THE ADAMS FAMILY FOLLOW UP THEIR EXCEPTIONAL “HELLBENDER” WITH THIS EFFECTIVE SLICE OF DEPRESSION ERA-SET HORROR.
One of the best-kept secrets in the contemporary horror world is the Adams Family. I only use the term “best-kept secret” because they’re not quite the household name. I suspect that will change soon. Made up of John Adams, Toby Poser, Zelda Adams, and Lulu Adams, this undeniably gifted (and incredibly thrifty) brood of prolific storytellers has been making movies for quite some time but it was in 2019 that they really started to make an impression on the horror scene with THE DEEPER YOU DIG, an effective little indie that revolves around three lives that collide following a murder. In 2021, The Adams Family would return with the outstanding witch-centric mother/daughter tale, HELLBENDER. That gem would ultimately make its debut on Shudder after quite a healthy genre festival run (including an appearance at HorrorFest International.) Now, Toby, Zelda, John, and Lulu are back with an entirely new kind of horror experience and while it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it absolutely worked for me.
Set in the Depression era, WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS follows a family of sideshow performers as they travel from town to town while on a dying carnival circuit. Seven (played by John Adams) suffers from PTSD brought on by the war while his slightly uneducated but altogether loving soul mate Maggie (played by Toby Poser) is prone to erratic and murderously impulsive behavior. Meanwhile, young Eve (played by Zelda Adams) is an angelic mute whose love of photography and singing is only rivaled by her love for her family. It is clear that she is the glue that holds this particular family together.
In terms of direction, The Adams Family attempt to ring a lot of mileage out of limited funds, and while that’s always been their MO, WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS differs in that it’s a period piece. For the most part, they pull it off although the wartime flashbacks are a bit of a distraction. Most impressive is the cinematography (which earned Zelda Adams and John Adams honors at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival) and the creative production design (the carnival sets are effective and almost have a John Waters movie-like charm to them.) What’s more, The Adams Family has, once again, enlisted the aid of friends and family to flesh out an appropriately eccentric cast.
As performers, The Adams Family stretch themselves in entirely new ways in this picture. Zelda is just outstanding as a young woman who quite literally looks to pick up the pieces when her parents appear to be falling apart. Adding to the mesmerizing nature of her turn as Eve is the fact that she never speaks. She brings this character to life by way of mere glances and a lovely singing voice. As for the parents, John is solid as the more-than-understanding husband Seven to Toby’s unpredictable wife Maggie. She’s a lot of fun here often bringing a rather dark sense of humor to the proceedings, and we’re never entirely sure when her unstable time bomb might go off. And in fact, a scene in which a distraught Maggie is looking to off a potential victim (who, if I’m being completely honest, probably has it coming) before a considerate Seven attempts to talk her out of it, is one of the film’s very best scenes. Even Lulu Adams gets in on the action by way of a bit part that is best left unspoiled in this review. And since the family at the heart of this movie is played by a real-life family, that only brings a fitting layer of authenticity to the proceedings.
While there are certain elements that flow throughout the films that The Adams Family have put together thus far, tonally speaking, each of their projects has been distinctively different from their previous effort. This certainly holds true with WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS, a low-budget affair that, in its own way, swings for the fences. Even in terms of a sometimes jarring but effectively contemporary score. It’s one of a handful of risks in the movie that ultimately pays off. Further still, I really had no idea where this film was going and I absolutely love that about it.
It doesn’t always completely hit the mark but again, the Adams Family takes chances here making for a folky (and artsy) horror film that offers hints of Depression-set masterworks like NIGHTMARE ALLEY and THE ROAD TO PERDITION, unsettling (and timeless) classics like FREAKS and FRANKENSTEIN, and the iconic works of John Steinbeck (think “Of Mice and Men” and “The Grapes of Wrath.”) That said, WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS still has an identity all its own. It’s a road movie fused with a twisted slice of Americana that celebrates the spirit of family and embraces the things that make us all unique, and it all culminates in a truly memorable (and perfect) final moment that is sure to get viewers talking. At the very least, it’s an ending that I won’t soon forget. And it’s wholly appropriate because this really is a story about a family sticking together even when it seems like they might be falling apart.
There are many noteworthy names in the world of contemporary horror; Mike Flanagan, Ari Aster, and Robert Eggers immediately spring to mind. For my money, the Adams Family deserves to be in the conversation. Their films may be smaller in scale and lack the same kind of polish but they are no less grand in terms of tone and what they’re trying to say. What’s more, John, Toby, Zelda, and Lulu prove that a family that slays together stays together and quite frankly, I can’t wait to see what they do next!
WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS is being distributed by Yellow Veil Pictures and is currently on the festival circuit. It’s expected to make its streaming debut on Tubi in the near future.
