It’s unfortunate that M. Night Shyamalan has become a mockery in Hollywood. Once crowned the new prince of the modern day thriller, he stumbled with “Lady in the Water” and has yet to recover.
“Devil” is the first of three flicks of what have been dubbed “The Night Chronicles” and I was surprised to find that movie had its share of jumps, scares and few twists. However, in typical horror-flick fashion, “Devil” goes heavy on suspicious stares and a good amount of blood instead of focusing on story, and that’s what clips its pointy wings.
When five people end up trapped in an elevator, we find that each of them has their own sordid past and as the light continue to flicker and face, the begin dropping like flies. The only person who begins to put the pieces together is Ramirez (Jacob Vargas), who also serves as the narrator. As the tension mounts, Detective Bowden (Chris Messina) comes on the scene and is hellbent on getting the people out of the elevator alive.
As more mysterious happenings occur, Bowden slowly begins coming around to Ramirez’s tale of the devil. As damaged as the passengers in the elevator are, Bowden himself is carrying a load of his own.
Five years ago, his wife and son were killed by a drunk driver who left behind a note on the back of a car wash coupon. He’s also a recovering alcoholic, so as the people in the elevator start to unravel, he’s able to help put things in perspective for them — for about two minutes.
The end is extremely predictable and somewhat unwanted. It’s the usual tidy ending Hollywood loves and film lovers hate. We’re dealt blood and scares for an hour and twenty minutes and then spend the final five singing kumbaya. Come on John Erick and Drew Dowdle, don’t be afraid to leave us bloodied and bruised in our own right. Trust me, we’d love it.
Except for the ending, “Devil” is actually a decently good horror flick. It has a good story and is able to power through some stiff performances at times and give us the jumps we love.
The extras include a few intro deleted scenes, an explanation of what “The Night Chronicles” will be and featurettes “The Story” and “The Devil’s Meeting.” Nothing special, but at least it’s something.
“Devil” suffers mostly from a M. Night backlash. The film is surprisingly enjoyable and should be given a chance. There’s nothing new or done better, but if you crave a little blood with a devil chaser, check it out.