The Prince of Darkness goes to the movies

Satanic cinema can make audiences shake from fear — or laughter

 

“Devil,” the new M. Night Shyamalan-conceived film about being stuck in an elevator with the Prince of Darkness, will be possessing theaters soon and promises at least one of two results: sending audiences out of multiplexes shaking from fear or laughter.
It’s tough to know, while you’re making a movie about the scariest entity in the Western world, if the lasting effect will be a terror-filled experience for generations to come or a punchline on par with “Electric Boogaloo.”
Obviously, most filmmakers are hoping for immortality with the former. But when the devil’s involved things can sometimes go very wrong.