Devil

This one is more suitable for an hour-long episode for an anthology series on TV. As a feature length film, it doesn’t quite hold up. A bunch of people board an elevator, get stuck, and find themselves in a possible encounter with the Devil. M. Night Shyamalan produced and apparently thought up the story for this, and the resultant film is better than anything he’s personally directed since Signs. But it still isn’t good enough for a theatrical release. Its pacing makes it feel long, even though it clocks in at a mere 80 minutes, and it has that low-budget, hastily-produced feel. There are moments when the lights go out and things get scary enough, but not enough to deem it consistently effective. Supposedly part of a series that Shyamalan will produce, the film does have a good cast that puts in decent, solid work. Directed by John Erick Dawdle, who made the better Quarantine a couple of years ago.