Devoured is the latest psychological Horror movie by emerging Writer Marc Landau and Director Greg Olliver (Lemmy 2010, Johnny Winter: Down & Dirty 2014). Featured at a number of film festivals, Devoured now gets a released by Secret Weapons Films via Video on Demand as of September 2nd 2014.
- Still from Devoured
The movie starts by showing Detective Cruthers (David Conley- The Departed 2006, Surrogates 2009) investigating the death of young mother Lourdes (Marta Milans- Shame 2011, Valientes 2010,). The audience is then taken back to Lourdes going to work at a restaurant called Restaurant Francais that night. She spends her nights cleaning the restaurant and sleeps during the day. Working constantly to save money for her son Oliver’s life saving operation that lives in El Salvador, Lourdes often feels alone and solitary.
It is a lonely existence for Lourdes, she does not socialize much and she is not accepted by her working peers. In fact, her boss Kristen (Kara Jackson- Confessions of a Shopaholic 2009, Why Can’t They All Be Like Johnny Depp 2014) is quite rude and nasty towards Lourdes while the male staff is sexually aggressive towards her. Despite this, Lourdes makes sure she calls her mother to speak to Oliver in English every night, as Oliver hopes to live in America with his mom when he is better. In an effort to make even more money, Lourdes succumbs to the advances of wealthy customers’ sexual advances, and her frame of mind starts becoming much darker. Each day and night is very much the same, until one night at work, strange things start happening. Lourdes starts seeing some frightening images and starts to believe the restaurant is haunted. When events at the restaurant become even scarier and invasive, Lourdes does not know where to turn. She meets a nice FDNY man, Frankie Callahan (Bruno Gunn- Guiding Light, Bad Teacher 2011), who she confides in only to have him be taken by the dark forces that seem to inhabit her place of work, leaving her to face her fate alone.
- Still from Devoured
The in-house security camera footage throughout the film is often ambiguous and keeps the audience guessing as to what is really going on. Is the restaurant serving its ‘customers’ to its customers, or is the place haunted by a deep dark evil? The shots of the food preparation are very visceral, and almost animalistic in their style, making the viewer wonder what their place is in the film. Excellently acted with an impeccable plot that is tightly woven, neatly twisted and turned, while pulling the viewer in from the very beginning. Milans puts so much depth into the character of Lourdes that her pain, agony, and guilt for having to leave her sick child are extremely vivid. Devoured is as creative and dark as The Machinist (2004) and Memento (2000), but is much more intense, showing things from a woman’s perspective that has a child. It is important to watch the film closely for all the little clues and cues in unexpected places, but those who have difficulty grasping everything need not worry as the film is neatly wound up at the end. It is definitely a movie to watch over and over; assuring the audience will likely see something new each time. CrypticRock give Devoured 5 out of 5 stars.
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