Parents' Guide to

Devil

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Spooky trapped-in-elevator horror tale promotes forgiveness.

Movie PG-13 2010 80 minutes
Devil Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 8 parent reviews

Yakumo
Yakumo Parent of 10 and 13-year-old
May 12, 2011
age 12+

Not really scary

The violence is there but whenever its done, the lights are out in the elevator but the results are shown in graphic detail. I wouldn't let a kid under 12 watch it. The devil is shown once or twice which can give a kid nightmares. The ending was religiously positive, confess sins and be forgiven so the devil cannot take you.

This title has:

Too much violence
Great messages
2 people found this helpful.
Jorgito
Jorgito Parent of 6 and 7-year-old
February 24, 2011
age 12+
My nine year old girl watched parts of it, and she was interested. My wife did not let her finish the movie. It was a good option to start a horror movie genre introduction to her, because there is just a little bit of gore, and the scary parts are acceptable. The story, as a surprise, is good.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

On a typical workday in Philadelphia, five people find themselves trapped in an elevator. As the security and maintenance crew -- and eventually the police -- try to get them out, certain clues begin to suggest that the devil is among them, playing them against one another and destroying them one by one. Each of these five people has a secret that may have brought them together ... and even the police detective, a recovering alcoholic with a dark past, may have a specific reason for being there. Can the humans solve the mystery before the devil destroys everyone?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (47):

The movie's low-budget to be sure, but it's streamlined and economic. Ever since he followed a massive hit (The Sixth Sense) with several duds (Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender), M. Night Shyamalan simply doesn't have the clout that he once had. So attaching his name as story writer and producer to this simple horror film adds a certain level of expectation -- and not of the positive variety. Surprisingly, DEVIL isn't that bad.

For a small package, it conjures up some effective ideas and scares, as well as some terrific atmospheric moments, ranging from the odd, upside-down opening credits to a scene of a maintenance man chasing his cap across a wind-blown rooftop. The movie may get a little too smarty-pants toward the final third, but it's easy enough to be drawn under its spell by that point. There's far less at stake here than in Shyamalan's last few letdowns, and it mostly works.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence, blood, and gore. How did it make you feel? How does it compare to what you've seen in other horror movies?

  • Did the devil give the five people a chance to redeem themselves? What message is the movie sending about revenge? What about forgiveness?

Movie Details

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