Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil Review: A young girl accidentally unleashes the devil, and a lonely Blacksmith is the only one who can stop him.
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil review by Kat Hughes.
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil Review
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil is a re-telling of an ancient fable about a Blacksmith who finds himself battling the Devil. In this story the Blacksmith has captured the Devil and lives a life of hermit-like seclusion away from the prying eyes of the townsfolk. All is going well until a desperate little girl, Usue, accidentally stumbles across the devil and unknowingly releases him. It is then left to the Blacksmith to reclaim his bounty, but this is easier said then done as he also finds himself at the end of a lynch mob that have come searching for the missing Usue.
Typically, films start strong and then peter out towards the end, Errementari works in the opposite way. The opening scenes are slow and choose to focus too heavily on little Usue, highlighting how much of an outsider she is. Once we get to the Blacksmith’s Smithy though, things pick up, and the film finally gets interesting. From there we hurtle at a breakneck pace to the action-packed finale.
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil Review
Who knew that devils could be tortured and tormented? There’s something oddly comedic about watching Usue and the Blacksmith inflict pain onto their hostage. Their weapons of choice are also very unusual. Rather than hot pokers and knives, this duo use bells and chickpeas. That’s right, this film is so good that it makes chickpeas scary! So much so that you may very well feel some sympathy for the devil.
Stylistically, the film feels very expensive and makes the most of what must have been a modest budget. Accolade should also be given to the make-up team as their work on the devil is brilliant. All practical and prosthetics, it’s easily the best, most visually arresting version, we’ve seen since Tim Curry’s turn in Legend. In fact, tonally, Errementari feels very much like a distant cousin to Ridley Scott’s 1985 feature film.
An exciting twist on an old and almost forgotten fable, Errementari displays an abundance of talent.
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil review by Kat Hughes, March 2018.
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil was reviewed at the 2018 Horror Channel Frightfest event which formed part of the 2018 Glasgow Film Festival.
