The Devil Below
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The Devil Below
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Devil Below is a monster movie about five explorers who go looking for a town that has disappeared and find a deadly secret instead. Expect lots of monster violence, with characters being clobbered, dragged away, and sometimes killed. Weapons include guns, knives, grenades, and a flamethrower. There are bloody wounds, bloody faces, jump scares, and other creepy stuff. Strong language includes "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," and more, and there's some cigarette smoking. Sex isn't an issue. The movie is pretty poorly made, with a general lack of suspense, but the main character and the toothy monsters are pretty cool.
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What's the Story?
In THE DEVIL BELOW, the Shookum Hills Mining Company uncovers something startling in Appalachian country, and miner Schuttmann's (Will Patton) life is changed forever. Years later, the town seems to have disappeared from the map. Scientist Darren (Adan Canto) hires guide Arianne (Alicia Sanz) to bring him and his colleagues -- Terry (Jonathan Sadowski), Shawn (Chinaza Uche), and Jaime (Zach Avery) -- there for a scientific expedition. The skilled, cunning Arianne finds the mysterious place with no problem, despite clear indications that they're not wanted. But when Terry falls into the abandoned mine, the group unwittingly unleashes an unholy terror.
Is It Any Good?
This horror movie is poorly shot and written and too dark, with no suspense and with characters we don't care about -- but at least the monsters are kind of cool. The Devil Below -- which is from the maker of Chernobyl Diaries -- starts off immediately with a monster attack, a character getting brutally dragged away by something, before jumping to the present day (and lots of dialogue). The reason the adventurers are trying to find the old town and the mine are varied: One character mentions "The Well of Hell," where the "screams of the damned" can be heard, and another talks about a possible energy source. But the monster from the opening scene kills all suspense. We know where all this is going.
The characters are "types," each with a single trait, and it's impossible to care about them when they inevitably start getting picked off. The possible exception is Arianne, who's pretty cool. And it's always great to see Patton (Minari), who plays a grizzled, hardened Appalachian man. Director Bradley Parker favors shaky camerawork and poor lighting, but when we do get a look at his monsters and their face-fulls of teeth, it's enough to make you wish that The Devil Below had been better -- and more deserving of them.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Devil Below's violence. Is it shocking or thrilling? Do blood and gore change your reaction to the violence?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror or monster movies? Why do people sometimes like being scared?
Do you consider Arianne a role model? What are her admirable traits? Her flaws? Is she someone to emulate?
Is it a good thing to be curious? Or is it better to be cautious? What does the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" mean?
Movie Details
- In theaters: March 5, 2021
- On DVD or streaming: March 5, 2021
- Cast: Alicia Sanz, Adan Canto, Will Patton
- Director: Bradley Parker
- Studio: Vertical Entertainment
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 92 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: March 31, 2022
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