Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
So Chicago Comic Con/Wizard World just wrapped up here yesterday, and one of the absolutely highlights of the film program (which included an appearance by CENTURION director Neil Marshall and a screening of the great doc THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS) was the first-ever look at an extended clip from the upcoming release DEVIL, from filmmakers Drew and John Erick Dowdle. The film is the first from the production house known as The Night Chronicles, featuring story ideas from M. Night Shyamalan (who also produced), who hand selects up-and-coming directors and screenwriters to bring them to the screen. I would liken the idea to a "Twilight Zone"-style anthology, but with feature films instead.
After opening the panel with the trailer for DEVIL, the Dowdles discussed as much as they could about the films plot, but we ended up talking more (thanks to some great audience questions) about the way the film was made in terms of claustrophobic atmosphere, lighting, sound design, etc., as well as how hands on Shyamalan was with this production. Then we premiered exclusively a five-and-a-half-minute clip involving a moment in the film where the younger woman trapped in the elevator is apparently bitten when the lights go out. You see a glimpse of the scene in the trailer, but this clip revealed that another of the five persons in the enclosed space has blood on him when the lights come back on. As much as he tries to hide it, the blood is noticed. The masterful Bokeem Woodbine really stands out in the sequence as the security guard stuck in the elevator. Meanwhile, on the ground floor, the maintenance/security team is attempting to fix the elevator problem, not realizing that its being stuck is likely the work of some sort of supernatural force and not a mechanical difficulty.
The Dowdles made it clear that in DEVIL there would be long moments of pitch black screen, and that they truly leaned on their sound designers to fill those spaces with eerie noises. They also discussed the methods they used to make the elevator feel just a little bit smaller, and how they worked closely with their cinematographer, the legendary Tak Fujimoto (THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE SIXTH SENSE, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, SIGNS) to lights such a ridiculously tight space.
I was fortunate enough to talk to the Dowdles minutes after they got off stage at Chicago Comic Con, and they are two of the nicest individuals you will ever meet, so much so that they were willing and able to talk about things such as the fate of and reaction to one of their previous films, THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES. I give them credit for not shying away from the tough questions and for setting the record straight in some cases. I think you'll enjoy their honesty and the entire interview, and I'll have that for you closer to the release date of DEVIL, which is September 17.
Many more interviews to be posted before the week is out. Stay tuned…
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
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