M. Night Shyamalanhas delivered us some of the most iconic plot twists in the history of cinema, and while many of his movies are hit-or-miss, this overlooked psychological horror is an all-round fun watch. In 2010, Shyamalan produced and created the story forDevil, a film that is drenched in his twisty style and carries us away in its dizzying cinematography.It is the perfect watch for a quick shot of adrenaline that works because of its otherworldly claustrophobia and 80-minute runtime.John Erick Dowdle’s film, based onBrian Nelson’s script from Shyamalan’s story, marries a whodunit plot with a supernatural atmosphere that keeps us guessing where it is going at every unpredictable beat. Simplistic yet disorienting,Devilmay get lost within the folds ofShyamalan’s extended filmographybut is patiently waiting for our attention, promising us a truckload of high-energy tension and thrills.
What Is ‘Devil’ About?
The premise ofDevilis relatively straightforward: five people are stuck in an elevator, one could either be a serial killer or the devil. Who is it? The beginning of the film follows the coincidences that find five characters in an elevator together: the security guard (Bokeem Woodbine), the mechanic (Logan Marshall-Green), the older woman (Jenny O’Hara), the young woman (Bojana Novakovic), and the businessman (Geoffrey Arend). As the elevator gets stuck, the maintenance team runs around trying to help the occupants but to no avail. Tempers flare and tension bubbles in the elevator — then the lights begin flickering.Each moment of darkness brings forth a new horrifying scene, starting with a huge gash, likely a bite mark, on the young woman’s back. Many suspect the leery businessman of the assault and push him into a corner of the elevator. This injury also leads to the security guards outside calling the police, as they re-invigorate their efforts to reach the elevator, yet something goes wrong every time.
When the first mysterious murder occurs, the tension immediately ramps up.Just like the assault, the lights flicker and when we are able to see again, someone is inexplicably dead. From shards of a shattered mirror lodging into someone’s neck to someone being hanged, each death is clearly a murder rather than an accident, leaving the occupants fearful and suspicious of each other. The rest of the film focuses on character dynamics and solving the seemingly unexplainable deaths. Primarily set within the confines of the elevator,the twisty revelations and unfolding eventsare easy to follow along with. With a basic and solid foundation for the plot, the film is able to go haywire in its filming style and stressful overtures, creating a nail-biting atmosphere that is riveting to engage with.
The plot also extends beyond the elevator where we are introduced to Detective Bowden (Chris Messina). Bowden is your typical rugged and sarcastic detective who is haunted by a trauma from his past and stubbornly operates on logic. As such, whenever security guard Ramirez (Jacob Vargas) tries to inject satanic implications into the investigation, Bowden laughs it off and continues with his rational approach. This leads to a thrillingAnd Then There Were Nonestyle whodunitplot, as everyinsight into each character makes all of them viable suspects. The security guard has an assault-filled rap sheet; the mechanic is a military veteran who was carrying a mysterious knapsack before entering the elevator; the old woman has a penchant for stealing wallets; the young woman is a world-class liar who is divorcing her wealthy husband; and the businessman is a con artist. Theonly way Bowden is able to comfortably cross off suspects is through their abrupt and gruesome death, leaving us to wonder if Ramirez is not too far off.
Claustrophobia and Tension Pervade ‘Devil’s Atmosphere
What really frays our nerves and offers that energetic hit inDevilis the insane level of claustrophobia the film achieves. The elevator as a location automatically creates an initial layer of restriction and inescapability. The cinematography builds upon this byplacing the camera within the confines of the elevator walls, pulling the audience in with the occupants amid the anxiety. But the bizarre camera angles really lock us in place, as the frames constantly switch from angling upwards, downwards, and straight into characters’ faces in seemingly random and jarring sequences. Dowdle creates a kaleidoscope of expressions etched with anger, fear, and stress, riddling us with the same emotions. As the camera switches up the angles with no rhyme or reason,we are as disoriented as the characters are, both the occupants and the detectives trying to puzzle out the situation.
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The unique camera work is paired with extreme flashing lights, which go all the way from pitch black to pure white, giving us glimpses of chaotic action in between. Coupled with the disconcerting sound effects of mirrors shattering and ghastly screams, these nightmarish scenes leave our hearts pounding and our mouths dry as we squint to catch a peek at the culprit. The overall sound design ratchets up the tension, especially with the contrast between the initial elevator music that makes us grind our teeth and the doom-laden soundtrack that haunts the film afterward. It also creates a tumbling pace, asthe rhythm speeds up, the beat thumps harder, and the havoc that ensues sweeps us away into the ever-changing tide of unfolding events. We are so caught up in thisgripping and all-consuming atmospherethat it becomes difficult to focus on solving the murders.
‘Devil’ Taps Into an Otherworldly and Satanic Horror
While the audience and the detective attempt to rationally and instinctively draw up suspects,the rapid flow of the film is constantly interrupted by religious, namely satanic, tones. This is entirely facilitated by Ramirez, who also supplies an overlying narration at certain points of the run time. The voiceover recounts a tale his mother told him when he was young, about the Devil’s Meeting.It talks about how the devil came to Earth and punished people for their sins. It begins with a suicide that we see in the absurd opening credits.Everything goes wrong when the devil is near, as Ramirez demonstrates by dropping a piece of toast that falls jelly-side-down. Then a group of people in a closed environment who have unsavory pasts will be picked off one by one – the devil only “takes” the last person in front of a loved one and in front of someone who needs to see it.
The narration slowly reveals more information about the meeting at various points in the film, slightly tainting the way we perceive the events. It is especially prevalent in how no one is able to reach the elevators, from the first maintenance man who is doomed to a grisly impalement, to the firefighters who keep upgrading their tools trying to cut open the walls. Nelson’s choice to write in a narration gives the film afable-like effectthat starkly juxtaposes the logical police work we witness. This otherworldly and mystical element of the film, on top of the claustrophobia, adds to the unhinged atmosphere that leaves us completely dazed but electrified.
‘Devil’s Cast Increases the Film’s Claustrophobic Horror
Dowdle’s filming and Nelson’s narrative techniques inDevilcertainly construct a harrowing atmosphere, but it is the cast that drives the terror home. Inside the elevator, the characters are fairly one-dimensional, instilled with traits that arouse our suspicions and make all of them potentially culpable. But where the cast shines is in their interactions, as they bounce off each other, rolling their eyes and throwing accusations. All this ratchets up the alreadyclaustrophobic tension in the enclosed space, making it suffocating as their menacing words eat up the air. Anxiety reaches unbearable heights in every confusing shot in the elevator,especially as dead bodies also encroach on their space, forcing the untrustworthy characters closer togetherand trapping us in the foul air brewing between them.
This smothering tension is contrasted with a different kind of stress outside the elevator, as the detectives and guards sprint all over the towering building with seemingly infinite floors. It almost becomes a rat maze of desperately searching for answers and only finding dead ends, coupled with shots of head-spinning vertigo whenever someone is on the top floor and is looking down the elevator shaft. While it serves to emphasize the stifling tension within the elevator,Messina’s compelling performancealso creates another sort of stress that comes with the barrage of failures that come with solving this seemingly unsolvable case. As Bowden, Messina creates a superficial layer of rationality that is threatened by anger and frustration that constantly threatens to bubble up to the surface. It only really erupts whenever he talks about his grief, making the finale all the more chilling and somber. As such, the elevator inDevilbecomes a breeding ground for fantastical claustrophobia, giving us a jolting shot of thrill in just 80 minutes.
Devilis available to rent or purchase on Amazon in the U.S.
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