I'm still alive, I promise!!!!!!!

Okay, I'm gonna start blogging regularly again very soon. But, in ten minutes, I must go to work. So, for now, you can read this review I wrote of the under-appreciated movie, "Devil."


Devil--4 out of 5 stars

This is a very good horror movie/murder mystery hybrid with a lot of good tension. It literally kept me guessing until the very end, which hasn't happened for me in a long time. I genuinely did not know what was going to happen. I think that played the biggest factor into my liking this as much as I did.

I went into this with mixed expectations. The premise seemed dubious to me. It could have either been really stupid or really good. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. It's not perfect either. I definitely had a few problems with it, but none of them were enough to ruin the movie.

Firstly, the music was way too intense way too early. Or at least, it was clear that it was trying to be intense. It didn't work for me though. It didn't give us any buildup time. That was a mistake, because the film itself did. Even though the film is short (running at only 80 minutes), they give us plenty of time to get to know the characters, settle into the setting, and become invested in the storyline before it starts to get really intense. With that in mind, the music just didn't feel appropriate. It would have been far more effective if they had treated us with more subtle music, or no music at all. Now, this is just in reference to the first five minutes of the film. Thankfully, the film (and the music) gets much, much better very quickly.

I was surprised by how quickly I went from pretty much deciding that I already didn't like it to really enjoying it, and actively trying to guess what was going to happen next. And I loved the fact that I failed miserably at every guess I made. This may sound overly sensational, but for me, this film was a roller coaster ride for my mind. They did an excellent job at misleading the audience in ways that still fit into the story. Too many "scary" movies mislead just for the sake of misleading, and when you think back on it, it really doesn't fit or make any sense. But since the Devil himself is one of the characters in the film, and he is the author of all deceit, that's just one of many reasons that this type of misleading really works for this film.

Another of their triumphs with this film is their very effective use of darkness--I mean pitch blackness, where you can't see a thing--and the feeling of being trapped. As an audience member, you feel like you're in the elevator with them. When the lights go out, they have no idea what's going to happen and neither do you. All you're left with are sounds that can not be described and your imagination, which together, can create just about anything. This is far more effective, and potentially a lot more frightening than anything that can be crafted with the use of special effects and puppetry. I don't care how good they are at this craft, the less you see, the more it affects you; especially in this kind of movie.

There is very little gore in this film. You get brief glimpses of something horrifying, but you don't see it long enough to know what the heck it is. But it's enough. It's more than enough.

I also appreciated the fact that the film invites you to not take things too seriously. There are a few funny parts in this that ease the tension enough for you to feel safe. But then that also leaves you more vulnerable to be startled.

This film has a message as well. It will feel contrived to some people. But I found it effective, and kind of beautiful. Simple, but beautiful. And the film is just...different. In a time when Hollywood just recycles the same old garbage over and over, it's nice to see something fresh and original, without gratuitous gore, strong language, or sexual content. It's not exactly a family movie; it's a bit too scary for the kids. But there's nothing here that will really offend anyone.

Very entertaining, high tension throughout, and nothing quite like any other film you've probably seen, I strongly recommend this.