I could simply
say that Devil’s Due is the Rosemary’s Baby of found-footage horror films,
merely suggest that it is Paranormal Activity with a pregnancy, and that would
be enough to concisely and completely review this film. Unfortunately for me,
that would not be a very long review, so I will endure further consideration of
this transparent copycat in order to fulfill my job more completely. Let it be
known, however, everything I say from here on out will likely be as unnecessary
and redundant as Devil’s Due itself.
Devil’s Due is
book-ended with police station footage of newlywed Zach McCall (Zach Gilford)
in handcuffs being interrogated. This is pointless footage inserted with no
more interesting way of beginning and ending the film with found footage. The
fact that a majority of the found footage is also lost at a point in the film’s
plot is also a loose end never addressed. Really, it is all just a poorly
constructed utilization of this style of horror movie. At first it makes sense,
with the footage seen mostly from a wedding ceremony between Zach and his young
bride, Samantha (Allison Miller), along with their subsequent honeymoon. When
the reasons for continuing the filming after they return from the honeymoon
become more ridiculous, so does the execution of this tired premise.
We don’t need to
be told that Samantha is carrying a demonic seed in her belly, just like we
don’t actually need to see her date raped by a group of demon worshipers. It is
predictable to the very last frame, with only a few mildly amusing chills and
thrills along the way. It isn’t boring, but Devil’s Due is also a long way away
from being good. The Blu-ray released comes with an assortment of special
features to prove the filmmakers more enamored with themselves than their
product deserves. There is an audio commentary with directors Matt
Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, as well as the random addition of executive
producer Justin Martinez. The most engaging of the special features is likely to
be the alternate ending, mostly because of how terrible and predictable the
actual ending was. There are also additional deleted scenes and several
featurettes, not to mention the director’s personal photo album from the shoot.
It is far more attention than this film deserves.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4.5/10
Historical
Significance: 1/10
Special Features: 7.5/10
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