Devil (2010) Review

My hopes were high for this film; I enjoy horror-mysteries and this one looked like it would be full of suspense. Co-written by M.Night Shyamalan, I expected the film to keep me guessing until the end. But unfortunately, it didn't.

Warning: Do not read on if you do not want the movie to be spoiled.

Devil is a film about a group of strangers who get stuck in a lift together. One-by-one each person gets killed off by an evil entity (the "Devil") whom they believe to be someone inside the lift.

We are presented with five bland, one-dimensional characters: a security guard, a young woman who dates older men for money, a salesman, an older woman who cries a lot, and a man who was involved in a hit-and-run which killed two people. It appears that the development of a character depends on how long they survive the film.

The "Devil" turns out to be the older woman - who after a fake death, involving her seemingly being hung, comes back to life - so she goes from weepy older woman to creepy older woman. To be honest, I probably could have worked that out from watching the trailer. In my opinion, creepy older woman is a way too obvious choice for an evil entity in a movie.

Devil disappointed me on so many levels; it wasn't thrilling, suspenseful, or even much of a mystery. This is a film I'll probably avoid buying when it is released on DVD.

What do you think?