Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Devil’s Backbone, Texas’

Written by Scott Edwards 

When a loved one passes away there is sadness for your family, friends and anyone else that knew the person. But is that really the way to remember your loved one, with sadness? I have been a firm believer that you should celebrate the life that your friend or family member lived and give the tears a break, unless they are tears of joy.  

Ten years after his father has passed away, Jake has been given permission from his mother to go and spread his father’s ashes over the Devil’s Backbone. Although it has been years since Jake had even tried to talk to his father, he is planning to do his old man right and give him the sendoff he deserved. But nothing can be that easy and Bert Wall was a horror author, along with a believer of what his surrounding land was holding, not just plants and animals, but ghosts.

In fact, he believed that ghosts were on his property and was not afraid to tell anybody about them. Doing years of research on his land, Bert was able to find out there was once a Nazi prison camp there, many Native American fights and plenty of death surrounding the Devil’s Backbone, but also treasure if he could find it before anyone else. Becoming a recluse in his late years of life, Bert never told this to his kids, and whenever something was called out about his out of the ordinary ways, he would shy away from the situation and tell them about the ghosts in the house, especially the White Woman who stays in the back room.

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​Jake, his family and friends all believe Bert to have been off of his rocker, but when seeing pictures of the house right after his father died, he does not know what to believe. Wanting to get out to the land, Jake brings three of his friends and a camera man to document the events for the family but has no idea what the Backbone has in store for him. Hearing strange sounds in the night, a truck that is there and then gone again and finding an old trunk with some of his father’s effects in it, Jake starts to believe that some of the stories he heard as a child may just be true. But when investigating his father’s effects, Jake finds out things about his father that he never wanted to know, but not everything becomes clear to Jake until he visits the remains of his father’s old house.

Devil’s Backbone, Texas follows Jake and three of his good friends as they are heading down to his father’s old home in Texas to finally put him to rest. Bert Wall was a horror novelist that moved out to the Devi’s Backbone to change his outlook on life and with all of the money in the world, he was able to find out many things about the area. With the long history about the Backbone, Bert tried to prove things right and make the non-believers feel silly. Before being able to do so, Bert passed away and now his son Jake wants to follow in his footsteps. But not knowing what to believe from his father’s stories, Jake has to depend on his friends to keep him as close to earth as possible, but soon his friends will not be able to help him as there is spiritual power on the Backbone and no matter what they do, they cannot fight off something they cannot see.

This movie had me hooked from the start, with all of the history about the Devil’s Backbone being shown, I was hoping to see a ghost of some sort coming out and reclaiming its land. With the first-person perspective shots this movie took, there are plenty of little jump cuts that will give you a scare, but then some shots that are just silly as well. I enjoyed ninety percent of how the story line played out, I just think that the ending needed something a little bit more for my liking. It’s a good ride, you just have to check your reservations at the door before watching it. Stay Scared.

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