Damned If You Do – Movie Review (3/5)

DAMNED IF YOU DO is a new horror comedy with a diabolical twist about choices. Screamqueen Kate Siegel and deliciously campy Harvey Guillén star in this dark comedy premiering at Screamfest 2025. Read our Damned If You Do movie review here!

DAMNED IF YOU DO is a dark horror comedy premiering at SCREAMFEST 2025 in Los Angeles. As a longtime fan of the kitsch horror-comedy hybrid genre, I am always ready for something new.

Of course, this movie won me over with the cast alone, so the fact that it features dark comedy was just an extra treat. For me, this movie is perfect for Halloween with its campy and kitsch vibe. Plus, the moral of the story highlights the good and bad about us humans.

Continue reading our Damned If You Do movie review below.

Made a Deal with the Devil, now I’m a Success

With Damned If You Do, we meet a group of friends just as they’re graduating from High School. They’ve managed to summon a demon that is offering them a deal: Sell your soul to the devil now, and you can have 25 years of whatever you want, then you die.

Obviously, the “whatever” part does come with a few limitations. Also, you have to be very specific. If you ask for an umbrella, you’ll want to include lots of particular wishes to avoid something useless or downright dangerous.

Other than that, your path to success will be an easy one, and you can get out of any trouble. The demon who managed to get their signature on the diabolical contracts is practically a genie, who will show up as soon as you ask for something.

However, he is also a demon and wants to have fun by torturing his subjects.

Now, the group of friends is meeting again for their 25th high school reunion. In other words, this night also marks the end of their life, as their deal with the devil comes to an end.

Can they escape Hell’s grasp before the deadline expires? Well, you’ll have to watch Damned If You Do to find out.

You had me at Kate and Harvey!

As much as I love both the horror-comedy hybrid genre and the actual plot of this movie, the cast of Damned If You Do was what truly won me over.

With fan favorite (and a personal favorite) Kate Siegel in the lead, I was a very happy camper. Kate Siegel has starred in The Haunting of Hill House, Hush, The Fall of the House of Usher, and many other productions.

MORE WITH KATE SIEGEL

Check out the Shudder docuseries Horror’s Greatest >

As that fun-loving and torturing demonic presence, we have Harvey Guillén in what just may be his campiest role yet. And I loved it. You’ll recognize Harvey Guillén from the What We Do in the Shadows series, Werewolves Within, and Companion.

Also in the cast of Damned If You Do, you’ll get to enjoy Molly Bernard (Younger), Ginger Gonzaga (She-Hulk), Paulo Costanzo (Upload), Beth Dover (Helen’s Dead, Orange is the New Black), and Ed Weeks (Drop).

Plus, Mike Flanagan, who is an absolute favorite genre director (and writer) of mine, shows up in a wonderful cameo.

Damned If You Do premiere at Screamfest 2025

The dark and diabolical comedy is directed by Jake Rubin & Evan Metzold. This is the feature film debut for both directors, and I like what I see. The pacing and the overall style are right up my alley.

Storywise, we’ve got the pleasure of writers Ellen Adair and Eric Gilde. They wrote the screenplay, and this is yet another debut. You may recognize their names as actors, but this is their first writing credit.

While the plot of Damned If You Do isn’t wildly innovative, it is a lot of fun and works on all the important levels. That’s all anyone can hope for, really. If I had been part of making this movie (I wasn’t in case you’re wondering), I would be very proud.

As of writing this, I don’t know any specifics about its release. The movie is premiering at Screamfest, which will probably result in more information about a wider release. We’ll make sure this review is updated with information on when and how you can watch it.

Damned If You Do premiered at Screamfest 2025 on October 15, 2025.

Details

Directors: Jake Rubin & Evan Metzold
Cast: Kate Siegel, Harvey Guillén, Molly Bernard, Ginger Gonzaga, Paulo Costanzo, Beth Dover, Ed Weeks, Michael Flanagan