The Devil Complex (2016) User Reviews

The Devil Complex: Found footage with even less footage than usual

[Platypuschow · 3/10 · 14 November 2017]

The Blair Witch Project (1999) has a lot to answer for. Ever since its release we've been bombarded with found footage movies because of the seeming popularity and because they're insanely cheap to produce.

This British made one is set in Romania and revolves around a documentary film crew investigating the infamous Hoia-Baciu Forest. For those unfamiliar this is a forest within Transylvania that is well known for it's stories of ghosts, demons and ufos.

The first 3/4 of the movie is character establishment, when something finally happens it still doesn't. Truth be told this is less actual content or activity than Blair Witch, than Pararnomal Activity. By that I mean literally nothing happens.

It claims this is based on true events, yet again a lie. The forest is well known for stories, but no basis or evidence to support any of them.

One thing I found baffling is that the forest is well known for its central circle and distinct tree growth in some areas. They don't show any of this, why go all the way there and not film the two most impressive things within the forest? Forest, snow and some very unlikable characters. That's your lot.

The Good:

Fantastic setting

Based on something real and fairly interesting

The Bad:

Weird writing decisions

Nothing happens

Spoilers follow ...

[parry_na · 3/10 · 20 June 2016]

One of the things I like about the found footage genre is evidenced at the beginning of 'The Devil Within', when the camera remains locked onto a character as he conveys all kinds of emotion to the viewer without the help of moody lightning, artistic cutting or indeed anything to enhance the performance. The actor therefore has no choice but to play everything completely naturally because the unforgiving nature of an unedited shot would betray any lapse.

That's the first impression I got from the opening moments as Professor Popescu (Adrian Carlugeo) warns us how terrible are the events we are about to see. He is wrong, unfortunately, for what follows is three actors with very little chemistry traipsing around the tremendous snowy Hoia Bacui Forest in a shockingly dull, blatant recreation of events in 'The Blair Witch Project (1999)' – inferior in every way, sadly. They get lost, argue and nothing happens. The discovery of the dead body of their erstwhile companion, the ferociously bearded Mr Dogaru (Bill Hutchins) fails to invest any scares into these uneventful wanderings: 'What happened to him?' 'He's f****** dead, that's what happened to him,' – all lines delivered with all the conviction of characters not remotely bothered.

Rumour has it that for 'Blair Witch', the director left his cast alone for most of the time in the unforgiving location, only to creep up on them at night and scare them – this produced a very real, wearied, raw set of performances. Here, the terrain is even less hospitable, but there are no scares, no tension whatsoever – any energy is drained from the young cast producing beleaguered dramatics in a disappointingly uneventful picture.

The Blair Witch Project..... On Ice.....

[FlashCallahan · 2/10 · 29 November 2016]

In November 2012 Rachel Kusza and her team of film makers travelled to Transylvania to document the Baciu forest.

The film crew were never heard from again. After searching for the film crew for two years, Rachels teacher finds the crews camera buried in the snow.

Before taking own life, Redman uploads the footage to the internet.

It shows the crews journey into the woods, but it also shows why locals refuse to enter the supposedly haunted forest.......

Some found footage movies can be original, if they have writers and film makers who can be bothered with their 'project'.

But then you get lazy film makers whom like to retread successful ground and put their own spin on that success. Here the magical spin is literally snow and a man with a beard.

Other than that, it's just The Blair Witch Project, right down to the white text on black stating that the crew were never seen again.

And it's a right chore to get through, even though it's just shy of ninety minutes.

So we get the predictable meet up, the warnings from the locals, the vox pop interviews with the locals, and the meet up with the weird person who knows a little too much about the legend.

And then the obligatory rest of the film walking through the forest, finding strange things, and the crew slowly coming apart and arguing before they go off into the dark and scream in the distance.

You've seen this film a thousand times before, and much better.

Thhis is the epitome of lazy film making, and like the makers, you just cannot be bothered with the finished 'project'.

I'd rather watch the best of Lionel Blair on loop for two weeks, rather than sit through this again.

Dude, This is evil

[nogodnomasters · 1/10 · 23 October 2017]

This is a found footage film from the Hoia Baciu forest, Romania dating to November 2012. Three students enter the forest and never leave as we are informed by the professor who found the film. The forest we are told judges people and decides if they can leave or not. It seems littering is on the top of the list of sins. The film is interview filler for about the first 30 minutes. They walk through SNOW into the forest and get lost because they don't have a map. Seriously? Someone smarter than a fifth grader (or not) could have stepped up and said, "Hey! We made those tracks. Let's follow them back." Nope. The film offers no closure, or much of anything.

PLOT SPOILER? There are some trees at the end almost shaped in a V (except for that one tree off to the side) and supposedly it concerns something that we don't see inside the V either. Keep alert for clues, because I expected aliens or a meth lab with cannibals.

"The Devil's Forest", "The Devil Complex" and "The Devil Within" are the same film, I would hate to see anyone watch it twice.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Bleak and uneventful but with great snowy woods scenery

[EddieRade · 4/10 · 15 May 2016]

An amazing setting only can't do much for a found footage horror movie with low budget, uncharismatic actors with foreign accents and an overdone storyline. That being said, the movie misses the point of being scary and it looks like it doesn't even try. The scenes happen as they come, without momentum or a real terror content and it comes close to being just necessary chapters to respect the genre it is supposed to be, all in all weakly acted and directed. The actors are the main issue here. They just don't go together and that's obvious from the beginning. It's like none of them want to be there. I wasn't expecting much from it, but can't say I'm not somewhat disappointed about the lack of one or two well-crafted scares which would've saved something out of this lame duck movie. A missed shot.

Seriously! Give This One A Miss

[michaelant555 · 2/10 · 14 April 2017]

This has to be one of the worst films that I have ever seen.

If you like watching a few, very uninteresting, people walk through snow-covered woodlands for most of the movie, then you're in for a real treat. I can honestly say that I don't think I've ever seen a film with such a weak cast and such a weak plot. It's like a really bad Blair Witch in that it's set in a haunted forest, but it has no believable scares or any interesting characters. The characters and plot are so lame, it's like a few people, without an ounce of imagination between them (and I'm not exaggerating here), got together and shot an extremely low budget amateur home movie.

I'm the first person to rant about people giving films bad reviews that really don't deserve them, especially when they give half decent films only 1 star. You know the type of trolls I'm referring to, but in this case I genuinely believe that the 4.2 rating is far too generous.

Very dull, boring, bland movie

[mohaniyer-69032 · 1/10 · 25 September 2021]

Literally nothing happens. Even the forest is bland and uninteresting with snow everywhere.

There is too much of build up at the beginning, but nothing happens. They run around, abuse each other, get scared, die; but for what reason? It is just lazy lazy film making.

There are some films which leave questions and make you think, but this is not one of those; for the simple reason that there are no clues or hints as to what happens to the characters.

The characters themselves are so weakly developed, that you just want them to die and the movie to end. In the beginning there is a lot of noise made about how it causes people to encounter their sins and judge them; but nothing of that sort really happens.

Waste of time watching this crap!

Thank god this movie ended

[andrewmcl83-170-764416 · 2/10 · 15 December 2019]

What a horrible ripoff of blair witch. Like many commentors said, just follow your own foot prints?!?! And how many ff movies are going to end with someone being dragged away by something you cant see, not saying that happened here, just so I don't have to put that I have spoilers lol.... I love FF movies but their are SO MANY bad ones.

Correct title: Blair Witch Goes To Europe!

[mariusar · 3/10 · 9 May 2018]

Wow...just wow. Every so often I come across a film that actually screams out for me to give it my lowest imdb rating of "3" {which is as low as I go while still trying to give a bit of respect for the work people undertook}.

Yep...this one gets a "3"! And boy do I wish I could go lower than that. But no, I will stick by my own guidelines.

Let's get right to the bottom line: this "film" is, no joke, nearly a shot by shot, sccene by scene ripoff of the modern classic Blair Witch Project. Honestly.

They changed the location {Europe! Just like Chevy Chase did}. They added snow to a forest! They changed the gender of the creepy local to a guy and made him a total ditcher guide!

Pretty much everything else is directly ripped off from BWP, including a tent confessional from a guy this time when things start going sideways.

The only thing missing was a ripoff of Heather's fear snot...

One could not possibly find a more effective way to waste one's time while watching this god-awful piece of garbage.

Team Devil Complex: seriously...polish up those CVs...don't ever foist such crap on the world ever again, at least not until you go to night film school.

There. I said it. Thus far as of May 2018, The Devil Complex is the absolute worst movie I have had the displeasure to watch this year. And there have been a few stinkers but none so far that has prompted me to write a warning review.

Don't. Please...for the love of god...DON'T WATCH THIS DRECK...You're welcome...

Why?

[lumgs · 4/10 · 4 April 2019]

Two huge holes in the story (apart from all the other small holes):

1 - Why didn't they just follow their own footprints back instead of going deeper into the forest?

2 - What was so horrible that the professor had to kill himself in the beginning? No explanation whatsoever.

Very bad film, very bad attempt of a Blair Witch Project in the snow, no scares, no suspense, nothing.

Positive: beautiful scenery

Zach McGowan

[wolfspiritjohnson · 10/10 · 24 March 2018]

Last night's show was incredible with the return of Zach McGowan as The Superior Anton Ivanov! Love seeing him with this great marvel team especially Agent Coulson!! Hope to see more of Zach in future episodes!

More like 'The Complex Devil'

[dragynheart · 6/10 · 14 January 2020]

I COULD go on and on talking about what the director seems to have intended, but ....... why?! What I WILL say is this: As a film ... it tried!!! I .... umm .... I liked it, it was better than REwatching old 'Ancient Aliens' reruns for the 3rd time, but not by a whole lot!

Hard pass

[akd-974-774081 · 1/10 · 11 May 2018]

I'm a big fan of found footage but if you are looking for something with any sort of thrill or excitement or even plot line, this isn't it. I am very forgiving cause I love horror and watch almost everything there is, however I was more invested in a Huffington Post article then I was with this movie.

SPOILERS: If you get lost in the forest you might want it to be any season but actual winter cause then being lost would make actual sense. I'm not even sure what one of the characters was there for or the point of him being there was. So if you are looking at more exciting ways to watch paint dry, you've just found it!

Terrible!

[eacunha-622-520934 · 2/10 · 11 February 2019]

I love found footage movies, I've watched hundreds of them, but this was the only one to date that got me angry. It's terrible, bad script, bad acting, it's hard to watch until the end. It is a project that tried to imitate the blair witch but ended up getting bizarre.

The very dull complex

[TheLittleSongbird · 2/10 · 5 November 2019]

Despite not caring for found footage films at all usually, the advertising and poster were eye-catchy and creepy and the setting looked nice and more attractive and atmospheric-looking than settings for most found footage films. Plus the idea was not a bad one, it sounded strange and is hardly original but with the right execution, or at least competent execution, there was potential for it to be halfway unsettling and intriguing. So there was no bias against it.

'The Devil Complex' just didn't deliver. Have seen a lot worse, it's not even among the worst found footage films out of all my viewings of them (and more than enough have been watched to form that subjective opinion). It is nowhere near as creepy as the advertising and poster/cover looked. It does nothing new or interesting with its idea, one of my biggest bugbears watching films etc. is potential wastes and it is really quite frustrating.

One thing that 'The Devil Complex' did have in its favour was the setting. That actually did look pleasing to look at and did evoke atmosphere that was severely lacking everywhere else. The one thing with potential that the film didn't completely waste.

It though could have been complemented better because the photography lacked focus and did make me feel queasy. The audio is not particularly well balanced and the way it's used is obvious and not really gelling with what's going on onscreen. The direction is pedestrian at best and the writing never has any urgency and quite stop start in its flow.

While the idea was unoriginal but it intrigued, the execution of it is anything but intriguing. The dull, drawn out pacing badly betrayed the flimsiness, to a too often uneventful and padded degree, of the story. The atmosphere is bland throughout, nothing is scary and it doesn't feel like there is anything at stake. Everything is so indifferent. The characters have absolutely nothing to them and are basically just there but nothing else. The acting is equally lacking in much effort, seeming miserable and bored throughout. The interaction is stiff at best and that is only when there is signs of any, which is only marginally fleeting.

Concluding, very poor waste of potential but there are worse found footage films and films in general around. 2/10 for the setting only

Wow what a waste of time

[clmn_mrk · 1/10 · 18 July 2019]

Sometimes you often wonder how could anyone read the script of this movie and actually finance it like the other review if you were to take away the title you would think it was a nature program with three people walking through a snow covered forest there no action whatsoever just walking one thing that was unbelievable was how unprepared they were for the weather no camping gear no food no lighter nothing for even a day hike the girl had a back packing apparently she had nothing in it but books the movie a hour and half of 3 people walking in the forest basically were just going to walk forever without any provision the acting was horrible giving there wasn't any need for it since there was very little interaction between characters just yelling at times when out of the blue one of the characters would freak out and run from the other for no apparent reasons don't waste you time you would enjoy a bowel movement more than this hideous movie even what disaster strikes it was unbelievable you didn't see the assailant who I would assume another human being that was strong enough to hang them upside down in a tree no rhyme or reason why they were attacks who attack them and since it was a forest who could survive out there just waiting for people to walk through the forest to murder them unrealistic!

Promised so much yet gave so little !

[aspirezelor · 2/10 · 20 December 2017]

As a first review on this site, i am finding it a little sad it had to be this one. But this was the film i just finished watching ... hm. "The Devil Complex" what to say...it is quite simple 1) It lacked any sort of realistic storyline 2) The film did not do justice to the cast whatsoever 3) We never actually got to know anything about the characters,,,, 4) when we did get to scratch the surface of two of the three characters, i never did get to the bottom of why or how. 5) I never judge a film by its budget nor cast, as some of the best films i have seen have been of a low budget or funded by charity or organizations.

Im not going to give anything away about this movie because there is nothing to give away. Its a walk through a snow fill forest ,, as beautiful as it is . After being told people go missing there , die there, or come out with illnesses (skin rashes). They go in with a camera (rip off blair witch maybe ?) and film what they might see with the help of a "guide". who is a strange man which i never understood a word of. He doesnt stay in the film for more than 15 mins,,, (like i say there is nothing to spoil and you have prob guessed why anyway). ok i will spoil it THEY ALL DIE,,, the end...

Not more i can really say on this so i better list it as a spoiler review, just in case i upset anyone lol Thankyou for reading and i hope that in time my reviewing will get better,

Doesn't even stick to the legends!

[acheron-23979 · 1/10 · 27 August 2018]

Spoiler alert! I've read a lot of stories about the Hoia Baciu Forest and was excited to see this movie... The beginning gets you pumped up, thinking you will see some awesome footage about ghosts or UFOs but it's all a lie! There are a total of 4 deaths that happen inside the forest, you don't see what kills them, as a matter of fact you don't see any phenomena at all. No ghosts, no strange lights, not even the crooked trees. The only thing they did keep in the movie that is the same as the real life legends is one of the characters gets a rash on his leg and the girl gets anxiety but you find out early in the movie she's had it all along and takes medication for it... Don't waste your time watching this.. specially if you have read stories and legends having to do with the Hoia Baciu Forest, I only watched it till the end to see if maybe some sort of lights or at least a ghost would pop out but nope, didn't happen.

Uneventful and typical

[adeleysim · 3/10 · 7 January 2019]

Follows the typical format of a found footage film, and spends too much time not doing anything that adds to the plot. The very few events that do happen strike me as random and unexplained. I felt like I was walking in circles in a forest myself.

Anything but scary

[balochistan · 1/10 · 13 March 2021]

Boring beyond the limits. WOW!!! Why???!!! Waste of time.

Many will overlook, no doubt.

[RatedVforVinny · 6/10 · 4 November 2018]

I thought it did not really deliver but for some reason it sticks in the mind; whilst other so called lost and found movies, are instanly forgettable. I say give it a chance.

Worst movie ever....

[IOnlyRateReallyBadMovies · 1/10 · 21 July 2021]

This is without a doubt the worst movie, I have ever seen... Complete waist of time!

The Dipsh*t Comolex

[tmccull52 · 1/10 · 20 August 2023]

Take three completely unlikable a**holes who can barely stand one another, and drop them in the middle of a "haunted forest" that will somehow make you regret the evils of your past. Add in some shaky camera work, some mysterious sounds, and not much of anything else, and there you have it. That's pretty much the sum of this incredibly stupid, incredibly bad movie.

The three principal characters, Rachel, Joe, and Tom, are supposed to be working together on Rachel's project. This is supposed to be a documentary about a haunted forest in Romania. Almost from the moment that they meet, they start bickering and sniping at one another like bratty six year Olds. Rachel finds a local who agrees to guide them into the forest, Mr. Dogaru.

About halfway into their trek, Mr. Dogaru has a conversation with someone that the other three can't see. When he is questioned about this, he turns and bolts into the forest, abandoning Rachel, Joe, and Tom. They bicker and argue about what to do, and eventually decide to press on. A short time later, they find Mr. Dogaru, or rather, his body.

Surprise, surprise, they argue about what to do next. That's pretty much all that these three idiots do, is bicker, argue, and verbally and physically assault one another. Joe searches Mr. Dogaru's body in the hope of finding a map, but he finds nothing that can be of use to them. They bicker and argue about what to do next, and press on.

They wander around, lost, and bicker and argue. Then they wander around and bicker and argue some more. At some point, Rachel accuses Joe and Tom of stealing her pills, which she needs for her anxiety. They bicker and argue, and Rachel physically attacks Tom. Rachel and Tom physically fight until Joe breaks them up.

Guess what happens next?

If you guessed that they bickered and argued and eventually pressed on, give yourself a Kewpie doll.

They eventually stumble upon Mr. Dogaru's body again, but this time he is hanging upside down in a tree, and his throat has been ripped open. They scream, run around like the Keystone Kops doing a Chinese fire drill, bicker, argue, and press on.

If you want a movie that features lots of shots of snow, trees, and not much of anything else, aside from three idiots who are constantly at one another's throats, then this is the movie for you.

Our intrepid band eventually find an abandoned tent, which has a small flask of whiskey, a blanket, and nothing else. Once again, they argue, bicker, and bemoan the fact that they're lost. Rachel gets the blanket, and Joe and Tom split the whiskey in the flask.

Tom loses it and runs off into the woods, much as they had seen Mr. Dogaru do earlier. Rachel and Joe find him, unconscious, and revive him. Tom starts crying and apologizes to Joe about "the little girl". Joe asks Tom about what "little girl", but Tom just babbles and cries incoherently. The group bickers, argues, and presses on.

The group is panicked by some ominous music that seems to be playing in the woods around them, and they start screaming and running blindly through the woods. Tom becomes separated from Rachel and Joe, and they eventually calm down enough to search for Tom. They find him, hanging upside down, in a tree, with his throat ripped out, just like Mr. Dogaru.

More ominous noises come from the woods, causing Rachel and Joe to panic and flee blindly into the woods again. Joe gets killed next, by whatever killed Mr. Dogaru and Tom, and at the end of the movie, Rachel is also killed by this malevolent force, whatever it is. There are some completely useless, senseless mid-credits shots of the snowy woods, and then, that's it. The end.

This is easily one of the worst of the worst of the countless Blair Witch knock-offs.

Bare Bones BLAIR WITCH clone strictly for those who cannot get enough of this type of movie

[Armin_Nikkhah_Shirazi · 4/10 · 2 June 2022]

In theory, THE DEVIL COMPLEX could have been a decent movie: the setup of a small group investigating a mysterious forest in Transylvania offers an opportunity for building an atmospheric creepy story, but, sadly, that opportunity was squandered.

The film opens with a tension-killing excerpt of the last scene, and apart from the interviews with the locals early in the movie we don't get to see much of Romanian culture or mythology. Even the landscape shots, which could have provided an opportunity for eye candy, turn out to be mediocre. There is barely a build-up of suspense, except for the creepy guide who somehow seemed inauthentic for the roIe.

I guess the conceit of this film is that the explanation of the mysterious happenings in the forest resides in the dark secrets each participant harbors, but those secrets turn out to be so extremely dark as to seem contrived (Seriously, would anyone with a history like these guys go into a forest that is even just rumored to judge and punish you for your bad deeds?).

Even after the eerie and deadly events begin, the movie is somehow not able to ratchet the tension. Disappointingly, we never even see or know exactly what is meting out the judgments on those poor souls.

This is a very bare bones movie, and I cannot shake the suspicion that the Romanian setting was not chosen so much for the historical treasure trove of story opportunities it could have provided, but simply because it was cheaper to film there. While it is not among the worst found footage horror movies, it is thoroughly unexceptional, and the only really suitable audience for this consists of those who want to see all possible variations on the basic BLAIR WITCH concept.