6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
A man descends into paranoia after trapping what he believes to be the devil in his basement, but things take a dark turn when his family unexpectedly arrive for Christmas.
Starring: AJ Bowen, Susan Burke, Scott Poythress, Rowan Russell, John MarrottHorror | 100% |
Holiday | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Writer/director Josh Lobo doesn’t have many professional credits to his name. He’s a newcomer who’s taking the same path as many first-time helmers, turning to horror to figure out his big screen vision, trusting in a genre that’s typically very kind to such low-budget ambition. Thankfully, there’s little to forgive about “I Trapped the Devil,” which is accomplished work from Lobo, who bathes the feature in mood and style to dress up traditional suspense in different ways, pulling up a handsome effort with pockets of genuine unease. Labeling the movie slow-burn is being kind, but Lobo on a mission to make his contractually obligated run time, moving through the Christmastime nightmare inch-by-inch, making sure every corner of the endeavor is tended to. “I Trapped the Devil” takes its sweet time to get where it’s going, but the reward is a chance to see an obviously talented director take his first step with an eerie endeavor.
The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation frequently utilizes the color red, which bathes scenes set in the basement, dominating the palette. More Christmas hues are found upstairs, giving the movie an appealing balance of hotter primaries and natural colors, doing well with cold weather costuming and skintones. Detail is excellent, offering a fibrous look at red string walls and clothing, along with rougher surfaces for housing disrepair. Facial surfaces are intact, and eventual moves to gore are showcased with moist clarity. Delineation is healthy, easing entrance into scenes with limited lighting, preserving cinematographic depth and shadow play.
"I Trapped the Devil" is a movie that's primary interested in its sound design, often turning to spooky noises to carry the feature. The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix preserves the intense listening event, providing a nuanced delivery of sound effects, which explore electronic noises, banging doors, and gunshots, all presented with satisfactory clarity, joining crisp indoor and outdoor atmospherics as surrounds frequently perk up, creating circular environments. Dialogue exchanges are satisfactory, identifying emotional quirks and intensity as argumentative behavior enters the effort. Low-end does well with bass rumbles and slamming action.
"I Trapped the Devil" is a striking picture made with very little money. Cinematographer Bryce Holden bathes the effort in red lighting, adding intensity to simple basement exploration, and composer Ben Lovett is tasked with conjuring sonic agitation out of thin air, offering a score that works overtime to add atmosphere. Lobo has command of tech credits and mood, performances as well (the cast digs into the restlessness of the central conflict), but pacing is off at times, with the helmer extending what feels like short film material into a feature-length movie, lingering on stillness just to make it to 80 minutes. There's not enough here to get lost in, but Lobo has his moments, achieving a sense of the unreal and the unknown in "I Trapped the Devil," establishing a level of distress that can only improve with a more advanced screenplay or tighter editing interests.
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