Devil – Review
One of the most terrifying pieces of celluloid never seen is The Dowdle Bros. [John Erick and Drew] cinema vérité punch to the abdomen, The Poughkeepsie Tapes. Set for release by MGM in 2007, the film was all but abandoned for reasons unknown. Many insiders say it was due to the studios crumbling financial situation, but my theory is they did not know what to do with a movie that was real in a Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer kind of way.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes deals with a police department’s discovery of over eight hundred videotapes shot by a killer which show a visual record of his murders in grisly detail. Not only does he capture the atrocities, he also films the random abductions, painful torture, postmortem mutilations of innocents, and bizarre fetishes that would give Ted Bundy a run for his money.
The flick is still collecting dust in the MGM vaults and has only found its way into people’s homes courtesy of ‘alternative’ means. The Dowdle Bros. next venture was Quarantine, a remake of Spanish sensation, REC. Although it was almost a shot-for-shot redux with different actors, it proved once again that they know the horror genre well and can make a polished film scary as f*ck.
The Dowdle Bros. obviously have brass balls as they joined everyone’s whipping boy at the moment, M. Night Shyamalan, for The Night Chronicles: Devil, the first in a trilogy of pictures which involves the supernatural within modern urban society.
The story begins with what appears to be a suicide jump from a high rise building in the heart of a large metropolitan city. Heavy-hearted Detective Bowden, a man who lost his wife and son in a car accident [think Signs] five years prior, is dispatched to solve the crime and get to the bottom of things. Going about their daily lives, random strangers converge in a Hellevator inside the glassy skyscraper and become trapped. Something is amiss, every time the lights go out someone meets their demise as the Devil has come to collect overdue debt from a group of sinners.
Like The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyalamlan’s best work has always been taking the ordinary and making it extraordinarly scary. I always get the heebie-jeebies when I go into a metal box with a group of people who I don’t know. Haven’t your animal instincts ever told you not to get into an elevator with someone and you still did? The evil here is not horns and a tail as Satan takes a more cerebral approach and manifests himself in human form so he can watch us turn on ourselves. Based on a short story by Night, screenwriter Brian Nelson has crafted an old-fashioned tale of morality that plays like a superior episode of The Twilight Zone. It’s a well crafted whodunit that takes the paranoia of Cube, the setting of Dick Mass’ The Lift, and the sensibilities of classic Alfred Hitchcock and spins an original chiller that masterfully shows seedy souls who get their comeuppance.
I know this is a pretty big matzah ball to hang out there, but Devil will do for elevators what Jaws did for swimming. I am sure I have put a target on my back for giving such superlatives to anything involving M. Night Shyamalan, but I call them like a see them, and Devil is a frontrunner for the best horror film of 2010.
Rating Rating: 
Jason Bene
I'm just an average man/ With an average life/ I work from nine to five/ Hey, hell, I pay the price/ All I want is to be left alone/ In my average home/ But why do I always feel/ Like I'm in the twilight zone
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Great review buddy. I’m one of the few people who has stuck by Night through all his movies, except AIR BENDER (mainly because I wasn’t a fan of the show and not interest in a movie based on it). I’ve enjoyed all of his movies, even if they weren’t good. People have always said he shouldn’t direct his own work, and this is what we get. He’s got great ideas and a great eye, but he get too into his movies and they don’t work out well in the end. Looking forward to checking this out.
Diana Reply:
September 21st, 2010 at 7:52 am
You’re not alone Brad, I’ve enjoyed his movies too. Whether it was just the beginning or the end I’ve always found something enjoyable about his flicks
Jason Bené Reply:
September 21st, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Brad – what is so cool about you is that you always stick to your guns, even if it goes against popular opinion. I am from the same ilk, and I don’t care if my peers hate on M. Night’s stuff and expect me to do the same. Be true to yourself is my motto.
Brad Reiter Reply:
September 22nd, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Hey, I’m also a Uwe Boll supporter 100%. I’ve never seen his video game movies (not a fan of movies based on video games, honestly), but everything else I’ve seen from him I highly enjoy. I will go to bat for him any time someone tries to bash him. Plus it’s funny that horror fans, who hate censorship, are the first ones to jump up and down and ask why he is still making movies, same goes for M. Night. Isn’t that a form of censorship?
Jason Bené Reply:
September 22nd, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Twenty years ago fans spoke with their wallets, now it’s about bashing on the internet. It’s getting old.
Wow. I’ll be attempting to see it soon.
See it Jon! It’s so good.
Great review Jason. I completely agree and I’m so glad I let my bf talk me into seeing this one. And btw, I totally took the stairs that afternoon after watching this.
The film reminded me of Agatha Cristie’s “Ten Little Indians,” a tale where everyone is guilty and “the judge” fakes his own death and exacts revenge. Good flick.
Looks like its a good one, although i’m one of those people that really dislikes anything M. Night Shyamalan. A few of his films are ok for the first viewing (unbreakable being the main one) but just dont work for repeat viewing. Luckily he only produced this.
Jason Bene Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:49 pm
UNBREAKABLE 2 is in the works.
Jon Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 9:58 pm
That, is something I’m sorta excited for.
I thought the film should have had a different name, “Taken for a Ride,” or “Death in an Elevator,” with a nod to Areosmith.
Jason Bené Reply:
September 23rd, 2010 at 7:55 pm
I like HELLEVATOR.
Steve Reply:
September 27th, 2010 at 6:52 am
Touché, Jason!
Jack King Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
I think they named it Devil to draw in more viewers. Plus, I love the film logo.
no, Unbreakable 2, elements of the story is supposed to be in one of these Night Chronicles films. Thus, UB2 is essentially dead.
Devil took me by surprise, i hate elevators and this was surpisingly good. Some elements were predictable, but its a fun ride.
Jason Bené Reply:
September 24th, 2010 at 6:15 am
UNBREAKBALE is really good and should be a stand alone picture. It’s nice to see so many people enjoyed DEVIL.
Jack King Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
I hated Unbreakable. What a total waste of a great concept. The only two MNS films I’ve liked are Sixth Sense and Signs (love that movie). Devil is very enjoyable though, although it isn’t a MNS film. It’s a John Erick Dowdle film.
Jason Bené Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I am one of the few who enjoyed LADY IN THE WATER.
(SPOILERS) I really enjoyed it. It kept me on edge the entire time and was never predictable. The ending was too weak though. I kept expecting something big to happen in the cop car (have the prisoner turn out to be the devil who is after the cop for something he did). What did happen was pretty lame and unnecessary. Otherwise, it was a damn good movie.
Jason, I highly enjoy LADY IN THE WATER as well.
I saw this on Friday and highly. highly enjoyed it. Not as much as you, but it was a damn fine movie.
Jason Bené Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Great minds think alike.