By TJ Ford
Arts Editor
“Devil’s Due” is a failed horror flick that only enforces the abomination that the genre has become, with its clichéd characters, unfulfilled themes and lack of terror.
The film features a convoluted storyline that confuses more than it thrills, has mediocre acting and a boring, unoriginal premise that is not even executed in full.
“Devil’s Due” focuses on the relationship of a newlywed couple that slowly disintegrates as unusual happenings begin to haunt the new family. The wife, Samantha McCall (Allison Miller), becomes pregnant with what seems like a demonic figure after a hard night of clubbing with a questionable crowd. When they return home, the couple is stalked by strangers while her husband, Zach McCall (Zach Gilford), documents the entirety of the occurrences under the guise of recording family memories. Zach attempts to placate Samantha; all the while, the evil manifested in her grows, putting the family in danger.
The film is set up in a way that is not clear, as time frames are inconsistent throughout the movie. In the exposition, the scope of time focuses on the wedding and honeymoon. The sequence of events is fluid here, but suddenly, the dynamic shifts. In the next scene, Samantha is nine months pregnant without any explanation.
The convoluted plotline does not end there. The entire film is plagued with different antagonists. The first half of the film is about home invasion and kidnapping and then randomly centers on religion and antichrists taking over the world. Incomplete tangents and non-commital themes make “Devil’s Due” sloppy and unsatisfying.
The cinematography, too, is just as typical as the rest of the film, as the entirety is shot from a first-person character perspective, an overly done, “Cloverfield”-esque technique that does not scare.
Not only is the actual writing of the film not believable and confusing, but the acting is pathetic as well. Gilford and Miller deliver uninspired performances that barely breed any emotional connection between the audience and the characters.
“Devil’s Due” is a mediocre, barely scary movie that suffers from a confusing plot and unconvincing performances.
“Devil’s Due” is rated R and is playing in theatres nationwide.
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