This movie has a pretty absurd premise (it's hidden in the title, so that doesn't count as a spoiler)! I could only hope that it would at least kind of live up to that crazy expectation ... and it did at the beginning!
It was as it should be, black humor and sick jokes all over the place. Just as it should be, with a movie like that. No political correctness in sight, that would've just be a distraction! A bad one, too! For a few people the first bump will be, that there is no nudity in the movie. But you know, although this is a horror movie, where you kind of expect that, I didn't think that was a bad thing. It went against expectations for once in the right place. The jokes worked without that, too!
But then it happens ... what I mentioned in the subject line ... it's a shame, but the movie just runs out of ideas and just gets annoying from a certain point on. And it's a shame too, because it all felt good and right up to that point, but after that it's downhills ...
Still worth a watch on DVD, if you like off-balance, black humor, that isn't political correct!
Satan's Little Helper
2004
Action / Comedy / Horror
Satan's Little Helper
2004
Action / Comedy / Horror
Keywords: psychopathhalloweenstalkerdisguise
Plot summary
During Halloween, theater student Jenna Whooly returns to Bell Island to spend the holiday with her family and her boyfriend Alex Martin, a classmate of hers who was also raised on the island. Her younger brother Douglas "Dougie" Whooly is very attached to Jenna and is fascinated with the video game "Satan's Little Helper," and he becomes jealous with the presence of Alex. He leaves home wearing his costume of Satan's little helper, seeking Satan himself on the streets so he can ask him to kill Alex. Dougie meets a serial killer who, coincidently, is wearing a costume of Satan and decides to help him. He brings the insane murderer home, and Jenna and her mother Merrill Whooly believe that the masked killer is Alex acting like Satan to please Dougie. Later, the boy walks with the maniac along the streets, helping him to terrorize the locals.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Movie Reviews
Ran out of steam
A fine return to fabulously freaky fright film form by the always worthwhile Jeff Lieberman
Longtime favorite quirky horror cult movie director Jeff Lieberman, the swell fellow who blessed us with such enjoyably idiosyncratic terror treats as "Squirm," "Blue Sunshine," "Just Before Dawn," and "Remote Control," makes a triumphant belated return to fabulously freaky form with this wickedly funny and entertaining horror black comedy hoot. Bratty ten-year-old Douglas Whooly (excellently played to obnoxious perfection by Alexander Brickel) unwittingly befriends a diabolically clever murderous maniac (an exceptionally expressive mute pantomime portrayal by Joshua Annex) who's dressed up as the Devil. Video game addict Douglas thinks the dangerous lunatic is just like Lucifer from his favorite game, so he decides to become Satan's Little Helper and assist the madman as he terrorizes a suburban community on Halloween.
Lieberman has a wonderfully warped ball with the deliciously dark and depraved premise, using the nifty plot to take stinging satiric potshots at such relevant topics as religion, exceedingly violent video games, and how said video games can cause kids who avidly play them to become indifferent to the severity of real-life violence and brutality. The acting is uniformly up to par, with especially praiseworthy work by Amanda Plummer as Douglas' wacky mom and the ravishingly gorgeous blonde hottie supreme Katheryn Winnick as Douglas' sassy'n'sexy older sister. Better still, Lieberman further enhances the picture with his patented funky oddball (and weirdly amusing) touches: There's a strikingly abundant amount of incestuous lesbian innuendo to be found in the relationship between Plummer and Winnick (Plummer at one point gleefully smacks Winnick on the butt!),the Satan man kills a cat and writes "Boo" on a wall with the slain kitty's blood, Douglas and the Satan man merrily mow down people in a grocery store parking lot with a shopping cart (said hapless individuals include a pregnant lady and an old blind dude),the Satan man later on in the movie disguises himself as Jesus (which enables Winnick to say the following fantastic line: "Jesus is Satan"),and one guy at a costume party is dressed up as the wormface character from "Squirm." Dejan Georgevich's slick cinematography and David Horowitz's spare, yet effectively spooky score are both solid and impressive. Joyfully sick, twisted and of course quite amoral, this baby overall delivers a handy helping of delectably deranged tongue-in-cheek fun for aficionados of deviant fright film cinema.
Absolutely Cult
In Halloween, the student of theater Jenna Whooly (Katheryn Winnick) returns to Bell Island to spend the holiday with her family and her boyfriend Alex Martin (Stephen Graham),who studies in the same class and was also raised in the island. Her young brother Douglas "Dougie" Whooly (Alexander Brickel),who is very attached to Jenna and is fascinated in the video game Satan's Little Helper, becomes jealous with the presence of Alex. He leaves home wearing his costume of Satan's little helper seeking Satan on the streets to kill Alex. Dougie meets a serial-killer that coincidently is wearing a costume of Satan and proposes him to attack Alex. He brings the insane murderer home, and Jenna and her mother Merrill Whooly (Amanda Plummer) believes that the masked killer is Alex acting like Satan to please Dougie. Later the boy walks with the criminal along the streets helping him to kill the locals.
I bought the DVD "Satan's Little Helper" with very low expectations and I found an absolutely cult-movie. The morbid story blends slasher-movie with very dark comedy, and works since it is hilarious mostly because the funny performances of the masked Satan. His piece-of-art with the bodies of his victims could be more explored in the story. The naive little moron that helps him is annoying and imbecile and Katheryn Winnick is extremely gorgeous and seductive wearing her mother's costume. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Ajudante de Satã" ("The Satan's Helper")