THE STORY FOR I TRAPPED THE DEVIL, GOES LIKE THIS… It’s Christmas and family reunions are prevalent at this time of year. Matt (AJ Bowen) and his wife Karen (Susan Burke) decide on an impromptu visit to Steve’s house and he is not happy. What will he do about the man in his basement? I Trapped the Devil is an IFC Midnight release streaming on HULU.
How will he explain the devil is waiting for them and intends to destroy the world as we know it? Steve (Scott Poythress) didn’t intentionally plan for a hellish Christmas but Hell came to him first.
The Howling Man & I Trapped the Devil
After I saw this film, I heard it was based on a 1960’s Twilight Zone episode called The Howling Man. In fact, many who have already seen this movie have cited the similarities between the two.
When I referenced this on a site I use to jot down my initial impression of a film, Josh Lobo, the director reached out and mentioned that he, in fact, didn’t think he drew a lot from the original story. “It’s more of a tone poem,” he said. Overall, there were a few aspects of the I Trapped the Devil narrative that wasn’t crystal clear for me.
The Narration and Plot for I Trapped the Devil
The story of Steve is told with very little narration. Certain scenes within the film delve into movie culture portrayals of the man who calls himself Satan. Little bits of information about how to recognize him are offered by Steve as he reveals his long-standing mission of researching. Steve warns his brother Matt and his sister-in-law that the man in his basement can change himself into anything he thinks is fitting for the situation at hand. It’s pointed out that the Devil goes unnoticed in his work simply because we humans are massive in numbers on a global scale and mostly do the work for him by being inherently flawed.
His brother has arrived with his wife Susan to a less than welcome reunion. In fact, Steve says in no uncertain terms that they must leave. When Matt responds angrily that he will not be leaving, he has a nose bleed. The phone rings incessantly, Steve seems completely paranoid and cagey and the house is a mess. Over the course of this first evening, we see a television come to life and upon it emerges visions that seem to scare Steve. The more Matt and Susan probe him about what’s going on the less he seems to want to open up. And then he does. He shows them the basement.
Aesthetically Amazing
Aesthetically, I Trapped the Devil is often dark but a fitting backdrop for everything the film contains. The score, a mixture of intense instrumental and piano is the perfect accompaniment for everything happening on screen. It often enables more tension to be applied to situations that seem relatively normal. The music for this piece was extremely well orchestrated. A red light douses anyone in the basement and the haunting voice of the trapped man (Chris Sullivan) is as smooth as one would expect from such an unearthly creature. Or is it? The ‘man’ urges Susan and Matt to set him free, be with his family, and do other things you’d expect from someone who is not, in fact, the devil to say.
The husband and wife immediately want no part of this hostage situation. They infer that Steve is unhinged and try to figure out what to do next. Steve’s desperation to ensure the man remains captured becomes extreme and from here the chaos and madness begin to unravel.
I Trapped the Devil is a lot more clever than I initially thought. At face value, for many, it will be a lot harder to gauge. The element of surprise in the ending or for those that have never heard of The Howling Man will find this rather uneventful on first watch. Those that know the gist going in, will find it far more compelling.
Josh Lobo
Overall though, Josh Lobo’s emergence onto the film-making scene is exciting. He has quite the penchant for creating a spooky and tense atmospheric ride and I can’t wait to see his next project.
I give I Trapped the Devil
3 less is more, but sometimes less is less effective out of 5
More Films From IFC Midnight
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Slight Spoiler Summarisation For I Trapped the Devil
I Trapped the Devil, is not a fast-paced film, but rather a slow burn. Had I not sought to watch The Howling Man, I must say, I found the ambiguity of the narration here a little hard to follow. I’m not up to speed with the powers of the devil and simply theorized that Steve was mad.
