As this is my first attempt at a film review bear with me........
Devil is the first in a series of supernatural films called 'The Night Chronicles' from producer M. Night Shyamalan. I will start by saying Devil isn't the best or the scariest film out there but it isn't terrible either.
The story is quite a simple one, 5 people stuck in an elevator and one of them is the Devil killing off the rest of the people. But we don't see who the Devil is as when each of the characters is killed off the lights in the elevator flicker and then go out. When the lights go out we get to hear what happens and then when they come back on one of the characters is dead. This premise continues until there are only 2 people left. Meanwhile this is all being watched on the elevators security camera by 2 security officers and 2 detectives, although they can see what is going on inside the elevator they cannot hear the victims inside.
To keep the film simple character development is kept to a minimum, and the focus is just on the one building where the elevator is situated. The film is at its best when inside the elevator, on the outside the focus is on the rescue effort and a slight bit of detective work to try and work out who the killer is. The things that happen inside the elevator on the other hand are quite interesting and engaging and keep you gripped till the end.
Although the film is quite predictable in some ways, such as when the lights flicker and go out in the elevator it is quite obvious that something bad is going to happen, and it is also quite obvious that each of the characters is hiding something from the others. But it isn't easy to work out which one of the five strangers is in-fact the Devil until it is revealed at the end. I think that is what kept me watching.
Overall the films screenplay is quite well written by Brian Nelson and is also well directed by John Erick Dowdle. It has enough jump moments to keep you watching and doesn't use blood and gore as entertainment which is what a lot of recent films of this genre have done.
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