The Devil Plays

THE DEVIL PLAYS is about what happens when a group of people gather at a mansion to play a game called "Murder". When the clock strikes midnight, the game begins, "deaths" occur, and a mysterious woman lurks about.

Later that morning, the game becomes real when someone is found dead. The police arrive to start their investigation, with a house full of suspects. As the case broadens, the cops go outside of the mansion for clues.

Then, a second murder is committed, literally, under their noses! Making matters worse, the deed was done using the very same weapon... which was in police custody!

How is this possible?

A great old-old school murder mystery, complete with a gaggle of interesting characters, and a big, final revelation. Highly entertaining...

I am writing this review as a counterpoint to the other review. Although I agree with all that was written, it completely misses the point of why this movie is enjoyable. It is the chance to see several veteran players of the silent cinema playing without the restraint of being just bit actors and dress extras, which was their more frequent fate. Sure the material is junk and they would much rather have been working as stars at Metro or Paramount. But the reality was that this was their life, it was a living, and they kept soldiering on. Here is betting that they all had a good laugh after each scene and appreciated that in 1931 any job was a good job.

I usually love these old parlor mysteries but this one started with a thud that just got more boring as the film dragged on and on. To say the acting was stiff is an incredible understatement. Thomas E. Jackson played the Inspector with Lew Kelly providing "comic relief" that made you wish the killer would strike again and put us all out of their memory. The doctor, played by an uncredited George "Gabby" Hayes diagnosed that a decanter of water had been drugged by tasting it. The mystery writer/amateur detective ran rings around the cops as expected but was just as useless at solving the crime. The only crime here was the 63 minutes that was stolen from me (no wonder Hayes didn't want to be listed as being in this turkey). I never expect a masterpiece from a Chesterfield poverty row production but most of them at least have a coherent story. I wonder if the screenwriter decided who the killer was or they just drew lots for it 3/4 of the way through the film. There's a lot of movies better than this one. Don't waste your time.

The flick's a pre-Code detective story. Pretty clearly it's meant as nothing more than a 60-minute programmer, with a no-name cast, an indoor narrative, and a script that generates little suspense. It's a series of murders in a mansion with several high-class couples as suspects. However, the whodunnit never really ignites since the bland uninteresting characters come and go in haphazard fashion. The only spark is the comedy relief cop (Kelly) whose eye-rolling and Karloff-like mug attract some interest. I kept hoping the filming would go outdoors so maybe we could see some of those gas belching tin flivvers from that era. No such luck. But do catch the ladies' many cloche hats so popular during the fashionable 20's. At the same time, there's no real evidence of that uncensored pre-Code period, though the ladies do model some eye-catching apparel. Anyway, I gather the movie was lost for many years, but has since been found. It may not be a big boon for entertainment, but does catch the flavor of its time. So, here's to historical, if not artistic, completeness.

A stiff, static early talkie mystery that has no recognizable (today) actors in it, which is especially impactful in the case of the men, who all pretty much look, sound and dress alike: it is particularly hard to tell those with a mustache apart. The killer seems to be chosen at random at the end, without much regard for sense or motivation. The budget is so low that the entire movie takes place in two or three (under-decorated) sets. There is some promise in the idea of a mystery-novel detective getting involved in a "real-life" murder....but so many other movies have used that idea better. *1/2 out of 4.