Devil

Five people stuck in a high-rise elevator begin dying one by one, and a hyper-religious security guard watching on a monitor believes one of them is the Devil himself—but which? Meanwhile, a police detective (Chris Messina) races to get into the elevator and stop the carnage. The first in producer M. Night Shyamalan’s Night Chronicles series (from his story, written by Brian Nelson and directed by John Erick Dowdle) feels, in fact, just like a Tales From the Crypt episode stretched out to 80 minutes, and the padding results in a number of loose ends and red herrings. Still, the movie does have its unpleasant pleasures: Nelson’s dialogue is terse and convincing, given the premise, and Dowdle ratchets up the suspense with economical efficiency. The final twist, while a stretch, is highly satisfying.