I find it ironic that I’m reviewing a short film of this nature a day after a presidential election. No matter who you voted for or what side of the train tracks you’re on, historic events like this tend to bring out the worst in people. Folks argue that either candidate is on a power trip, money hungry and seeking fame. In Devil Town, Patrick Creedle embodies all of those things. A wealthy letting agent, Patrick is forever glued to his cell phone and electronics, chasing checks and money, and has a blatant disregard for anyone he sees as unequal to his accomplishments. On this day, however, he crosses paths with a mysterious, lower class man who gives him fair warning about events that are about to become reality. Patrick is skeptical and bothered, disrespectful and faithless, so it forces the other man to show him the horror that’s about to befall Devil Town.
I equated Devil Town to the presidential election above, so let me take a moment to expand on that equation a bit more. Patrick represents everything about society that we hate. You can find a piece of every scandalous elected official in him. The world is his oyster and he can do with it what he will. But instead of helping others and showing human kindness, Patrick only helps himself and others like him and forgets about the little people, the ones whose money and time got him into the position he’s in. Of course, this can only go on for so long before society turns on you and, in this case, rips you apart. Matthew Hebden and Johnny Vivash do a great job representing opposing forces in our world and their expert performances and character portrayals beg the question: who is the most evil? The one who embraces their power or the one who tries to take it from them?
Devil Town is written, directed and produced by Nick Barrett. Elina Alminas also stars alongside Hebden and Vivash. It features cinematography from Marcos Avlonitis and was co-produced by Michael Rilke and Stephanie Powers. It was an official selection at the InShort Film Festival and the Los Angeles Cinefest, as well as being selected as part of a supernatural anthology being produced by Dread Central and Ruthless Pictures due for release in 2017. Dread Central, you say? I’ve only mentioned the political, social and psychological themes in Devil Town, but yes, it is a horror film, too! Or supernatural-horror. The mysterious man that meets Patrick in the coffee shop is obviously an other-worldly villain, hiding his evil until he needs to whip it out. At first I thought he was portraying The Devil himself, but I think he’s just meant to be a demon… the demon of greed or a malevolent force that collects the most damaged souls on Earth. The horror doesn’t start until the end of this short film, but there’s still a lot of mystery and suspense that starts as soon as they pair meet up. It’s subconsciously creepy and you’ll know something is wrong from the start, long before Patrick does!
Devil Town succeeds because of its subtle use of horror and strong, thought provoking themes. I think it’s going to keep chugging along in the film festival circuit, so give it a shot if you see it on a line-up near you. Final Score: 6.75 out of 10.
