User reviews

Initially I wasn't really expecting much from the 2017 movie "Belzebuth", but still as it is a horror movie, of course I gave it a chance. I am a big fan of the horror genre after all.

Turns out that "Belzebuth" from writers Luis Carlos Fuentes and Emilio Portes actually turned out to be rather entertaining. You quickly get submerged into the story and director Emilio Portes takes you on quite a ride throughout the course of this movie.

The storyline is nicely constructed and there isn't really a dull moment to the movie. The movie quickly picked up its pacing and never really slowed down. I enjoyed how you are kept in the dark throughout most of the movie, not really knowing what is going on, which meant that the movie wasn't as predictable as you might have feared it to be.

The special effects in the movie were quite good, and that was a nice surprise. Especially since I wasn't really expecting that from a movie such as this.

There are aspects to the storyline which might not really fall in good taste with some viewers, as there is focus on child killings throughout the course of the movie. Luckily this is done rather delicately, I think, and it doesn't cross over the line where it becomes grotesque.

Joaquín Cosio really performed quite well and carried the movie phenomenally, and it was also nice to see Tobin Bell in such a role, and he definitely brought a lot of enjoyment to the movie also.

It should be said that "Belzebuth" doesn't really bring a whole lot of new material to the horror genre, or to the demonic possession movie as such, but it is still a rather enjoyable and watchable movie.

I am rating "Belzebuth" a sound and solid six, six, six out of ten stars.

I enjoyed this far more than I expected to. I love horror and thriller films and I am a bit of a junkie. I'd rather watch stuff from these categories than any other so I've seen a lot of good and a lot of bad. I give credit where I feel it is due. This film deserves a bit of credit.

I think the best part of the film is the idea or story of it. For me, it is unique. Out of all the religious horror films I've seen, this one took me by surprise and I like that. Now, it wasn't without it's problems. It took a bit of time to get it really going but once it did, I found it interesting.

I was only familiar with actor Tobin Bell, who plays the well known sadistic madman "Jigsaw" from the SAW film franchise. His role here was as the dark priest Vasilio Canetti. He played his role well but dark, creepy and reserved are sorta his thing. The other actors did a decent job as well but as I said, I wasn't familiar with any of them.

The scripting could've used some work. It would've benefited from a bit more detail but I am willing to overlook it for the most part. It also would've benefited from more actual horror. We didn't get to see enough from the darker side but that's just my opinion.

I'd recommend it for anyone who has a fondness for religious horror. Demons, possession, end of days and fear or lack of religious understanding is all something that might lean you towards this film. So, check it out if that's your thing.

Interesting take on demon possession and the battle of the good. Mexican border setting includes some subtitles but much is in English. More straightforward presentation of he material so at times it can feel "flat", but it does maintain and captivate enough that I enjoyed the film.

Non wide-release horror films. I mean at least this one is genuinely a supernatural horror flick and not just a thriller disguised as one. Though the the "theological premise" is woefully outside the pale of orthodoxy if you chose to not try to analyze it this film is an enjoyable little diversion perfect for Saturday night on the couch.

Following reports of strange activity, a police officer in Mexico begins investigating a series of tragic accidents on small children around the city and discovers a connection with a special religious prophecy about to come to pass and must confront the Satanic figures controlling the situation.

For the most part, this was an incredibly enjoyable and chilling genre effort. Among the more engaging elements featured here is the fact that it manages to mix together the rather intriguing storylines present. The idea of integrating the black magic and superstitions with a more realistic approach, with the paranormal team arriving to investigate the different areas of the city with their high-end equipment and tools alongside the need for investigating the series of strange incidents that are afflicted with. This is all handled in a rather fun manner with the different manners in how they're connected to the main cop and spreading out to the other activities around the city, adding a truly chilling storyline setup that starts the film off nicely. With that setup in place, the film begins to hit its stride with the escalating series of encounters shown throughout here. Starting with the outright shocking and brutal attack on a children's nursery and to follow it up with the aftermath of the school shooting, there are some great scenes here that establish a fine mystery to start with. Escalating from there to the children's swim meet and then the incident at the movie theater with the abduction followed by the suicide bomber attack, there are several truly chilling scenes here that showcase the initial power of the evil forces they're dealing with. With the crazy revelations that emerge with the temptation sequence in the abandoned house, there's plenty to like here as this one remains enjoyable for the most part. There are some flaws in the film. The main issue befalling the film is a serious and abrupt change of tone that emerges once the film moves into the final act. With the temptation sequence playing out in the abandoned house in the abandoned village, the idea of a Jesus statue coming to life and speaking demonic threats to the characters is just wholly silly and ludicrous compared to a more measured and vicious tone that had come before. The scene is wholly out-of-place in the film and stop it dead in its tracks away from the chilling and realistic religious work into a cliched, overblown possession film that may have plenty of strong violence and gore but feels like a tonally different movie after that point. This is massively underwhelming and really lowers this one the most. Just as bad is the final half hour which is a typically over-the-top and generic exorcism scene that runs through the generally expected scenes that are expected to be found in this kind of film. From people speaking in multiple demonic voices at once, spouting off ludicrously vague threats about their fates in the afterlife and the supernatural attacks on those helping and concluding with the levitating body and it just feels tired to include this in the film. With this section of the film making it feel far longer than it should be as the film approaches the two-hour mark because of that, it feels tacked on in the worst way and really ends up holding this one down as well.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Tobin Bell was the reason I watched this mexican horror flick. Tobin, known for the Saw franchse vanished from the screen after the franchise to pop up now and then in B-flicks.

It's all about possession and the devil. Starts off great with some slashing of new borns to move further into some weird attacks on children. Once the investigation starts the possession comes in. From that point it goes from excellent moments to laughable moments. For me the crucifix scene with Christ, won't spoil it, was a let down.

Due what happens the last part of this flick it's so filled with everything that I guess they wanted to attract every fan of the genre.

Still, not a bad movie and one to pick up but it goes as I said from here to there and back in the genre that I can't say it was messy but a bit too much.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

I think Belzebuth was my first Mexican horror movie so far, or at least I can't remember of another one that rocked my boat. I was pleasantly surprised by it. The story is well written, something different than the usual stories we normally get with possession movies. Tobin Bell is the name that attracts horror fanatics on this poster but his role is rather small. Since his character Jigsaw in the Saw movies he got famous playing villainous characters, a thing he does well. But in Belzebuth it's more about the acting of Joaquín Cosio, who I found excellent. Tate Ellington plays his American partner and together they try to solve the mysterious mass murders. It's a rollercoaster of good suspense, small but effective horror scenes and an enjoyable plot to follow. It's been a while since I was entertained by a horror movie, a genre where there are a lot of mediocre productions but this one is not one of them.

Maybe I just got too excited when I heard Tobin Bell's beautiful voice narrating the first scene, then saw him covered in cool tats with a metalhead beard, then an incredibly twisted opening murder scene but what followed was a little too slow and convoluted for my liking.

The performances were pretty great across the board, the cinematography was cool and there were some exciting set pieces but overall the film left me feeling quite empty and wishing for a film with tatted Tobin was the lead.

This was a solid movie on many fronts. It had a surprisingly original storyline in a genre and subject matter that has been done time and time again. It was enthralling and engaging with an intricate but not overly complicated plot. The acting was pretty on point from everyone involved. It had a solid spook factor without relying on jump scares. It also had some really solid CGI like with the animated Jesus scene (which was probably my favorite scene, super cool) but also some pretty bad CGI with some awful blood splatter and unconvincing green screens. It was this and some other aspects that made it feel lightly amateurish at times but not detrimentally so. Overall it was a good plot with solid execution that provided for an entertaining, spooky experience. Would recommend.

I am a fan of horror movies and something that I criticize of my country is that Mexico does not do much film in this genre and those that have been done lately have left much to be desired. belzebuth I found it very entertaining with a good script that was possibly not well achieved .... It was a great surprise to watch this movie and find it something different from the horror that is made in Mexico and so explicit and a bit blasphemous .... I recommend you take your time and look at it without waiting for a summer blockbuster .. the cinema should entertain and in my opinion this film complies.

Nothing new here but enjoyable all the same. Don't expect a challenging watch for horror buffs but I found it worthwhile as a wind-down after a long day. Passable performances all round, including from Tobin Bell who continues his MO of delivering a script as if he were reading an instruction manual.

Dialogue is largely in English despite being a Mexican production - in case you're not in the mood for a 100% subtitled feature. Incidentally, the subtitles, for Mexican Spanish and the English CC (should you choose to enable the latter) are laughable, as has become the norm with Amazon/Shudder/Netflix, etc. The video compression is predictably in the same vein and just awful in places, but don't let that put you off per se.

Give it a go with the free trial of the utterly lamentable Shudder Amazon bolt-on but otherwise, I really wouldn't advise spending more than a buck-fifty on it.

This was an above-average exorcism movie with good acting, an engaging plot, with the right pace. The main protagonist was in the TV show "The Strain" and does a great job portraying a protector/father figure. The supporting cast including the great Tobin Bell were not as effective as I would have liked, but they were serviceable. Also, a few cheezy CGI moments were present, but they did not take away from the overall film.

The scares were effective and some of the scenes were downright dreadful.

While the plot is nothing new, it was a great take on the demonic trope.

Well worth a watch

[7/10]

This film is well worth a watch

Not scary. Pretty boring storyline. CGI Jesus was funny but not for a horror movie.

I haven't seen many films based in Mexico let alone in the horror genre so this was a nice bit of change!! A bit long of a movie has some slow points but other than that it was really worth a watch!

Seriously, how did that guy land the lead role? Im talking about the Ritter guy -who thought it would be a good idea to make your main character fat, old, ugly, stubborn, dumb, unlikeable, and totally incompetent at his job?

Saw this gem at the Lincoln center scary movie festival in NYC. I was really impressed. Very entertaining. Never slowed down & the tension kept escalating to a very dramatic finale. I've seen it all when it comes a to demon / exorcism films but this one has some new stuff that surprised me. Some very entertaining and fun scenes. The story is a bit wild I admit but it's very original and you'll never be bored. One of the wildest exorcism scenes I've ever witnessed on film. Enjoy!

It gets a little corny from time to time, especially regarding Tate Ellington's character. And I just wish the copy I saw had subtitles for all the dialogue - not just the Spanish. But otherwise it was a good ride that starts in one place and goes to someplace else.

Tobin Bell is fun to watch as always.

And what few effects it has are very convincing.