PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’ve been a fan of Bad Cookie Pictures since I first saw their short, Ready to Burst, back in 2016. Created by filmmakers Ariel Hansen and Christopher “Topher” Graham, the company has creeped out the indie community in quite a few ways, including body horror with Ready to Burst (read our review here), a creature feature with Paint the Town Red (read our review here), demons with The Man in the Rabbit Mask (read our review here), two VR films titled Tune In… For Murder! and Relaxing ASMR, and killer plant life in Nepenthes (read our review here), as well as the BC Is Creepy podcast. We’ve finally gotten our hands on the second half of the crowdfunded Bad Cookie Combo, a diabolical short called The Devil and I. Is this one as macabre as the Bad Cookie shorts we’ve come to know and love?
Written and directed by Topher Graham, The Devil and I stars Ariel Hansen, Producer James Kingstone and the voice of Jesse Inocalla (Valley of the Rats 2017). The duo brought back Bad Cookie alumni Colin Basnett and Selena Raskin to produce, Jordan Barnes-Crouse to edit and Kevin Williams to compose the lighthearted score. Also involved were Producer David Aboussafy (Amazon Hot Box 2018, American Guinea Pig: The Song of Solomon 2017) and Cinematographer Luke Bramley (ABCs of Death 2.5 2016).
The setting is a Colonial village called New Caledonia in 1845. Young Hannah (Hansen) is skinning an animal in the woods by the river as her brother (Kingstone), the town’s treasurer, prattles on about her “unfortunate” situation, inferring that her unmarried state is a great thorn in his side. He belittles her when she says she has no interest in getting married and brags about his own wonderful wife and son. Suddenly, he freezes, and a black dog (Apollo) comes trotting through the woods towards her… a dog that can talk (with the voice of Jesse Inocalla), an act she seems to accept with barely a raised eyebrow. When this average looking canine sits down next to her, the wispy smoke that rises around him is the only outward clue that he’s not of the natural world. Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, the dog plants seeds of righteous anger and the burden of guilt into Hannah’s head – how she’s in love with her brother’s wife, who loves her back, but they can’t act upon it in the Colonial community where they live.
“My love is a violence, not just to him but to her, their family, our community…”
The dog then makes an offer than Hannah can’t refuse…
While I could see where The Devil and I was going from the second the dog showed up, I was still happy to go along for the ride. I don’t know how they did it, but the expressions on the dog’s face as he “talked” were perfect. You can almost see the emotion in his eyes that his words were conveying. He had this delighted twinkle in his eye and mischievous grin that only the devil himself could express… and I’m pretty sure he’s never been to acting school. He was my favorite part of the short, and I’d absolutely love to see more of him in future Bad Cookie productions.
The only complaint I have is that the story wrapped up quite quickly at the end. It was pretty rushed. I wonder if there will be a sequel to explain more of the storyline and the consequences of Hannah’s decision. If not a sequel, then maybe an extended version of the same short would be cool. Ooh, or maybe the dog will make his way through history, causing chaos during the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, or the Age of Aquarius? Please make this happen, Bad Cookie peeps!
Despite the rushed ending, I quite enjoyed The Devil and I. Apollo was a perfect choice for the pooch, and Jesse Inocalla’s sneaky, snarky voice was spot on. I was ready to make a deal with him myself after listing to that dog talk. As always, Ariel Hansen was terrific as Hannah, a strong-willed but cowed woman who knew there was only one way to get what she wanted. If you get the chance, be sure to watch The Devil and I… but don’t let the dog talk you into anything you might regret.
