Although weighing in at a whopping two hours and eighteen minutes, this lengthy mystery film is a hard one to doze off to. With a long list of concerning dark subjects like suicide, murder, necrophilia, and rape, The Devil All The Time is home to various grim and gruesome tales as well as an interesting all-star cast.
Donald Ray Pollock’s debut novel was published in 2011 and split into seven parts with a focus on four main characters: a war veteran’s son, a preacher, and a husband and wife. The film version follows a similar structure, constantly going back and forth between these same four characters: Arvin Eugene Russell, Reverend Preston Teagardin, and Carl and Sandy Henderson.
Devil was directed by Antonio Campos and produced by Riva Marker, Randall Poster, Max Born, and Jake Gyllenhaal, who was most recently known for his involvement in the Marvel franchise as Mysterio. This film is also home to more Marvel alumni as its primary protagonist, Arvin, is played by none other than Marvel’s Spider-Man: Tom Holland and a sheriff in town is played by Sebastian Stan, the actor behind Winter Soldier in the Captain America movies.
Its jaw-dropping cast doesn’t stop there, however. Playing the role of the preacher is Robert Pattinson, one of the late-2000s most notable heartthrobs thanks to his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series (or if you’ve been on TikTok for too long: for his wonderful performance as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter… also on that note, there is a character in this movie who’s played by Harry Melling aka Dudley Dursley from Harry Potter! Devil definitely had a target audience in mind during casting season, am I right?… but alas, I digress. Lastly, to avoid gushing about this cast any longer, Bill Skarsgård, Jason Clarke, and Riley Keough all play significant roles in the film as well.
In all honesty, the first hour and a half are slightly lackluster. Although eventful, the story really picks up in its final half hour when the various side plots finally begin to match up and open to a bigger story. There are large jumps in time as the movie runs through nearly two decades and we get to watch Arvin’s entire life story unfold — from the moment his parents meet, to the tragedies he witnesses as a nine year old boy, and finally to the experiences he undergoes in his teenage years.
We first meet Arvin’s parents, a traumatized war veteran and a selfless waitress, when the two set eyes on each other in a diner post-war. Within the same day, we also get to witness the meeting of a photographer and a waitress who later wed and go by the names, Carl and Sandy Henderson. While the first couple move in together and eventually birth our protagonist, Arvin, the second couple goes on to do more memorable things — like begin their lifelong careers as serial killers.
The movie itself doesn’t have many visually frightening scenes (this is completely my opinion, though) but I will admit that there were moments I found myself wide-eyed and tight-lipped. The premise that everyone has a secret and that each turn will reveal another form of deceit and corruption often had me on the edge of my seat, feeling a bit anxious and paranoid.
For this reason, I’d argue that the movie does a great job of carrying out its plot. It may be a slow-burn, but I think each plot line is given its time to shine and viewers aren’t exposed to an abundance of unnecessary detail. While some horror movies incorporate multiple gory scenes in an attempt to pander to its audience and really drive its fear factor, Devil refrains from doing so. There are still some graphic images but really, the scariest part is how realistic everything is and how easy it was to get away with murder in the 50s and 60s.
Whether it be for its grim and gothic tales or for its outstanding ensemble, I would recommend giving The Devil All The Time a watch. Check out the trailer and see if you can find all the familiar faces that make an appearance in this eerie, slow-burn film. The movie is available on Netflix, starting September 16, 2020.