The Cycle

By no means groundbreaking, however The Cycle still manages to be a somewhat tense and rather entertaining film. The story is interesting and changes up enough to remain fresh all the way through. The acting was on the mark (even the over-actors you can't help but like) and the action did well to keep you on edge. The death scenes would have benefited from a little more attention as they are a bit on the tame side and over too quickly. Overall I don't see the film as being something that will stick with you long after viewing however it does provide for an entertaining viewing. I would recommend giving it a chance.

"Devils Ground" is a fairly average slasher movie, though it has some resemblance to "Wrong Turn" and "The Hills Have Eyes", without being a copy of either of those movies.

What puzzled me was seeing Daryl Hannah appear as the first name in the movie, despite her role wasn't the lead role. But guess having a relatively known name like hers in the movie and flaunting it that way is the way to lure people in.

As for the story told in "Devils Ground", then I thought it was actually good, and the plot managed to keep me hanging and wanting to see what would happen next. And there was a nice twist of storyline towards the end, and I for one, hadn't anticipated the story to take a turn like that. But it was a nice surprise nonetheless.

The cast in the movie was actually decent. I like Leah Gibsons portrayal of the role of Amy Singer, she was doing a good job with her character. And as usual, to me at least, it is always nice to see Daryl Hannah in a movie, I find her charismatic in a way. And Daniel Probert, in the role of Billy, was also really well cast, and he brought a lot of color to that role, and he played it quite well. I think it was somewhat of a shame that Twan Holliday's character Jimmy wasn't given more screen time than he had, because his character could have added a lot to the story. And Twan Holliday has a really distinct voice.

For a slasher movie, "Devils Ground" doesn't offer lots of blood and gore, but it has just enough killing to make it interesting. There was just the right amount of blood and mayhem to keep you lured in, so that worked well enough. However, being a slasher movie, I don't think that "Devils Ground" has enough impact to make a lasting impression, unless you are a fan of someone in the movie. It just lacks something to make it stand out, unfortunately. Then again, it has a really nice surprise twist to it, which many other slasher movies lacks.

I like horror movies, and I personally think that "Devils Ground" was actually a good enough entry to the horror genre, just a shame that it failed to leave a lasting impression.

Chompcrc here. Will someone in the horror genre please figure out how to end a movie? Seriously. The movie was ok, but it needed an ending. You know what it didn't need? The drool. The killer did not need to be drooling. We get it... he's deformed because of the bad water. He did not need the drool. Just end your next movie.

What a waste of time, cant believe i didn't turn it off sooner.. boring plot bad pacing. the actress playing amy singer was the only good actress. she was acting her heart out. the only good thing about this was the 911 call towards the end and a twist i didn't see coming. it was good then got stupid again.

A woman from California traveling through the back roads of Pennsylvania (Daryl Hannah) picks up a traumatized female, who was part of a student archeological team from Boston. The youths were interested in the local Indian burial grounds whereupon they discover some of the remains are quite recent. What's going on?

Released in 2009, "The Devil's Ground", aka "The Cycle," is a backwoods slasher in the "Wrong Turn" mold with some nods to the "Friday the 13th" flicks, i.e. A hulking masked assailant in the woods with a machete.

Without giving away vital revelations in the last act, the story comes down to a toxic waste, bitter yokels and some mysterious crows. The Indian burial ground functions simply to attract the out-of-state college students and isn't related to the other stuff, unless you view the grounds as sacred land that curses anyone who desecrates it. Let's be generous to writer/director Micheal Bafaro and go with that.

The striking Lee Tomaschefski stands out on the female front as Lisa, although she doesn't do much for me personally. Meanwhile Maria Gruending is worth a mention as Tammy and I like protagonist Leah Gibson's doe-eyed look.

The filmmaking is professional so this is worth checking out for those who appreciate backwaters horror, particularly of the slasher variety. Despite some eye-rolling script flaws, like the map contrivance and the youths constantly referring to the killer as "the monster," I'd watch this over "Wrong Turn." But it's not as entertaining as any of the "Friday the 13th" movies. For a similar Canadian flick that's more effective, see "Butchers" (2020).

The flick runs 1 hour, 28 minutes. It's a Canadian/Czech production, but I can't find specific info on filming locations; the credits list the British Columbia Film Commission, so I'm assuming that's where it was shot (thankfully they don't show the Cascades or Rockies in the background since the story is set in northwestern Pennsylvania).

GRADE: C+