Product Details

• Actors: Chris Messina, Geoffrey Arend
• Directors: John Erick Dowdle Drew Dowdle
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• DVD Release Date: December 21, 2010
• Run Time: 81 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003Y5H4SO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,796 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Devil" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Five people trapped in an elevator, and one of them is the Devil--it's an intriguing launch pad for a movie, and in the hands of producer M. Night Shyamalan, it has all the makings of a first-class supernatural thriller. Unfortunately, Shyamalan's concern is more with the mechanics of the story--how to pull off that celebrated final-act switcheroo--than in presenting flesh-and-blood characters or dialogue that reeks of pulp. There's a moral high-handedness to the proceedings that's also off-putting--there's a reason why these five strangers are trapped in the lift, and why Detective Messina (the very likable Chris Messina from Julie & Julia) is summoned to rescue them, and why every character is set in motion in Shyamalan's Skinner box of a plot, but it hinges on very well-worn territory, which bites deeply into the story's novel conceit. The cast is uniformly fine--in addition to Messina, there are fine turns by such underrated actors as Bokeem Woodbine, Jenny O'Hara, Geoffrey Arend (in the elevator), and Matt Craven and Caroline Dhavernas (outside)--and the direction by John Erick Dowdle (Quarantine), who coproduced with brother Drew and Shyamalan, does an impressive job of keeping the action fluid in the confines of the setting. But the central conceit of Devil is comic book material tarted up as an event picture, which doesn't elicit much hope for the rest of Shyamalan's Night Chronicles trilogy, of which this is the first entry. --Paul Gaita

Product Description

Trapped in an elevator high above Philadelphia, five people discover that the Devil is among them – and no one can escape their fate. This chilling, supernatural thriller from M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs) will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way to a heart-stopping ending with a truly wicked twist.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 77 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Devil gets his due September 22, 2010

By C. Christopher Blackshere

Format:DVD

People trapped in an elevator...with Satan! Does it get anymore freaky than that? M. Night Shyamalan conjoured up a suspenseful premise and let Director John Dowdle (Quarantine, Poughkeepsie Tapes) dance with the Devil. The result is a simple but effective thriller that is sure to horrify.

An unsettling suicide in the City of Brotherly Love seems to open the gates (or elevator shaft) for The Dark Lord to impose his will on a group of sinners. Police are baffled as they watch from the outside, trying to identify the culprit for these brutal crimes as they occur.

Is Hollywood finally discovering that less is indeed more? Don't be expecting lots of action here--it's a slow burner, taking place almost entirely in one confiscated setting. It's not especially gruesome either, but it's sure to butcher your brain trying to pinpoint the murderer. Many of the kills happen quickly when the lights conveniently flicker.

DEVIL is very well written and acted by a group of up-and-coming actors. It stops well short of the potential shock factor it could have obtained, but it's no slouch in the scare department either. Part one of the Night Chronicles trilogy.

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Floor Six: Fine Characters and Good Plots...going up!! October 15, 2010

By Heidi Click

Format:DVD

M. Night's Back in the game in his tale of evil whacking the passengers of Elevator Six of a Philadelphia high rise building.

Beginning with the mysterious suidicde from the 35th floor, Detective Bowden (Julie and Julia's Chris Messina) is dragooned to become a sinister force's latest audience as it picks off an ecclectic passengers of express elevator six and to defining the metaphysics of evil after his family's killing at the hands of a hit-and-run driver.

From the disorienting opening sequence to the final narration by Jacob Vargas' Ramirez, M. Night continues to bring his audience through the screen to his world with clarity and stregnth reminding us why we go to the movies. Devil's plot races forward like a controlled explosion, never boring the audience (which, when I saw it, was me.) And while the tale may seem tired, the presentation was not.

I enjoyed Mr. Messina and the Elevator Cast's performances. The terror for the passengers is felt clearly with each time the lights go out and the reactions become more and more irrational and hysterical, just as it would become for any of us trapped in similar circumstances. Mr. Messina's detective follows a clear path from logic to faith which inspires those who have none. I enjoyed his journey and his presence in this picture. I last saw him in Julie and Julia and dismissed his performance in favor of his co-stars. However, after Devil, I will watch more carefully for anything with him in it.

The onion peel, when the connections within the elements of a story unravel to reveal something, was executed routinely but brilliantly. Even I, a jaded film watcher, was surprised when the core came out. This is the mark of a great writer, as M Night is, despite Hollywood's need to define greatness with financial success.

Bravo, guys!! This one's a keeper!!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Too Bad January 3, 2011

By Fred Rayworth

Format:DVD

So far, I've liked all of Night's movies so I went into this one expecting some of his trademarks. The plot twist at the end was the big Kahuna, and in this movie, it was there, but I'm sure there were plenty of people who had it all figured from the opening scene. I didn't because I don't try to look that far ahead. I'd rather have the story carry me there. In this case, I was at first surprised, but not shocked after I thought about it. I don't know if that's a bad thing, but it was nothing like the surprises of his earlier work. Maybe because there is expected to be a plot twist, no matter what he does, it is no longer a surprise.

The movie has a decent if unknown cast and takes place in Night's hometown of Philadelphia. I'm guessing the building used doesn't really exist, but either way, the structure looked good.

For anyone with a phobia about being trapped in an elevator, this takes things to the next level with the uninvited guest. During the whole movie, I tried to figure out which character is the real bad guy. From every one of the elevator passengers to the cop to the Hispanic security guard (who I think was narrating the story), they were all suspect. There were plenty of red herrings thrown in to keep things interesting and when we finally find out who the real bad guy is, I was at least a bit surprised, though my wife wasn't. The other twist was with the cop but I don't want to spoil that for anyone else, despite what others may have said in their reviews.

The film didn't get too excessively bloody or gory, and most of that was implied more than shown graphically. In this case, it worked just fine.

I do not regret spending the money on this rental. Recommended for thriller/horror fans.