Devil comes to us "from the mind of M. Night Shyamalan," although if the marketing folks knew what they were doing they'd actually be hiding that association.
Once great, now lost (forever?), Shyamalan has become almost something of a joke amongst movie fans. He started out his career so well with the now classic The Sixth Sense and the both under-appreciated Unbreakable and Signs. However, after that a string of duds with The Village, Lady in the Water, The Happening and most recently The Last Airbender.
However, movie fans who've had enough of Shyamalan's huge ego play out on film (he's appeared in every one of his movies apart from The Last Airbender) can take solace in the fact that he only conceived the story for and produced Devil, but didn't actually write or direct.
Whether it means something or is put coincidence, Devil is a refreshing, genuinely atmospheric horror/thriller that takes it's somewhat gimmicky premise and runs with it until there's no more left to get out of it.
The premise is very simple: Five seemingly anonymous people get into an elevator but soon after they start moving things begun to go seriously wrong. They begin to suspect that one of them is not who they say they are, with one of the security guards watching through the cameras suggesting that the devil himself is amongst them.
A gimmicky plot it most certainly is but admittedly a very intriguing one which provides plenty of opportunities for a lot of tension and mystery, not least of which comes from trying to wonder which one of these people are not who they say they are. The film does its best to trick the audience, cleverly placing equal blame on each of the people so as to level the suspicion playing field, so to speak. Hint: The culprit is not who you think it is... or is it?
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Article comments
1 - Aracely Alicea
Once again I don't believe it was ever meant to be an actual horror movie. M Night was not trying to scare people but open their minds. the world is sick and wants to throw our damages and mistakes in our face. he wants the world to believe in endless possibilities again. it might just save us