The Night Devours

Director - Jason Hawkins (The Last Slay Ride, Cross Hollow)

Starring - Maddey Pierson (Zuzu: The Rough Cut, A Nightmare Uncovered), Jason Hawkins, and Jason Reynolds (Jason Rising: A Friday the 13th Fan Film, The Brain that Wouldn't Die)

Release Date - 2024

Genre - Horror

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      A lot of times I get films sent to my inbox that I had never heard about or know anything about.  It's hard to explain but getting to see a film before it's released is extremely exciting.  I get sent a lot of films to review and sometimes my greed and curiosity gets the best of me.  I often find myself swamped with films that I want to watch and review but I'm unable to do so in a timely manner.  One of the films that I agreed to check out recently is the 2024 horror film The Night Devours from director Jason Hawkins.  I've had this one on my list for a few weeks but couldn't get around to it until now.  I'm glad I made time for it because it was a lot of fun.  I want to take a moment to thank Jason for sending this one over to me.   

      The film follows a young man who grew up obsessing over his father and being accepted by him. However, his father often neglected and abused him which has boiled into a hatred inside him. Night lighting as a ridesharing driver, he meets his victims when they book a ride in his vehicle. After each murder he turns to his camera to explain why he does what he does and how his upbringing is responsible. 

      The Night Devours was surprisingly well done. I knew nothing about it prior to my viewing but once I realized it was done in a found footage/mockumentary way I was ready to abort. I'm not a fan of these types of films but this one worked for the most part. It has great atmosphere, great character development though it is a bit cliched at this point, and a solid story. I did enjoy it but there are several things that could have been done differently to improve the film. I loved the acting in this one. I have a problem with films having scenes where they are doing the whole MTV's Real World confessional style rants in front of the camera. It's always awkward and most of the time the actor is trying too hard to make it feel genuine. That is not the case here. It works and I felt the different emotions being channeled during each of these scenes. While these repetitive scenes did overstay their welcome, the acting is great. Teh story for this one is very clever but it would be far more effective as a short. The male killer with daddy issues finding victims while working a ride sharing job at night is very clever but, it does repeat itself. The ride sharing victims and the camera confessionals repeat themselves too many times. These scenes should have been done once or twice because without feeling monotonies. Finally, don't expect a bloodbath or a gory flick. The film is character driven with no real blood or practical effects for the viewer to enjoy. Overall, The Night Devours is a solid indie flick about a serial killer but it would have been more enjoyable if it was trimmed down. Regardless, it's worth your time so check it out.