A French Deliverance with a satanic twist, Sheitan focuses on a group of crass twentysomethings who travel into the countryside following a flirtatious girl. These characters are exceedingly unlikable, and if you’re anything like me, fifteen minutes in you’ll be eagerly looking forward to whatever unpleasant plight awaits them.
You’ll be waiting a while. The group meet a man named Joseph; played by Vincent Cassel, he exudes manic energy as a casually racist, hairy farmer, his near-perpetual grin occasionally slipping to reveal a disturbing malevolence (his performance is the best reason to watch the film).
They spend the night at Joseph’s farmhouse, which serves as an opportunity for the film to lather on the biblical references – the girl is called Eve, and the mysterious, rarely-seen lady living with Joseph is named Mary (her face is kept hidden, leading to a genuinely great reveal).
Unfortunately Sheitan doesn’t really make an effort to accumulate menace; there’s little attempt to develop a creepy atmosphere in the second act and it becomes tedious – some judicious use of music might have replaced the “douchebags just hanging out” vibe with a more ominous atmosphere. By the climax (featuring a twist reminiscent of Audition), I’d lost interest.
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