Film That Scares The Heavens Out Of You

Devil, the latest film by M. Night Shyamalan is the first of the “Night Chronicles”— his trilogy of films involving the supernatural in modern society.

Shyamalan’s reputation is that of as many let downs as there are plot twists. Following his summer flop, The Last Airbender, Devil is an exquisite, suspense-filled ride, full of twists and turns. It leaves viewers questioning their own humanity.

Devil follows five individuals burdened with a past of evil deeds. Ben (Bookeem Woodbine) is a security guard with a violent past; Vince (Gregory Arend) is an unfair salesman with a history of stealing large sums of money from his clients; Jane (Jenny O’Hara) is an old woman who has mastered the art of petty theft; Anthony (Logan Marshal-Green) is an ex U.S. marine who has a history dealing with death and Sara (Bojana Novak) is a con-artist who marries rich men just to divorce them and take their money. They all board the same elevator and unbeknownst to most of them, one is Satan himself.

The story follows the fictional Hispanic legend of Lucifer taking human form to torture the souls of the dammed before he takes their life.

Five people gather in an elevator which gets stuck in between two floors. When the lights flicker, strange events begin occurring in the cover of darkness. As we learn about each character’s pasts, it becomes obvious that their meeting is no accident. After all the torture, the devil himself finally reveals himself in a shocking turn of events. The entire perspective of the story changes and we are left with the question, “is there a devil in all of us?”

This film is Shyamalan’s first movie since his 2002 hit Signs and truly achieves what it sets out to accomplish. The film itself draws one in such a way that you feel as if you are one of the unfortunate passengers of elevator six.

Devil is arguably the best horror film since Paranormal Activity. If you look behind the theatrics to see the deeper meaning, it’s probably Shyamalan’s best movie yet.