Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images, thematic material and some language including sexual references
Directed by John Erick Dowdle (Quarantine) and Drew Dowdle (First time director)
Starring Chris Messina, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O’Hara, Jacob Vargas, Matt Craven and Bokeem Woodbine
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT). That’s how the movie begins and that’s how this review should begin.
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.
Most of us have had the thought of being stuck in an elevator run through our minds at one time or another. And for most of us, that’s not a pleasant thought. A few years ago it happened to my (at the time) 10 year-old daughter. We only needed to go up one floor but she really wanted to ride the elevator alone. We were in a church so my wife and I agreed – we thought it would be a good experience for her. As we waited for the elevator doors to open we heard every parent’s nightmare…their child screaming. The elevator lost power, the lights dimmed and she was terrified. We waited for what seemed like hours for the maintenance crew to arrive – I’m sure it was less than 30 minutes. In the meantime, we shouted back and forth through the closed doors trying to keep her calm. Let’s be honest, being stuck in an elevator can be a scary situation. But put the Devil in that elevator with you…and now you’re talking scary.
M. Night has taken some serious criticism over the years. With films like The Village, Lady in the Water and The Happening not living up to The Sixth Sense and Signs, some wondered if his career was over. I may be in a small minority, but I loved those films. Then came last summer’s The Last Air Bender and I was ready to jump on that bandwagon. But this is classic M. Night…it is a perfectly told “scary story.” And if you can appreciate good story telling, I think you will thoroughly enjoy this one.
The cast are relatively new faces (although you may recognize Bokeem Woodbine and Jenny O’Hara) and they do a really good job. But don’t worry if you don’t recognize the actors…this film is all about the story.
Which leads us to the directors…GREAT JOB. The pace is perfect, the scares are well-timed and tension is palatable.
I’ve always been a M. Night fan and I’m glad (maybe even a little relieved) that this project was so entertaining. It’s Theater Worthy for sure.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
This is one of those films that is somewhere between a horror film and a suspense film. There is some blood and a few pretty disturbing images.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: I think a good short answer is to say that the message of this movie is to be aware of the Devil because he is evil. The biggest difference between the film and real life is that in the story the Devil sometimes comes to torture people on earth before he takes them to Hell. We know that Satan’s main purpose is to attack God’s family.
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: We need to be careful not to give the Devil more time than he deserves, but we also need to be careful we don’t ignore him. This is a story and while it may be entertaining or scary or both we need to remember it is fictional. We also need to remember that while the story is fiction, the Devil is real and is serious about messing us up.
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: We can take seriously the warning that Peter gives us. We need to stay alert and understand that Satan truly is our enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). And one of the ways he devours us is found in John 10:10. Jesus himself said “The thief’s (or devil) purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
