Let Us Prey review: Just when you imagine the people onscreen couldn’t be more evil, they are

Rachel (Pollyanna McIntosh) is the newest recruit to the local police force in a remote west Highlands town. It does not take Rachel long to make her first arrest; a young ne’er-do-well joyrides into a mysterious bearded stranger, who seems to vanish into the night air.

Things go from weird to weirder when the “victim” (Liam Cunningham) reappears in the local station. We quickly glean that this particular police station and this particular town is populated by all kinds of psychos. Stay tuned for mutilation, cannibalism, mayhem and serious Grand Guignol.

Against this, there is the stranger. Is he the devil? Is he the grim reaper? We’re not entirely sure about the job description, but it’s clear he’s here for some kind of divine retribution.

You’ll have to roll along with Irish directors Brian O’Malley’s debut feature. Just when the viewer thinks things can’t get any more baroque, they do. Just when you imagine the people onscreen couldn’t be more evil, they are.

The bloodwork is ketchup-y. The performances are big. The darkness never ends.

Working with wunderkind cinematographer Piers McGrail, O’Malley keeps the carnage coming and images memorable. Steve Lynch’s post-John Carpenter score adds to the crazy.

Let Us Prey won't be for everyone. But splatter-hounds will get their money's worth.