'Devil' does for elevators what 'Jaws' did for sharks

A couple of days ago, I finally got around to watching the 2010 movie, “Devil,” and I have to say that this is the best, most entertaining horror movie that I’ve seen in a while.

“Devil,” which is also known as “The Night Chronicles: Devil,” was released in theatres on Sept. 17, 2010. Based on an M. Night Shyamalan story, this 80-minute movie was directed by John Erick Dowdle and was written by Brian Nelson. The cast featured Geoffrey Arend, Logan Marshall-Green, Chris Messina, Bojana Novakovic, Jenny O’Hara and Bokeem Woodbine.

The plot of this movie is deliciously simple. Five people become stranded while riding an elevator in a skyscraper, and as it turns out, one of them is the devil in disguise. Security personnel can see inside the elevator thanks to a closed circuit camera and can talk to the elevators occupants. However, communications are only one way because the folks on the elevator can’t answer back from their end.

It’s not long before the lights flicker off and when they come back on, one of the elevator’s occupants is dead, having been stabbed in the throat. No one is sure who did it, and the remaining four begin to turn on each other as they try to determine who the real killer is.

As the building’s maintenance crew, firefighters and police work to free those trapped inside the elevator, the mystery surrounding the true identity of the killer only deepens. Before it’s all said and done, you may find yourself wondering if you’ll ever step foot on an elevator again. This movie does for elevators what “Jaws” did for sharks.

This movie was highly entertaining, and there was no perceptible lull in the action from start to finish. It reminded me of the board game “Clue” in that it forced you figure out who the real killer was before it was too late.

I personally think that “Devil” is one of the best horror movies of 2010, and when this movie wasn’t included in this year’s short list of nominees for the Saturn Award for Best Horror/Thriller Film, I was shocked. (Why they combined the Horror and Thriller categories this year I’ll never know.)

On the upshot, I was pleased to read that “Devil” is actually the first installment of a planned trilogy of films called “The Night Chronicles,” which explores the supernatural forces in modern urban settings. The working title for the second installment is “Reincarnate.” It’s supposedly about a jury that has to make a decision in a case that involves supernatural elements. It’s also being reported that the as yet untitled third installment will be a sequel to the 2000 film “Unbreakable,” which was written and directed by Shyamalan.

I really enjoyed “Devil,” and if the next two movies in “The Night Chronicles” are as good as the first installment, we’re in for a treat.

In the end, how many of you have seen “Devil”? What did you think about it? Did you like it? Dislike it? What was your favorite part? Which part did you think was the scariest? Let us know in the comments section below.