Audience)
Directed By: Nicholas McCarthy
Written By: Nicholas McCarthy
Starring: Naya Rivera, Ashley Rickards, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Ava Acres
Studio: IFC Films
Synopsis:When ambitious young real estate agent Leigh is asked to sell a house with a checkered past, she crosses paths with a disturbed girl whom she learns is the runaway daughter of the couple selling the property. When Leigh tries to intervene and help her, she becomes entangled with a supernatural force that soon pulls Leigh’s artist sister Vera into its web – and has sinister plans for both of them. – (Source)

The Good:
Nicholas McCarthy has a knack for scary movies and over time I think he might just deliver a true classic because all of the pieces are there in films like this one and the two THE PACT films. McCarthy just has to find a way to put those pieces altogether properly.
And while atmosphere was king in this movie there were a couple pretty effective jump scares to be had.

The Bad:
I need my scary movies to be a bit more scary than what I got in AT THE DEVIL’S DOOR.
Naya Rivera is a good actress and playing edgy or bitchy is right in her wheelhouse. However she is a bit of a cold fish so playing vulnerable is not something she is good at which made her being the victim/heroine a bit to hard to swallow.
I also get really annoyed when a movie doesn’t follow it’s own rules and once it was established just how much work went into getting someone to allow the demon to take them over it became a sore point for me to see how easy it was for the demon to choose new hosts. Rules are rules and if the movie doesn’t respect it’s own rules then why should I give a damn?

The Ugly:
The female lead’s big plan to deal with this movie’s demon was just about the dumbest thing ever put on a movie screen.

Final Verdict: Heavy on atmosphere but light on actual scares, AT THE DEVIL’S DOOR fumbles a promising premise but leaves the door open to possibly redeeming itself in a sequel.

Grade: C-