"Devoured" (2014) They'll Eat You Up

The Trailer:

Director: Greg Olliver
Main Cast: Marta Milans
Plot Summary: Lourdes (Marta Milans), an immigrant woman whose son is severely ill and requires an operation, is working as a cleaning woman in a New York restaurant. Before long, she begins to suspect something sinister is happening within its' walls and is determined to find out what.

I won't say that Devoured is a horror masterpiece, but there are sparks here that say it could've been. There's a lot that isn't great about the film— the makeup/special effects are a joke, unnecessary jump scares, and sometimes sloppily tied together details and things that don't make sense at all— but the story and overall atmosphere make watching it worth it. There is real potential here, a nice jumping off point for the young director in his venture into horror and for the writer, Marc Landau's first movie.

Let me get the bad out of the way. The makeup and or special effects on this movie isn't great. Granted there aren't too many scenes that involve any grotesque makeup of special effects, so it really isn't that big of a deal. And for the most part, the makeup is really good. There is just one small exception, and honestly I don't even know why it bothers me so much but it does.

Do you see this guys Night of the Living Dead (the 1968 original, duh!) makeup? It's not even remotely scary or good. And for some reason this bothers me to no end. I think it's mostly due to the fact that this ghost-man is an unnecessary scare in the film. There are so many scenes that conjure suspense and terror with the use of atmosphere and the score and just general tension-building throughout the film that this visual manifestation of fear feels like an afterthought. Like the writer and director had a conversation that decided the viewers were going to be stupid to pick up on the nuanced atmosphere and story they're trying to tell, so decided to throw in some cheap scares to really get the point across. This and a few other visual scares, like jump scares, are add-ons that didn't need to be. Which is a little bit disappointing, as without them the film would've been better off. Though, I will admit that a few of the jump scares are good and should be praised. One of my particular faves is a scene involving her locker; if you've seen the movie you'll know what part I'm talking about, or if you've yet to watch it, you'll know when you see it.

Moving on, the sloppily tied together and perplexing details about the film also knock it down a bit in terms of rating. The one thing I kept asking myself over and over again is why did Lourdes choose New York? We find out that Lourdes is from El Salvador (her mother and ill child still live there), which is closer to the southern border of the U.S. than New York, so why choose to go somewhere so far? She could have just as easily chosen to live in Texas or Florida, even. Perhaps she knew she would make more money in New York, but she would also have to pay more money for rent, so...? I don't know. Anyways, there are other moments in the film that upon the conclusion seem to have no purpose. Which leaves me wondering now as I write, why they were put in the film in the first place? Additionally some of these details don't make sense. Like mister ghost-zombie man up there, he is an apparition that we see fairly early in the film, but with the timeline of the story his appearance in the beginning doesn't make any sense. I won't go into detail on why it doesn't make sense as that would give away the twist of the film, but just know that it doesn't. In line with that paranormal detail, some of the other paranormal occurrences become moot upon the conclusion of the film, but then why did they occur? I suppose it is to confuse us viewers as to whether we're watching a paranormal horror or a psychological thriller. Or a little of both, perhaps? While in hindsight these details bemuse me, during the viewing of the film they are what created the unsettling creepy tone and atmosphere.

The atmosphere of Devoured is phenomenally dark, disturbing, and isolating. Lourdes is a foreigner in a new country, in a new big city. She has no friends, no relatives there, and little interaction with people other than her co-workers, which isn't great. Her boss is a snarky woman who seems to be jealous of Lourdes for no apparent reason and then the cook is a gropey, gross guy who won't leave Lourdes alone. Her entire life here in New York is devoid of love, compassion, or acceptance. And then we see glimpses of her life in El Salvador with her son that are all sunshine and warmth and love, which she desperately yearns for and that makes us realize how shitty her life is presently in comparison. When weird little things begin to happen around the restaurant, she has no one to confide in, which makes her fears all the more isolating. Not to mention that the restaurant itself is it's own bizarre entity. The restaurant is in an old building that just has that air about it that says it has a long, gritty history. You know what I mean? Decorating the walls of said restaurant are photographs and paintings of people that seem to be staring right at you. The feeling of being watched is consistently referred to throughout the film, with the paintings, with the handsy cook, with scenes shot through a doorknob hole, which is so disconcerting and makes your skin prickle. Don't even get me started on the cinematography. Let me just say I never knew the act of slicing vegetables and meat could be so gorgeous while also conjuring up such visceral sickening-ness. Oh, I love it!

Now for the plot and story. Devoured is simple tale and, ultimately, what drives the film. We know Lourdes needs to raise enough money for her son's operation, which is why we can understand her willingness to put up with her shitty boss, her gropey co-worker, and that creepy restaurant. It also kind of gives the feeling of time ticking down, like a timer. So, nothing too crazy happens regarding the plot to muddle up the film, which is great. Also, because of the basic plot the film can focus on Lourdes' character and her decent into madness at the hands of the paranormal happenings in the restaurant. It allows us to focus on how Lourdes, through all the weird shit happening becomes more and more detached from reality with only her son to ground her. We witness her meek resilience morph into a fed-up, hostile, strength to return to her son at last. It's a beautiful arc, and even more beautiful upon the conclusion of the film.

Again, Devoured is not a masterpiece, but it is really good. I didn't expect much from it and was pleasantly surprised at it's dark charm and subdued terror. I definitely believe that this director is one to look out for, the writer as well. They each can be the next great voices in horror. Would I watch this wonderful horror film again? Uhhh, yeah!!