The Devil's Rock: DVD Review

The Devil's Rock
Rating: M
Released by Vendetta Film

Horror and Nazis combine in this Kiwi flick.

Craig Hall stars as Captain Ben Grogan, who along with his comrade Sergeant Joseph Tane (Karlos Drinkwater) is on a top secret government mission to destroy positions on the eve of D Day.

But when the pair end up on an apparently deserted bunker in Guernsey, they find more than they can handle - a series of bodies with entrails hanging out, a sole Nazi officer and a woman chained up.

The Devil's Rock is a pacy attempt at a good psychological horror; in many ways, the tense quiet opening as the pair negotiate the beaches is a traditional tale of any duo who find themselves in a minefield.

But when they get inside the bunker, it's here Campion abandons a lot of the war tenets and heads into horror territory as we hear screams, shots of tortured and mutilated bodies and see blood all over the walls.

Yet, it doesn't veer into OTT territory either with Campion preferring to give the film a more intimate and psychological feel as Hall and Sunderland's characters match wits and engage in verbal sparring initially as part of a two hander conversation. Gina Varela manages the right level of seductive menace as the Devilish woman chained up as the film heads into Exorcist meets Saving Private Ryan boundaries. Sure, you could argue it becomes a two hander because of budgetary constraints, but it manages to get by ok - even if there's some dodgy dialogue here and there.

There's a lot of gore in this outing and that may put some off but as a well researched horror which is based on a degree of fact, it really does offer something a little different to the genre and may impress more than you'd initially expect.