in Highlighted, Reviews

Devil

DEVIL
by Wilson Morales
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Director: John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle
Screenwriter: Brian Nelson
Cast: Chris Messina, Geoffrey Arend, Logan Marshall-Green, Bojana Novakovic, Jenny O’Hara, Bokeem Woodbine, Jacob Vargas
Genre: Supernatural, Thriller
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for violence and disturbing images, thematic material and some language including sexual references)

Despite the fact that the film is flawed and produced by M. Night Shyamalan, whose name gets booed whenever the trailer is shown in theaters, ‘The Devil’ is still a creepy, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat horror film.

Shyamalan, who has been ripped by critics and audiences for jerking them around with ‘twist’ films like ‘The Village,’ ‘Lady in the Water,’ ‘The Happening,’ and most recently the live-action adaptation of ‘The Last Airbender,’ had the good sense of handling the filming to other guys who can craft an entertaining horror flick.

Based on his original story, the film was written by Brian Nelson, and directed by brothers Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle. Together, they recently wrote and helmed other horror films such as ‘The Poughkeepsie Tapes’ and ‘Quarantine,’ a remake of the Spanish horror film ‘REC.’

The premise of the film is very simple. Strange things occur when five individuals are trapped in an elevator in a Philadelphia office tower.
Ben (played by Bokeem Woodbine) is a temporary security guard on his first day on the job. Tony (played by Logan Marshall-Green) was coming into the building for a job interview. Vince (played by Geoffrey Arend) is a mattress salesman looking to land new clients. The other two are women, Sarah (played by Bojana Novakovic) and an older woman (played by Jenny O’Hara); both whose backgrounds aren’t mentioned, but Sarah’s appearance leads one to believe that she works for a company in the building.
Stuck somewhere around the 21st floor, the trapped individuals are being watched on the monitor by building security men Lustig (played by Matt Craven) and Ramirez (played by Jacob Vargas). Due to an earlier incident where window glass from a higher office spilled on the ground level, detective Bowden (played by Chris Messina) was already on the scene and offered his services to bring the group to safety.
As the lights start to flicker on and off in the elevator, one by one, someone gets attacked and Ramirez, holding on to his cross on his neck, believes this could only be the sign of one thing.

First off, with its PG-13 rating, don’t go expecting lots of gore and violence. Most of what happens occurs in the dark, and for some time, the filmmakers do a good job in keeping the audience from predicting who is behind these attacks and why.

Once we get into the supernatural element of the film, that’s where the house of cards start to fall as the final act becomes an ultimate disappointment with no thrills and moments to remember.

To be fair, the Dowdle brothers do what’s necessary to lure you in and give you a dose of excitement for the horror genre fans. All of the characters are one note and waiting their time to be dealt with as desperation to get out increases.

Overall, ‘The Devil’ is a roller coast ride of hits and misses, and unfortunately, with Shyamalan’s fan appeal at basement level these days, the filmmakers’ efforts will not be recognized.

Picture Me

Easy A