Spoilers suggest any would be murderers to try yoga first.

The Adams family is back in town. These talented filmmakers became Fantasia darlings with their film The Deeper You Dig (2019) and mastered their craft with Hellbender (2021). Now they are back with the world premiere of their new feature. This time they have a larger cast and a bigger production. You can still see their underground roots, but mostly they play to their strengths. I do have a few things to say, but overall this one is a gem. Let’s get this side show on the road.

Where The Devil Roams (2023) is written and directed by John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser. They also star as the traveling family of Seven, Eve and Maggie who are performers with a traveling carnival where each act tries to be more gruesome than the other. The family sometimes just drives along the road. These the moments where Maggie does some murdering while Seven covers his eyes and Eve takes a picture of the final gory work. But young Eve’s curiosity is peaked by Mr. Tibbs (Sam Rodd) who performs a gory act every day but goes back to full health by the next via a pact he’s made with the Devil. When the family’s luck runs out, Eve will not hesitate but steal Mr. Tibbs’ secret. Unfortunately, without the spell the trick will start to backfire.

I will not compare this new creation with their past films, but I’d say as their craft evolves a few growing pains are to be expected. This film has a lot of visual film language told through crisp cinematography in a contrast style that they seem to be making their own. There’s a lot of moments in which the camera just grazes through the visuals without a word said letting the sights tell the story.

Toby Poser oozes charisma and malice as Maggie. Zelda Adams is creepy and lovely as the enigmatic Eve who can’t talk but does sing. John Adams does some solid work as Seven, a traumatized former medic from the war, which still has flashbacks. Sam Rodd’s performance as Mr. Tibbs is rather decent. However, once we run the supporting cast there’s a mixed bag, sometimes rather obvious. The storytelling is very relaxed. I feel the rhythm and the flow would work better tightening up just a little. This is just nitpicking, as I feel it accomplishes its goals with great execution.

This movie has won Fantasia’s Cheval Noir Award for Best Cinematography.

Highly recommended for horror audiences. It’s a visual spectacle that sticks with you. The main cast plays their roles so well that sometimes the supporting performers are left behind. Although I think it might improve with a slightly faster paced storytelling, it still works as it is. Worth a watch.

That will do for now