Devil

It takes seventy minutes carefully building a disconcerting atmosphere, relationships and tension between characters, only for all this to fizzle out, instead of reaching a climax and hitting hard with a message. Too bad, because it’s the ending/punchline of these genre snacks that separates the wheat from the chaff; leaving just the bold deeds of those who we can remember. (08/05/2011)

Devil certainly does not lack a dark and mysterious atmosphere, which grows thicker and thicker throughout the film. On the other hand, however, I felt that much more could have been made of it. It could (or should) have been more gripping and intricate - then I might have considered a higher rating. I thought the five were well chosen and the misfits complemented each other well. All in all, a pretty good horror thriller that is shrouded in some mystery, but it's nothing memorable. (13/07/2011)

The classic problem of Satanic horror films (why does the lord of all evil give such a shit?) is of course present. Fortunately, it's made up for by fairly decent direction and very good cinematography. Plus, with this film, I realized after Cloverfield that the MPAA is becoming more tolerant of violence. (03/01/2011)

Devil isn't hurting for tension, the question marks also pile up successfully, but it's still difficult to quiet that little voice in your head that says that everything could have been much better. The unappealing characters may be intentional; the disappointment with the climax definitely not. Suddenly, there are a surprising plethora of logical inconsistencies, and what was supposed to be a nerve-wracking thriller turns into only a mysterious one-off film. (12/12/2010)

Devil is a horror B-movie with cheap actors and numerous lapses in logic. But the technical aspect is professional, with great opening credits, a solid atmosphere and a more or less functional point. Had it not been for better older horror B-movies like Cube and Saw that got to me and prompted me to give them “only” four stars, I might have gone with four stars even in the case of Devil. (27/11/2010)