Where the Devil Roams (2023)

Author: Old Mother Hubbard

“Where the Devil Roams” (2023) Another film by independent filmmakers The Adams Family. Operating out of their home in the Catskill Mountains of New York, the family runs Wonder Wheel Productions. They are celebrated for their highly self-sufficient DIY approach to cinema. Across their features, the family shares all duties: writing, shooting, directing, acting, editing, and even doing their own practical effects. They also write and perform the music for the film scores.

“Where the Devil Roams” is the strangest Adams Family film I have seen so far. The story revolves around a family of murderous sideshow performers who travel the USA on the dying carnival circuit during post World War 1 depression era. Seven (John Adams) flips out at the sight of blood ever since his experiences in the war, which are shown in flashback sequences. Maggie (Toby Poser) has to cover Seven’s eyes during bloody murders so he doesn’t pass out. After Eve (Zelda Adams) steals the devil’s heart from another sideshow performer, their performances become popular while their murder spree becomes more gruesome and bloody.

“Where the Devil Roams” has a 100% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews. After seeing the same cast in 3 movies I am having a little Adams Family fatigue but this film is super fucked up and I liked it a lot. So far “The Deeper You Dig” (2019) is my favorite. “Mother of Flies” (2025) and “Where the Devil Roams” (2023) are tied for second place. 4 stars. Very interesting independent films by the Adams Family production squad.

Here are my other reviews of Adams Family production films:

“The Deeper You Dig” (2019) 14 year old Echo decides to go sledding at night against her mother’s wishes and gets hit by a pick up truck driven by drunk driver Kurt. Kurt tries to cover up the crime. Almost immediately Kurt is haunted by Echo’s ghost. Echo’s mother, who dabbles in witchcraft, is determined to find out what happened to her daughter. She ends up becoming part of Kurt’s life and things get real weird.
It’s spooky, sad, creepy and bizarre/surreal at times. Memorable film indeed. Recommend. 4 and a half stars.

“Mother of Flies” (2025) is a film made by the Adams Family production team. They consist of John Adams, Toby Poser, Zelda Adams and Lulu Adams. They star in, produce, direct, edit and even make the musical scores for all their films. The Adams Family are also responsible for a great film entitled “The Deeper You Dig” (2019) as well as some other highly praised films.

“Mother of Flies” is about a young girl named Mickey (Zelda Adams) suffering from terminal cancer who seeks the help from a witch who she envisioned in a dream. Solveig the witch (Toby Poser) is super creepy and scary. Mickey’s skeptical dad Jake (John Adams) accompanies Mickey to the witches’ house which is built on tree roots in the middle of the woods. All of the performances are just great from the actors. Toby Poser plays the part of a witch so well that it wouldn’t surprise me if she really was a witch IRL. The film is quite bizarre in spots, gross at times, spooky and unsettling. The Adams Family are very good at making weird, memorable films. 4 stars. Recommend.

Anywho, there you have it Bunky. You know what? This time, for the first time, I did copy and paste some AI stuff for my review or “Where the Devil Roams.” This ought to get the blood boiling of some little assholes.