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Overall Rating : 5/10
Directed By : Adam Mason
Andrew Howard (Revolver)
Elize Du Toit (In Your Dreams)
Matt Berry (Moon)
David Gant (Romasanta)
Louise Griffiths
Supplied By : Sony Pictures
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : October. 1, 2008
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| PLOT Searching for twisted thrills, Nick West (Andrew Howard) takes his girlfriend to an abandoned mental hospital to drop acid. But when his date sits on a mysterious chair, she is mutilated and her body is dragged into an unforeseen demonic black hole. When Nick tells his horrifying tale to the police, he is deemed clinically insane and locked away. Now, four years later, a brilliant psychology professor and his students return to the crime scene with the accused killer searching for the truth behind the terrifying occult mystery in this blood-drenched, supernatural thriller. |
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| THE REVIEW In THE DEVIL'S CHAIR, 4 year's ago, Nick and his girlfriend looking for a good time, decide to head up to an old asylum, where they plan to take drugs and make love. As the drugs begin to kick in and the passion heats up, Nick witnesses something very strange. Before his very eyes, Nick watches as his beloved girlfriend is brutally killed - but what's strange is that Samantha is killed by an old chair, whom seemingly has a mid of it's own. Shortly after sitting in it, the chair at it's own will, becomes a torture device, one that slowly squeezed the life out of her. After the event, it seems as if no one would believe Nick's story, due to it's outrageous nature. As a result, Nick is shipped off to a mental asylum, where he'd stay locked up for the next 4 years. It's now 4 years later, and the memories of the fateful night remain with Nick, although they are foggy - so much so, that he sort of believes what every one else does....and that's. that he himself killed Samantha. Nick is released, but only under the conditions that Nick would travel with a Professor named Willed and a couple of his students to the very asylum where the incident occurred. Once they arrive there, the group would spend the night and Nick would agree to undertake further therapy to possibly uncover the real truth as to really what happened to Samantha. Well, as with any story, returning to the scene of a crime as brutal as this, is never a good, as they'd all find out, when people begin falling victim to the chair one by one. The plot for THE DEVIL'S CHAIR is a bit silly, you just got to admit. The whole idea of a killer object of some sort, especially this one reminds me of other B-Movie flicks such as DEATHBED. The story here is definitely one that requires a viewer to temporarily suspend all disbelief and just enjoy it in a sort of fantasy sense. Told in a narrative way Narrated by the Nick character himself, we easily follow along with the events as he recounts them. I have seen this type of film setup many times, and most of the time the results can be a little slow and, quite frankly boring. To his credit Actor Andrew Howard does a very good job at keeping his straight-forward narration, fun, full of wit, and often times pretty funny as well. The story focuses on a man, who for the last few years has been accused for the murder of his girlfriend, but soon he gets a proposal that just may very well clear his name as well as his own conscience. Claims of "death by chair" have been blown off from just about anyone that Nick has told, and it gets to the point where Nick even begins to question his own claims. When they get to the asylum, the property is in the identical state it was in 4 years prior, and included is the very chair, Nick had claimed to see transform into a killing contraption. By appearance the chair looks like nothing more than an old electric chair, otherwise harmless. But as with any other Horror film, you should know by now that even the most innocent of things, can turn out not to be as innocent as they seem. The story begins to take a turn for the worst for the characters, as Nick's old claims to ring true as they all begin to die at the clutches at the chair, and we'd soon find out that they just do not die, the chair is actually some sort of portal to hell. Once in this hellish under realm the victims are then prey of a hideous beastly demon. The pacing of this film is great and for the first half of the film, THE DEVIL'S CHAIR is a slick, and fairly brilliant Horror film, but slowly the film begins to drift into mediocrity, and before you know it, te film's ending for most viewers is seen from distances away. The look of the film looks good for it's budget. The film is accompanied by a slightly grainy image - I felt that the grain helped give the old rundown asylum a more rough look, that in my opinion benefits it for the best. Another thing is that the direction of Adam Mason is also fairly competent. I was impressed, especially with how the "hell scenes were handled. The underworld in the film, is essentially just another asylum room with dim lights, and accessories, such as chains hanging from the ceiling. But with careful directing and cinematography, the filmmakers here were able to pull off a look that gives a hint of believability. The acting here is ok, with the standout obviously being Andrew Howard as Nick West, who fares pretty well here, both in front of the camera as an actor, as well as behind the camera as the film's narrator. Some are likely not to like the whole narration thing through out the film, but for the most part I kind of enjoyed it. The narration, like the film is not perfect, as it too as some questionable points. For example in some instances, Nick West begins to talk to us, the audience. He begins to do things, like question our morals for watching gory films and also at one point, questions some of the acting in the film, as well as certain scenes themselves. I don't know, but I just thought it was weird. Overall, I think that this film is likely to be enjoyed more by some than others. I thought the film started off slowly, but unfortunately later on in the film, in my opinion, it ended on a rather sour note. | ||||
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| GORE
METER 3.5/10 There's a fair amount of blood through out, and a few impalements, |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 2.5/10 Some very light tones accented with some violin, didn't pay much attention to it as it was pretty non-existent. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM THE DEVIL'S CHAIR as a whole is a pretty decent film, with good writing and dialogue, and for the most part the script is fairly original. However it just cannot keep it up for it's entire run time, as before long you could probably easily figure out what will finally happen in the end. This DVD will be released on October 7, 2008 |
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