OK, so I have a confession to make, ever since I was a kid and saw Children of the Corn, I’ve been terrified of the Amish.  Does this fear make any sense whatsoever? Of course not, but I figure I can’t be too crazy, since people are afraid of numerous things like rabbits.  I still remember the day my parents hung a large picture frame filled with B&W photos of seemingly innocent Amish folk partaking in their day to day activities.  This frame I hold responsible for numerous night terrors and only reinforcing my fear.  When it came time to settle in and watch The Devil’s Hand, little did I know this would only reignite a fear I felt I had conquered. 

Revolving around the lore that the commune of New Bethlehem believes, when six girls are born on the sixth month this sets in motion a prophecy that one of the girls will become a soldier for the devil upon her 18^th birthday. We’ve all seen these kinds of stories before, but it’s the setting that helps set this film apart.  Instead of filling this with characters that don’t believe in these kinds of prophecies, what makes the film work is that the people of the community all seem to believe at least partially in this, so as the girls begin to go missing, everyone becomes a suspect.

It’s just about impossible to not know who Grumpy Cat is; the loveable grumpy-faced cat that has been the subject of numerous memes has become an internet sensation that has its own product line.  I love cats, so I didn’t see anything wrong with the celebrity this feline has gained, but the moment I heard Grumpy Cat would be getting to star in a movie – well, I was about to say maybe a movie would be a bit much…then again I was easily reminded that such pop culture dregs such as the Kardashians have their own show; perhaps a film about a cat would be a step up from them.  Before even watching the film, I could say yes, Grumpy Cat is a far more respectable celebrity, heck, even role model, than anyone with the last name Kardashian or West, but how does the movie fare?  Well, to put it nicely, it’s a stinker, but what more could you expect?

Growing up in the 80’s I had a lot of films starring various animals in the leads, everything from Benji, The Bear to Disney classics like The Cat From Outer Space, and the Shaggy DA.  The one thing all these films had in common is that they at least attempted to care about the characters and not talk down to the audience.  The films I mentioned still hold up, whether it be because of their charm or artistic merit, whereas Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever is nothing more than a shameless cash grab to target kids and fans of Lifetime films.