VOD REVIEWS: Paul Urkijo Alijo’s THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH (ERREMENTARI) is a brimstone-tinged horror gem to be uncovered on Netflix
There’re two things which I find glaringly missing from most horror films not only in these times, but throughout the history of the art form. First is the dearth of fairytales. This term is often bandied about in such an overgeneralized way that even Avengers: Endgame finds itself donning that tag. But the tradition has always been far more specific, going all the way back to Aesop. Recipes for them pretty much amount to this: fantastical characters and settings, meant primarily for children but palatable for adults and – perhaps the most forgotten quality – they are dark. Danger is a constant centerpiece with consequences being dire and often even grotesque. Fear is palpable because people are being eaten, or tortured, or worse. But the rules for fairytales largely got rewritten for cinema.
Consider how Disney classics like Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty were summarily sanitized for the silver screen. In the original stories, the puppet cruelly kills Jiminy Cricket early on and the poor slumbering maiden is literally raped by the passerby king, leaving her impregnated and even giving birth from her coma. So much for scary movie fairytales for kids. As for “mature” horror fare, this genre is rarely followed to the fullest, with most going the cutesy and safe Goosebumps route. Yes, there are exceptions – Krampus comes to mind – but fairytale horror is just not employed as often as it should be in cinema.
The second thing which film horror could use a lot more of is demons. Common monsters seem to march unceasingly in the same direction: vampires, zombies, vampires, zombies – wait, a ghost, witch or werewolf! – vampires, zombies. The classical image of a demon from hell is woefully missing from the mythos of cinema. Standard model: fiery red skin, hooves instead of feet, long pointy tail, trusty pitchfork clutched in long black claws, razor sharp teeth arranged in prodigious smile, prominent horns. Even early entries like the silent film Haxan capitalized on such imagery, made popular centuries before in medieval art.
There have since been some exceptions, like Tim Curry’s turn in the 1980’s movie Legend. And while of course “the Lord of Darkness” was scary looking, the film itself played out as a fantasy adventure a la Lord of the Rings than it does as true horror. For the most part, demons (or the devil) in cinema are either relegated to cartoonish caricatures in works like The Simpsons or are only seen in quick glimpses as was the case in films like The Witch or The Exorcist. What a shame! Demons are scary, folks, and they are capable of far worse than, say the shark in Jaws or the slasher in Happy Death Day. And dear god, there are way too many shark and slasher movies these days!
But both dangerous fairytale and demon features are redeemed in the excellent film The Devil and the Blacksmith (known as Errementari in the original Basque). Freshman feature director Paul Urkijo Alijo deftly adapts an old fable and brings thick atmosphere to this creepy tale which runs the gambit from human cruelty to the tortures of a very real and physical stygian pit. The backdrop is an Old Europe village that you can almost smell off of the screen. The production design is tactile across the senses: dank, moldy, muddy, with the stench of decay prominently mingling with wood stove smoke. A shut-in blacksmith hides behind the walls of a self-made fortress of scrap metal, away from the prying eyes of the nearby townsfolk – but never far from their gossip. Rumor is, he has been in dalliance with satanic forces and may in fact be dangerous. Enter a little orphan girl who is desperately seeking escape from a life of desperation and abuse. When a bully throws her favorite doll over the fence of the blacksmith’s fortress, she braves the mysterious location and encounters, well…something from the netherworld. And things get hopping from there.
Avoiding plot spoilers, here’s why horror fans need to watch this film. First of all, it’s macabre and bloodcurdling in a sensual way rather than relying on the old gimmicks of jump scares or extreme violence. People are terrifying. And the consequences of toying with dark forces is terrifying. The creatures encountered and hellish landscapes entered are distilled personifications of ultimate suffering. The backstory adds a psychological factor, as we learn of the motivations behind all the action. You will see places you don’t want be caught inside of, like a mix of a Scooby-Doo set piece and the abattoir environs found in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre through the lens of archaic depictions of the devil. The acting is solid across the board, the ending is both horrible and redemptive and you might walk away feeling like hell is a real place just that much more after watching it. There is also some engaging Golden Bough style magic employed and a perfect transportation to another time and place you used to be sure only existed in fairytales. Once the film ends, don’t be surprised if a little tinge of brimstone lingers in the air and maybe you have a weird dream that same night.
