Satan's Little Helper

I finally got around to watching this last week and all I can say is "Why did I wait so long?" It is a real treat and I loved it.  Part horror movie, part dark comedy with a bit of not so subtle social commentary, but most of all Satan's Little Helper is a buddy movie.  A buddy movie about a boy and a psychopath.  It's what happens when  boy brings a serial home for dinner.  Set at Halloween little Dougie is all wrapped up in his new video game, Satan's Little Helper.  His mom, genre vet Amanda Plummer is almost completely oblivious to Dougie.  Dougie's big sister is coming home for Halloween ( better than home for Christmas!) and all is well till she shows up with her new boyfriend and upsets Dougie's Trick or Treat plans.  Leaving home to sulk Dougie runs into a masked man arranging a dead body to look like a Halloween prop.  Thinking that it is Satan (from the video game), Dougie befriends him and brings him home.  Mayhem follows Dougie and his new friend as they create Halloween havoc, all "pretend" in Dougie's eyes until Satan targets his family.

You will either love or hate Dougie.  His naive act is a bit hard to believe near the end of the movie, but it is necessary to carry the plot forward.  I loved his wide eyes blood thirsty innocence.  Playfully directing "Satan" on his murderous spree. Plummer is perfect as the some what ditsy and distracted mom.  Katheryn Winnick as Dougie's sister Jenna comes of as the voice of reason throughout most of the film.  She is easy on the eyes too a beautiful young lady but someone you could easily see as your big sister.  The plot has a couple of twists and while the last one should have been expected it did catch me off guard.  The first big twist left me almost in tears although it could offend some religious people.  Nevertheless I thought it was brilliant.

The absolute shining star of Satan's Little Helper is Satan man himself.  Wearing a goofy plastic mask he still puts more charisma and personality into the character than a box full of Tom Cruises.  Constantly  giving high fives and  thumbs up to Dougie as well as flipping off the cops and adults, he is a true treat.  he will have you laughing up until the second he eviscerates a helpless victim.  The ending is dark and a bit ambiguous.  We don't see what is happening but we hear the family's reaction when they realize the final shocking twist.  It is an almost perfect ending.  I admit Dougie's dialogue near the end is a bit stupid, but by then you should have already came to the conclusion that maybe he isn't a very bright kid.  Satan's Little Helper goes on my list of required Halloween viewing.