Curandero: Dawn Of The Demon Review

• 20th May 2013

If satanic cults and foreign cinema is your thing then you will be pleased to hear that Lionsgate are finally releasing the 2005 film directed by Eduardo Rodriguez and presented by co-writer Robert Rodriguez Curando: Dawn of the Demon.

Curando takes you on a journey into the deepest darkest bowels of Mexico and throws you into the underworld that operates there. A federal agent calls upon the skills of the local Curando to purify a police station that has been the scene of a gruesome murder, when the two of them find themselves immersed in the world of a bloodthirsty satanic cult.

Curando is a slowly paced film to start, which looks quite impressive in bleach like effect. There are snippets of gore during the first third of the film which keeps you intrigued as to what’s in store for its finale, as to be honest the acting and slow moving plot will struggle to keep you hooked on its own!

I ended up having to watch the film with the English soundtrack, as the lightness of the picture made it quite difficult for me to read the subtitles in some scenes. This isn’t an option I would normally choose as I’m sure that you’re aware the people who lend their voices for these films never really quite capture the type of intensity or general vibe of what’s happening on the screen!

But what was happening on the screen was a visual delight as the special effects were grizzly and raw! Not a sign of any CGI, which can in my opinion, ruin a good horror movie! There were also some action scenes in the movie thrown in for good measure, but unfortunately some of these wouldn’t have looked out of place in the TV series of the A Team!

Unfortunately Special features are lacking on this disc release and all you get is a director’s commentary if you want to find out anything on the background of this film.

On the whole Curando was an enjoyable movie if you stick with it, but it’s nothing new or ground breaking! Not quite sure why this film has sat on a shelf somewhere awaiting release for nearly 8 years as there have been a lot worse films released in this time!

Curando: Dawn of the Demon is released 20^th May by Lionsgate

Shane Meekings