A couple goes to drastic measures to cure their son but soon prays the price in this horror thriller from Kelton Jones.

Ben Cortez is a former priest turned carpenter who lives a peaceful life with his wife Norma and son Alex. When Alex is revealed to have a rare form of brain cancer, Norma is visibly upset upon learning nothing can be done. While Ben tries to console her and Alex, he finds himself as a crossroads. When Norma learns of a procedure in Mexico, she becomes insistent on going much to Ben’s chagrin. When Alex begins to see strange things, Ben decides to take Alex to Mexico, where he learns the surgery is not what it seems.

When Ben sees Alex post-surgery, he is convinced Alex didn’t make and brings him back home. At first, Ben and Norma begin to mourn for their son. However, they soon learn he is alive. As much as they are happy he is alive, strange things begin to happen. They notice a sudden change in Alex. As things go from bad to worse, Ben soon realizes that Alex may be possessed by the Devil. The only one who can help him is an old friend, Father Benett.

Demon possession films are once again coming at a major high right now and this film has a bit of a slow burn for the first half. It is once the second half picks up that things really amp up. While the first half has a few nuances of dead bodies appearing and bringing a few scares, it is the second half that really gets the film moving at a reasonable place and leads to an all-shocking conclusion.

Jonathan Stoddard is great as the conflicted Ben, a former man of the cloth who tries to make the best out of a situation when he learns his son Alex, played by newcomer Lucas Sequeira, has a rare form of brain cancer. Daniela Palavecino is also great as the reluctant Norma, who refuses to want her son to die and goes through drastic measures to ensure Alex will live. She is convinced that Alex can survive with the right method and complicating matters is the fact they live with Ben’s dementia-stricken mother, played by Judith Smiley.

If there is any hope or solace in the film, it comes in the form of two characters. One is next door neighbor June, played by Eileen Dietz. Here, she goes 180 as the kind neighbor who tries to comfort the Cortezes in their time of need. The other character is Father Benett, played by another legend, Vernon Wells. When we first see Father Benett, he lets Ben know if he ever needs help, the door is always open and in that time of need and desperation, Ben must rely on him to help Alex overcome his demons once and for all.

Of the Devil is a burn slow of a start but picks up quite well in the second half of the film. The cast is great in this and despite solace in the form of two veterans, the finale of the film is quite shocking.

WFG RATING: B

Uncork’d Entertainment presents a Furst Films/Dancing Dead Guy Films production in association with Sandaled Kid Productions. Director: Kelton Jones. Producers: Jarrett Furst, Clint Carney, Suzan Jones, and Kelton Jones. Writer: Kelton Jones; story by James Cullen Bressack. Cinematography: Kelton Jones. Editing: Clint Carney and Dekland Jones.

Cast: Jonathan Stoddard, Daniela Palavecino, Lucas Sequeira, Vernon Wells, Eileen Dietz, Robert LaSardo, Judith Smiley, Vicki Gunvalson, Devanny Pinn.