History Main / Devil

* {{Film.Devil}}

[[redirect:Film/{{Devil}}]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/devil-001_726.png

->''Bad things happen for a reason.''

''Devil'' is a 2010 {{film}} {{inspired by}} the novel ''AndThenThereWereNone'', by {{Agatha Christie}}. It's the first part of ''The Night Chronicles'' trilogy, a series of films created and outlined (but neither written nor directed) by [[MNightShyamalan M. Night Shyamalan]] that deal with the supernatural in a modern-day urban setting. Trailers originally played up Shyamalan's involvement, but this was dropped due to negative fan reaction.

The story concerns a group of strangers--an ill-tempered salesman, a celebutante, a grumpy old woman, a security guard, and a stressed-out ex-marine--who, while stuck in an elevator, come face-to-face with demonic forces that torture and slaughter them one by one.

''Devil'' has a rating of 55% on RottenTomatoes, which is far better than [[TheLastAirbender previous]] [[TheHappening Shyamalan]] [[LadyInTheWater films]].

The second part of the trilogy, ''[[strike: Twelve Strangers]]'' ''Reincarnate'', is due out in 2012.

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!! This film contains examples of:

* AngryBlackMan
* BaitAndSwitch: Most of the movie implies that the Devil is not really in the elevator. Guess who shows up later?
** [[spoiler: All the emphasis on Tony's combat experience suggests that his sin would be some kind of war crime, but it ultimately turns out to be a DUI manslaughter.]]
* BigBad: [[spoiler: The Old Woman]]
* BlackEyesOfEvil: [[spoiler:The Devil/Old Woman]]
* BookEnds: The movie starts with an upside-down aerial shot of UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}, which ends up zooming through the elevator shaft of the building this movie takes place in, and ends with another aerial shot.
* CassandraTruth: Ramirez, the security guard, claims that somebody in the elevator is the Devil. How would ''you'' propose that theory without looking like a loon?
* {{Claustrophobia}}: Ben Larson the security guard claims to suffer from this.
* ContrivedCoincidence: Subverted. There's a reason why these five people are trapped inside an elevator no one can rescue them from.
* DevilButNoGod: [[spoiler: Subverted. Forgiveness is a major theme in the movie and the final voice over mentions that if the Devil was real, God must be real as well. This implies why Bowden was ultimately able to forgive Tony.]]
* DevilInPlainSight: He's there, all the time, we just don't know what form he's taken.
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:Although some of them have done some pretty bad things, the Devil personally coming to collect their souls before they have a chance to redeem themselves while they're still alive does seem a bit harsh]].
** RedHerring: [[spoiler: the Old Woman being a purse thief would certainly seem like DisproportionateRetribution for the Devil to come to collect her personally. Then it's revealed she IS TheDevil]].
* DrivenToSuicide
* ElevatorFailure: The movie centers about five people being trapped in an elevator.
* FinalGirl: [[spoiler: Played with: all the people on the elevator are guilty of serious crimes, but Tony actually does embody most of the qualities of a [[FinalGirl Final Boy]].]]
* {{Forgiveness}}: [[spoiler:The Devil was forced to spare Tony because Bowden had forgiven him for killing his family during a hit and run accident.]]
** [[spoiler:Another possibility is that Tony was spared because he accepted responsibility for what he had done, and apologized for it]].
* GoldDigger: Sarah
* HeyItsThatGuy: Vince is an [[SuperTroopers acid-dropping delinquent that loves snozzberries.]]
** And Tony actually is [[DarkBlue an undercover agent]].
* InnocentBystander: The Devil will kill anyone who interferes with his plans.
* LightsOffSomebodyDies
* [=~Mr. Exposition~=]: Ramirez
* NoNameGiven: Actually, there names are given, but in the credits the main characters are only listed as "Mechanic", "Salesman", "Security Guard", "Old Woman", and "Young Woman."
* ObliviousJanitorCut: A man falls off the top of a building while the janitor's back to turned to the window.
* RedemptionEarnsLife: [[spoiler:Tony is genuinely regretful of what he did which renders his soul impossible to claim.]]
* SoCalization: Bowden, a detective in Philadelphia, refers to a possible murder as a "187".
* StartsWithASuicide
* SympatheticMurderer: [[spoiler:Tony]]
* ThisIsUnforgivable: [[spoiler:The implied reason the Devil is able to claim souls isn't because people have crossed the MoralEventHorizon, but because the ones who were affected by their actions don't forgive them for their crimes.]]
** [[spoiler:Another interpretation is that those who committed the crimes showed remorse and accepted responsibility]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Or "What Happened To The Subplot?" The suicide at the beginning of the film really doesn't serve much of a purpose, except to get Bowden to the building, which is odd, because the film builds up the rather convoluted nature of the event quite a bit. One of the characters even says "the story StartsWithASuicide," but never explains why.
** Actually, I'm pretty sure it's said somewhere in the movie that the suicide is the 'gate' for the devil to arrive and begin the game.
** Also, [[spoiler: Dwight's body seems to disappear from the top of the elevator]] at the end.
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* BookEnds: The movie starts with an upside-down aerial shot of Philadelphia, which ends up zooming through the elevator shaft of the building this movie takes place in, and ends with another aerial shot.

* {{Narm}}: "TURN ON THE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHHTTTTTT!!!!!!"
** Plenty of people, disappointed by Shyamalan's post-''{{Unbreakable}}'' work, thought poorly of the fact that his name was used to advertise this film.
*** As annoying as it is to have someone who neither wrote nor directed the movie have their name above the title, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h24CFZqSEAA this is far from the first time it's happened.]]
**** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYbaveZ0NYY And it seems to be turning into a trend.]]
***** Sorry, what? The first link is the trailer for Gremlins that specifically says "Directed by Joe Dante", and the second is for "Eli Roth's Hostel", which was written and directed by Eli Roth. What point were you two trying to make?
****** In both examples Spielberg and Tarentino are used to advertise the film with use of the phrase "[person] Presents [movie]". Both films were produced by the men presenting them, and both men are known primarily as directors. For those who aren't paying that close attention it's an easy mistake to think this means that they directed and/or wrote the respective films.
** Ramirez blaming the presence of the Devil himself for a falling slice of toast landing buttered-side down. Treated as so in-universe too.
** {{Cracked}} had a field day mocking the movie's premise of "A bunch of people are in an elevator and one of them is satan." with sequel ideas for the next shayamalan movies such as "23 Jews are in a bus and it turns out the bus is Hitler."

* CompleteMonster: The Devil [[spoiler: not only does he do the above but he drives a random person to kill themselves, kills anyone who tries to stop him and for the last one he forces a loved one to watch the person get killed, all the while mocking his victims.]]
** It's the freakin' devil. Doesn't this one kinda go without saying?

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: Most of the movie is a pretty average when it comes to scares. Some tense moments, some that fall flat, but [[spoiler: Satan!Old Lady]] is scary as shit.

* NightmareFuel: The face of the devil that briefly flashes on the camera early in the film.

* WhatAnIdiot: Most of the people in the elevator, but special credit goes to the security guards who take ''way'' too long to call the police or the fire department to get the people trapped out, when in real life, calling both would be the first thing you would do after determining that the elevator couldn't simply be turned back on. They also mention that the elevator company had gone out of business. This naturally does happen in real life, and when it does, a company would be ''scrambling'' to get in contact with a new company, because not having an elevator company insuring you is a wonderful way to be sued out of existence.
** Also one of the security guards, who keeps insisting that the Devil is real, at one point drops to his knees, closes his eyes, and begins reciting a Hail Mary in front of the security monitors. Because closing your eyes and diverting your attention is a great idea when you've got high strung claustrophobic murder suspects trapped in an elevator with each other.
*** And it doesn't help that he's reciting the Hail Mary over the radio so that said trapped claustrophobic murder suspects ''can hear him''. Of course, he's reciting it in Spanish and they can't understand him, so that may or may not improve things.

''Devil'' is a 2010 {{film}} {{inspired by}} the novel ''AndThenThereWereNone'', by {{Agatha Christie}}. It's the first part of ''The Night Chronicles'' trilogy, a series of films created and outlined (but neither written nor directed) by [[MNightShyamalan M. Night Shyamalan]] that deal with the supernatural in a modern-day urban setting.

* BaitAndSwitch: Most of the movie implies that the Devil is not really in the elevator. Guess who shows up later?

*** As annoying as it is to have someone who either wrote nor directed the movie have their name above the title, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h24CFZqSEAA this is far from the first time it's happened.]]

** Actually, I'm pretty sure it's said somewhere in the movie that he suicide is the 'gate' for the devil to arrive and begin the game.

** [[spoiler:This troper got the impression Tony was spared because he accepted responsibility for what he had done, and apologized for it]].

** [[spoiler:Or perhaps those who comitted the crimes showed remorse and accepted responsibility]].

* RedemptionEarnsLife: [[spoiler:Tony is genuinely regretful of what he did which renders his soul impossible to claim since Bowden is able to forgive him.]]

The second part of the trilogy, ''Twelve Strangers'', is due out in 2012.

* BaitAndSwitch: Most of the movie implies that the Devil is not in the elevator. Guess who shows up later?

* WhatAnIdiot: Most of the people in the elevator, but special credit goes to the security guards who take ''way'' too long to call the police or the fire department to get the people trapped out, when in real life, calling both would be the first thing you would do after determining that the elevator couldn't simply be turned back on.

* BlackEyesOfEvil: [[spoiler:The Devil / Old Woman]]
* CassandraTruth: The security guard's claim that somebody in the elevator is the Devil. How would ''you'' propose that theory without looking like a loon?

** RedHerring: [[spoiler: the Old Woman being a purse thief would certainly seem like DisproportionateRetribution for the Devil to come to collect her personally. Then it's revealed she IS TheDevil]].

** RedHerring: [spoiler: the Old Woman being a purse thief would certainly seem like DisproportionateRetribution for the Devil to come to collect her personally. Then it's revealed she IS TheDevil]].

* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:Although some of them have done some pretty bad things, the Devil personally coming to collect their souls before they have a chance to redeem themselves while they're still alive does seem a bit harsh]].

* CassandraTruth: The security guard's claim that somebody in the elevator is the Devil. How would ''you'' propose that theory with looking like a loon?

* RedHerring: The suicide at the beginning of the film really doesn't serve much of a purpose, except to get Bowden to the building, which is odd, because the film builds up the rather convoluted nature of the event quite a bit.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Or "What Happened To The Subplot?" See RedHerring.
* YouFailLogicForever: One of the security guards, who keeps insisting that the Devil is real, at one point drops to his knees, closes his eyes, and begins reciting a Hail Mary in front of the security monitors. Because closing your eyes and diverting your attention is a great idea when you've got high strung claustrophobic murder suspects trapped in an elevator with each other.