Belzebuth, which is streaming on Shudder now, is the type of horror movie you watch that stays with you long after the credits roll. It is a scary movie that plays out in the perfect amount of time. While some movies drag on and on, they waste no time with getting the story started and keeping up the pace during the whole feature.
Belzebuth starts with Detective Ritter (Joaquín Cosio) being excited because his baby boy was just born. That happiness will not last because a nurse will go into the maternity ward and stab him several times before slashing her own throat.
The movie skips ahead five years and a young boy opens fire in a kindergarten class. He kills several students, some teachers and himself. Detective Ritter is called out to cover the case. It is a mystery why this boy did it.
As the country deals with that horror, a woman wraps herself with a live wire and jumps into a pool, killing several children and herself. Again Ritter is asked to investigate this case. Ivan Franco (Tate Ellington) shows up at the scene and tells Ritter the three crimes are all connected.
Together the two of them will look for what is connecting all of these horrific murders. They will talk to a psychic for guidance. As she looks for a connection with them, they find out that there is a very strong entity that does not want to be stopped.
The two men will go to Vasilio Canetti (Tobin Bell). He is a former priest who was excommunicated as a consequence for something he did during an exorcism. He tells them what the connection is and why they are out to kill certain children including Ritter’s son. The three of them will work together to protect a special little boy.
However, along the way, one of them will be possessed by a demonic spirit. The spirit will do everything in his power to kill that boy. It is a fight of good vs evil with only one winner. Who will it be?
Belzebuth was directed by Emilio Portes and written by him and Luis Carlos Fuentes. The film does not rely heavily on special effects which makes it even more terrifying. You feel you are there with them and all of this is really happening. Movies that are not CGI heavy are more believable and scary because they feel authentic. I cannot remember the last time a possession film went old school, but they made the right choice by not giving into computer graphics.
The movie takes place on the Mexican/USA border, so large parts of it are in Spanish. However, about a quarter of the way through, they switch to English and go back and forth from thereon.
Belzebuth is the perfect movie to watch with someone because it is too scary to watch alone. Make sure to Shudder and Shrill this weekend with someone special.
