Devil (2010)
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Five strangers trapped in a malfunctioning elevator must face their darkest secrets as they suspect the Devil is among them.
The story
A man's suicide note in Philadelphia warns of the Devil's approaching presence. Shortly after, five strangers—a security guard, a mechanic, a mattress salesman, a young woman, and an old woman—become trapped in an elevator in the same skyscraper. As the building's security monitors the situation, the passengers begin to experience terrifying events and suspect one another of foul play. While a repairman attempts to fix the elevator from the outside, the group is forced to confront their own guilty pasts as the atmosphere turns deadly.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film begins with a narrator recounting Mexican folklore about the Devil seeking unrepentant souls. In Philadelphia, a man dies by suicide, claiming the Devil is coming. Five strangers are trapped in an elevator: Ben (a guard with a violent record), Vince (a Ponzi scheme salesman), Sarah (a woman planning to steal from her rich husband), Jane (an elderly woman caught stealing), and Tony (a mechanic/Marine). Security guards Ramirez and Lustig monitor them. As lights flicker, people begin to die: Vince is killed by a mirror shard, and Jane is found hanging. The group suspects each other, with Ben and Tony eventually fighting. Lustig is electrocuted while trying to fix the power. It is revealed that 'Jane' was a manifestation of the Devil. Tony confesses to a hit-and-run that killed Detective Bowden's family. Because of his confession, the Devil cannot claim his soul and vanishes. Bowden enters the elevator, takes Tony into custody, and forgives him. The narrator concludes by saying if the Devil is real, then God is real too.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 80
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Erick Dowdle
- Writers
- Brian Nelson · screenplay; M. Night Shyamalan · story
- Cast and characters
- Chris Messina · Detective Bowden; Logan Marshall-Green · Anthony "Tony" Janekowski, Mechanic / Marine Veteran; Geoffrey Arend · Vincent "Vince" McCormick, Salesman; Bojana Novakovic · Sarah Caraway, Young Woman; Jenny O'Hara · Jane Kowski, Old Woman / Devil; Bokeem Woodbine · Benjamin "Ben" Larson, Guard; Matt Craven · Lustig, Building Security; Jacob Vargas · Ramirez, Building Security / Narrator
- Genres
- supernatural horror; horror thriller
- Themes
- guilt; judgment; supernatural; redemption
- Tone and mood
- tense; supernatural horror; suspenseful
- Setting
- A skyscraper in Philadelphia during the modern era.
- Premise and plot tags
- trapped; supernatural; whodunit; horror
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on the premise of a 'Devil's Meeting' and inspired by Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None'.
- Franchise connections
- The Night Chronicles
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a financial success, grossing over six times its budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 44 · scale: 100 · review count: 14; CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film was intended to be the first of a trilogy called The Night Chronicles.; The actor Joe Cobden trained for four months for his role.; The film was based on the premise of a 'Devil's Meeting'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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