The dirty and gritty New York of the 80s serves as the backdrop for this rough, brutal and frightening take on hoodoo and Santeria, with a script written by Mark Frost from a novel by Nicholas Conde, the story follows a police psychologist, Cal Jamison (Martin Sheen) when he gets called in a horrifying case.

He’s contacted by McTaggert (Robert Loggia) to talk to an officer, Tom Lopez (Jimmy Smits) who encountered a horrific murder scene, a ritualistic sacrifice, who is horrified by the power the murderers have over anyone… everyone!

Jamison is haunted by the tragic death of his wife, who was electrocuted in a household accident and is struggling to make sure his son, Chris (Harley Cross) is okay. Soon Jamison is drawn into the case, going from skeptic to wary investigator, as his own son may be targeted.

As he begins a relationship with a neighbour, Jessica (Helen Shaver), Chris rebels and that is something that may put him in direct danger from a cult, that it seems everyone, like Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Rosemary’s Baby, belongs to. The family nanny/maid, Carmen (Carla Pinza) is doing her best to use her own spiritual beliefs to protect Chris, but that crosses the line of the reason-based Jamison. Even as he seems to be maneuvered into sacrificing Chris for the Believers!

The film is dark, brutal, graphic, and occasionally leans into stereotypes but it’s gritty and entertaining. In the end there’s no give on whether it’s paranormal or mass delusion, it definitely falls into the paranormal aspect by the end of the film, something Jessica gets to experience firsthand.

Having said that, I love watching Martin Sheen act, he already grounds his characters and makes them incredibly believable. Throw in some nice work by Mark Frost, who is a very talented writer and a solid director like Schleshinger and you have a solid, if unnerving film.

Set against the oh-so-dirty and gritty backdrop of New York City in the 80s this thriller remains solidly entertaining, and features some great performances even if some of the so-called twists and reveals can be predicted from miles away.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a good film, it’s just the moments it thinks it’s going to shock or wow the audience fall a little flat because you know they’re coming. The film doesn’t credit it’s audience with enough intelligence, but the cast, the locations, and the moments make up for it, and Martin Sheen always seems to be a masterclass in performance.