The Movie: The Devil Below
The Director: Bradley Parker
The Cast: Alicia Sanz, Adan Canto, Zach Avery, Chinaza Uche, Jesse Latourette, with Jonathan Sadowski, Will Patton
The Story: There is an abandoned place nestled deep in Appalachian country where underground coal mines have been ablaze for decades. When a team of researchers try to find out how the fires started, they soon discover something more startling than the mystery that sent them there: they’re not alone.
The Review:
We've seen a lot of horror movies where the danger is buried deep under the earth and just waiting to emerge or to draw people down into whatever traps it might have in store. I do like the idea of creating something out of the underground coal mine fires that have been ablaze for years and giving it an otherworldly existence. Director Bradley Parker stays on pretty familiar ground when it comes to this type of storytelling so you can expect an easy to follow journey for the characters and the plot.
The cast for the film is pretty solid with Alicia Sanz leading the way in a role that sees her as a bad ass woman on a mission type character. She's not your typical final girl and is about as far from bring a damsel in distress as one could be. I really like the strength she brings to the character while also maintaining a sense of vulnerability so the struggle is real as the movie progresses. It's also great to see Will Patton in the movie although I could say it's always great to see him in any movie. You always know it's him and he brings the same grizzled been there done that energy to all of his characters and he has an easy personality to relate to and understand.
I really like this level of storytelling when it comes to horror. Overall, it has good scares and a solid story with believable special effects that never get overblown. There's no super flashy CGI that looks all of a sudden looks out of place, everything is well placed and textured with what seems like an emphasis on practical effects. This is also the type of horror movie where the ending leaves a possibility for more and I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel at some point.
The Verdict:
The Devil Below goes above and beyond to create and underground horror experience that is effective and entertaining. Bradley Parker's second horror movie is a long overdue effort after the success of 2012's Chernobyl Diaries. Hopefully the director will bring more chills to the screen sooner rather then later.
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