Horror Film "Devil" Delivers Unexpected Chills

So, here's the set-up: five strangers are trapped in an elevator in a Philadelphia office building. Only minutes prior, a man had committed suicide by jumping through a window on one of the upper floors, effectively landing on a work-vehicle below. The film's narrator (security guard Ramirez, played by Jacob Vargas) explains how these two events are intertwined. But you'll have to look past the obvious in order to flesh out the connection. And yep, that's the plot in a nutshell. Devil is the first movie in a trilogy of supernatural films with urban settings (called The Night Chronicles).

Produced and written by M. Night Shyamalan, Devil was directed by John Erick Dowdle (of Quarantine). Many viewers claim that they've grown weary of M. Night's typical presentation-his covert "preachiness"-and his alleged self-indulgent manner of filming. I personally, have enjoyed a good majority of his work and consider him one of my favorite directors. And though I like some of his movies more than others, I find his directing style to be a pleasant diversion from many of the other mainstream films on the market.

But the question remains: what is Devil really about? Some might say that even though the movie has a concrete conclusion, the film leaves behind a few loose ends. Indeed, the movie does have plenty of skin crawling moments. But Devil isn't your ordinary horror film. The gruesome events taking place in the elevator are designed to serve a much deeper purpose. The premise is quite unnerving; being trapped in an elevator with strangers brings about its own flurry of uncomfortable emotions. Add to that a series of unexplainable (and gruesome) deaths, and you've upped the scary quotient quite a bit.

Jacob Vargas' role is a minor one-but one of considerable importance. It is his revelation about the day's events that serves as the "glue" holding the story together. (I find it interesting that in many horror films it is the person of color who introduces some sort of spiritual comprehension into the plot.) In this case, what he sees on his computer monitor is the stuff that would make the Ghost Hunters salivate.

Should you see this movie? If you like violent horror films that also give you pause to think, then this should be right up your alley. In order to soak up the full effect of the horror, I would advise you to consider the chilling events in the trailer as a backdrop for the real terror that Dowdle and M. Night Shyamalan are trying to convey.

Is Devil really as scary as it could be? Many might say yes. But perhaps M. Night and Dowdle are more interested in getting a point across than simply providing a few shocks for viewers; the real scare in the point that M. Night's original story is trying to make: The Devil is real, and is probably somewhere out there, right next to you; on the other hand, so is God. A pretty strong assertion for a horror film.

SOURCES:

www.imdb.com
www.rottentomatoes.com