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That's the premise of the new historical horror film "The Sudbury Devil" by Massachusetts native filmmaker Andrew Rakich that was released this week. The movie is set and was filmed in Massachusetts, and while it's fiction, the movie is steeped in real history.
Rakich, a self-professed history nerd, runs the popular YouTube channel Atun-Shei Films and said historical accuracy was important to him, and he went to great lengths to achieve that goal.
That's why the characters in "The Sudbury Devil" sound, behave, and dress as if they were plucked from the 1600s.
He chose to film the movie at the Josiah Keith House and the mountains in Hampshire County because they provide historical realism.
Rakich wrote the script for "The Sudbury Devil" in 2019 and intended to shoot it on a "shoestring" budget, but then COVID hit. He shelved the project and began working on his YouTube channel.
That's when everything changed. His comedic takedowns of bad historical takes took off. And he found himself inundated with fans who wanted to help him make his movie.
"People from all over donated money to help us make this," he told the Daily Voice. "Without them, I wouldn't have been able to make the movie the way we did."
His budget more than tripled from $6,000 to $25,000, and all of that extra cash is on the screen, Rakich promised.
Rakich screened the film in September at the Satanic Temple in Salem, a nod to the movie's plot. It sold out, and subsequent showings have also received a warm welcome. It currently boasts an 8.6 out of 10 rating on IMDB.
Now, he's releasing the move on his website for $9.99 to rent and $19.99 to buy.
The Sudbury Devil is set in 1678, two years after English colonists wiped out the indigenous people of New England in King Phillip’s War. All its characters bear scars from that brutal conflict, and their collective trauma has instilled a profound terror of the mysterious forests that hem in their isolated colony. They regard their settlements as bastions of godly light, poised to conquer and civilize a continent of demonic darkness. In this story, the darkness strikes back to punish New England for its sins. At once both a no-holds-barred folk horror gem and mischievous indictment of America’s foundational rot, The Sudbury Devil is a seductively fun bit of witchery. Fully immersive to history, it can boast of being the first film ever made to feature actors speaking in period-correct 17th century accents.
Click here for more information on renting or purchasing the film.
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