CHERRY TREE (THE DEVIL'S SORCERESS) (2015)

Studio:       Dark Sky Films
Director:    David Keating
Writer:       Brendan McCarthy
Producer:  John McDonnell, Brendan McCarthy
Stars:     Anna Walton, Naomi Battrick, Sam Hazeldine, Elva Trill, Patrick Gibson, Caroline Murphy, Caoilfhionn McDonnell, Leah McNamara, Minnie Phipps, Valerie O’Connor

Review Score:

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Summary:

To save her dying father, a teenage girl becomes involved in a witch coven’s conspiracy to birth Satan’s child.

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Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

During the Middle Ages, the small Irish town of Orchard was plagued by a coven seeking a maiden to bear Satan’s child. Believing herself to be more powerful, one witch tried cheating the Devil only to destroy herself as well as the coven. Now, legend says that the spirits of the Orchard Coven linger in the roots of an evil cherry tree.

Outside a restaurant, a woman is chased and abducted by hooded attackers. The woman is taken to a chamber at the roots of the cherry tree underneath the earth and sacrificed.

Sissy Young becomes the new field hockey coach at the local high school. Sissy gives 15-year-old Faith Maguire an opportunity to play on the senior squad, which draws the ire of team captains Caroline and Jennifer.

Faith learns that her father’s leukemia has left him with only a few months to live. Sissy escorts Faith to a secret chamber underneath her family home and reveals herself to be a witch. Sissy kills a chicken in front of Faith, but brings it back to life using a centipede familiar. Faith flees in fright.

Realizing Sissy might be able to save her father with the same magic, Faith asks for the witch’s help. Sissy agrees, but demands that Faith bear a child for her in return.

At her birthday party, Faith gives into her crush on classmate Brian by kissing him. Faith’s best friend Amy, who also has a crush on Brian, witnesses the kiss and feels betrayed.

Brian goes home with Faith and they have sex. During the act, a centipede crawls from the birthday gift that Sissy gave to Faith earlier in the evening. The centipede burrows into Brian and possesses him, causing him to transform into a demonic creature. Faith is also momentarily possessed.

In the morning, Faith watches as Sissy and the coven slit Sean’s throat in a ritual only to bring him back to life. Sean’s leukemia eventually goes into remission.

Faith discovers Caroline and Jennifer are part of the coven. Sissy explains to Faith that she will give birth in six weeks. After seeing Sissy having sex with her father, Faith decides to tell Sean she is pregnant. Sissy confronts Faith with a threat for having disclosed the pregnancy to Sean. She also tells Faith about Brian being demonically possessed when they had sex.

Sissy and her coven kill Claire, the woman who runs Sean’s restaurant, when Faith attempts to involve her. Faith flees from the coven and goes to the school for Amy’s help. Pursued by coven henchman Jeremy, the two girls ultimately escape on Amy’s motorcycle.

Faith gives birth to a boy. Amy goes to a store for supplies and the coven kills her.

Sissy and the coven confront Faith. Sissy holds Sean hostage and demands the baby in exchange for Sean’s safety. Faith hands over the child, but is captured. Jeremy sets fire to a car with Faith and Sean locked inside. Faith and Sean kick out the back windshield. Faith escapes while Sean burns to death.

Faith sneaks into the underground chamber where she fights and kills Jennifer. Faith dons Jennifer’s hood and watches in horror as Sissy ritualistically slaughters the baby while encircled by the coven. As Faith is restrained, several witches tear off their flesh and Sissy transforms into a human-creature hybrid. Sissy explains that the renewal process will be complete at sunrise, when she will also become an immortal witch. Faith grabs the baby’s remains, which are essential to completing the ritual, and runs away.

Still possessed, Brian appears and kills the skinless witches. Brian tells Faith that she cannot restore life to the child without the fruit of the cherry tree. Faith must return to the chamber and confront Sissy.

During her final confrontation with Sissy, Faith puts cherries in with the baby remains. This summons tree roots that surround Sissy and pull her under the ground. Faith leaves and successfully revives the baby underneath the cherry tree above.

Kids trick or treating on Halloween ring the doorbell of Sissy’s house. Faith answers the door with a little boy behind her. When one of the kids asks if she is a witch, Faith answers no, but says her child is the Devil. The boy suddenly transforms.

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NOTE: "Cherry Tree" was retitled "The Devil's Sorceress" for Redbox rentals in the U.S.

Review:

Faith Maguire is facing the usual trials and tribulations of a 15-year-old girl.  Her attraction to classmate Brian is complicated by best friend Amy crushing on the same boy.  A prime spot on the school’s field hockey squad is routinely spoiled by catty confrontations with senior teammates Caroline and Jennifer.  Then there is the more serious matter of her single father Sean’s losing battle with leukemia leaving him with only a few months to live.

Head hockey coach Sissy has an unorthodox remedy for that last problem.  With a sudden jump in pacing that is either alarmingly abrupt or a welcome relief from the slow seduction usually accompanying such setups, Sissy brings Faith to an underground chamber, reveals herself to be a witch, kills a chicken, and then brings the fowl back to life using a demonically possessed centipede.  How’s that for cutting to the chase?

Sissy claims she can do something similar to save Faith’s father, provided Faith agrees to bear a child for her first.  Faith carefully considers the proposition over the course of a minute-long montage and agrees.  What she doesn’t yet know is that the spawn in her stomach is to be sired by Satan himself.

Appreciation may be in order for “Cherry Tree” dispensing with predictable pleasantries by getting its coven curse conspiracy up and running in short order.  On the other hand, sometimes one prefers the courtesy of being taken out on a date before getting in the mood.

“Cherry Tree” is fit to burst with many such “how should I process this?” elements, not the least of which is getting comfortable with the core concept of Satan impregnating a virgin on her sixteenth birthday.  Actresses appear naked or nearly nude in simulated sex and community shower scenes, yet their characters are as young as 15.  Does the movie intend to titillate or does it understand the deep discomfort inspired by sexualizing girls not yet old enough to drive?

Subtlety is not the movie’s strongest suit.  Production design has a creative edge that is visually intriguing while simultaneously garish in its overly cinematic brazenness.  Director David Keating is obsessed with cutting to close-ups of crawling centipedes, even when they are not directly relevant to current onscreen events.  Blinking blue lights appear during a coven ritual with no motivation other than amplifying ambiance.  And aside from an unnecessary use as a temporary disguise later down the line, the witches have no practical use for wearing stylized burlap hoods other than to look creepy for the camera.

Considering the conflicting impressions “Cherry Tree” leaves regarding whether it does a terrifyingly terrific job or a terrifically terrible one, it is little wonder why many written reactions received the film unfavorably following its festival circuit debut.  “Cherry Tree” is scattered in style, often unclear in tone, and always bizarre in both conception and construction.  Depending on personal preference, all of the above ambiguity adds up to either fascination or frustration.

Though the film has capacity to come across strong in purpose, everything working in its favor buckles tremendously under the weight of contrived third act silliness.  More than one moment begs the question of if the filmmakers ran out of time, ideas, interest, or all three.  One scene of particular Adam West “Batman” villainy sees someone caught in a time-delayed trap, but the person who set it can’t spare three minutes for sticking around to ensure the outcome.  The final shot is such an eye-roller that it practically demands any on the fence opinion to simply conclude “Cherry Tree” is worth hating.

Except it isn’t.  “Cherry Tree” regularly progresses its plotline with difficult to believe clumsiness, but the film respects itself enough for none of the nonsense to play as campy.  Despite the not necessarily favorable notes above, there is a ring of enchantment around how unusual the film is that keeps eyes fixed on the screen at all times.

Perhaps what makes “Cherry Tree” so interesting is how its murky execution is able to inexplicably inspire allure as often as it does confusion.  Whether it is admiring the performance of Naomi Battrick as Faith, or contemplating how much Anna Walton resembles “Inside” actress Beatrice Dalle (review here), there is always something wonderfully weird occurring within the film as well as without to keep imaginations engaged through mysterious means.  Whatever that x-factor quality is, “Cherry Tree” has it, and it counts for more points than combined strikes from questionable quirks.

Review Score:  65

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