When Tim Baxter (Greg Hobbs) returned to the marital home after 22 years in the military, he brought with him a lot more than he, wife Elaine (Diane Ellis) and stepdaughter Mindy (Jade Callender) bargained for in this 2021 British flick The Devil Came Home- which is getting a digital release on Miracle Medis

Directed by George McCluskey, who also appears in the film as the family’s friend and psychologist, The Devil Came Home at first glance appears to be a domestic drama that delves into the devastating effects of PTSD. It soon becomes clear that this is something far more sinister, supernatural and disturbing. Drawing heavily on its cinematic influences, we witness one family’s descent into an ostensible hell as our protagonist Tim is possessed by a 15^th century Eastern European vampiric demon - once a comrade of Vlad the Impaler and later none other than Jack the Ripper himself.

Mocking the Baxters and the friends they enlist to help - psychologist Peter (McCluskey) and priest Jonathan (Nick Sheard) - the demon probes the depths of their souls; tormenting them until only one solution remains, an exorcism. Even when employed with maximum regard, it’s perhaps ill-advised to lean too heavily on the hallmarks of what is considered the ultimate in possession films, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist. The demonic voice, the tormented priest, even the use of ‘The Power of Christ compels you’ – all standard tropes of course, but they just serve to highlight the film’s weaknesses.

In truth, I was quite excited for The Devil Came Home; the artwork is immediate and terrifying, nothing like a figure wearing a gas mask to instil immediate fear. But that’s really where the terror ended. Looking at the narrative and set-up, events happen all too quickly, so much so that we are never presented with the opportunity to ‘know’ Tim - the extent to which he’s experiencing PTSD and the dynamic within the household. Maybe not deemed of principal importance given that this is a horror story, but when the possession sets in, we have no real grasp of who our protagonist was or is.

Slowing the pace would not only have added significantly to the sense of unease but would have gone some way to understanding why and how Tim has been possessed. In sacrificing gradual narrative progression, the remainder of the film is hindered by a surfeit of conversational scenes that dilute any sense of tension.  Admittedly, this could have enhanced the film’s impact – normal people facing an abnormal situation, but here it’s just not very compelling.  

There was the potential for The Devil Came Home to bring something new to the horror film ‘possession’ subgenre. With greater time dedicated to Tim’s psychological condition, the ensuing possession could have acted as a device for an underlying mental health subtext -  in addition to presenting a more nuanced horror experience. Its (mainly) single location serves it well, but the lack of tension and sense of dread, take away from what could have been an intriguing concept. High hopes unfortunately dispelled.