Devil’s Due – Film Review

Devil’s Due is a catchy, clever title for an intriguing, if moderate Rosemary’s Baby clone, unfortunately filmed in shakycam, Paranormal Activity style, reducing its effect and appeal. There are a good few shocks and scares, and it stays reasonably involving so you never give up being interested in it. But it runs on way too predictable lines and it ends up with a pretty regulation resolution and finale.

Allison Miller and Zach Gilford play Samantha and Zach McCall, a newlywed couple who have a strange, final night on their honeymoon abroad when they get lost, get rescued by a cabbie and end up in a weird basement nightclub. Happy to be returning back to their nice USA home, which they find mysteriously unlocked, they soon have to deal with an earlier-than-expected pregnancy.

While recording everything for posterity on a minicam he’s been given as a wedding present, nice husband Zach begins to notice some very odd behaviour in his wife. And it quickly becomes evident that the dark changes to her body and mind have a very sinister origin.

Though incredibly derivative with its story of innocent mother giving birth to the Antichrist, it does have its moments, especially early on. But there is still a better film waiting to be born here. Relaxed and naturalistic, Miller and Gilford perform it all quite nicely, which is just as well because they have virtually the whole movie to themselves. The husband and wife relationship is credible and appealing, a good centre for the story.

Sam Anderson plays Father Thomas, the minister who marries them and ends up in hospital, Donna Duplantier is the nice hospital doctor who’s suddenly replaced by a creepy doctor, and Roger Payano is the creepy cab driver who gets them into trouble in the first place.

More characters would be better. More situations. More surprises. More plot. That kind of thing. All would be better. Oh, and drop the shakycam.

Lindsay Devlin writes, and V/H/S’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett direct. The found footage idea is tired now, guys.

Why does the actor share first name with the character he plays? It’s another mystery.

(C) Derek Winnert 2014 derekwinnert.com