Devoured

this isn't your usual horror movie. it's slow moving but never boring, easy on the eye but always uneasy.

very well-acted and executed.

i liked the food preparation scenes, and very sympathetic to the protagonist.

it's gruesome, unpredictable, and sad.

if you are tired of slasher/monster/ghost horror,

then i would recommend it. if you're into the over-done gore then give it a miss. i have watched too many horror films to be cynical about this one which tries to do something different, and successfully.

6.6 of 10. It's rare that you get horror combined with a finely structured mystery and an Irreversible shout-out. That's what you get here. Great relative to most horror, pretty good as a film overall. Had more thought gone into the film's title, it would get another bump up.

There's an unspoken subplot in this film involving what crosses protect you from. But telling you how that turns out will spoil the ending.

The film as a whole could be discussed thoroughly about what other allusions and metaphors the film serves up on modern American society, immigrants, employment, and boss-worker relationships. Horror worthy of showing in a film school.

This movie is for the most part contained within a restaurant where Lourdes works as a cleaning woman to make money for her sick son's operation. We see the restaurant filled with patrons only once (early in the movie) and some close-ups of the chef's gloveless, grubby hands preparing food in the kitchen while people at the other end obliviously lap it up. For the most part though, it's after hours or before hours with Lourdes who is usually alone but sometimes with 2 other people who work at the restaurant. One is her boss, a real bitch who enjoys giving her a hard time. The other, a guy, is a first-class jerk who is always coming on to her and whose function at the restaurant beyond boffing the boss seems to be prepping meat (Don't laugh).

Lourdes is seeing and hearing things and believes the restaurant is haunted. We don't know if she is cracking up or actually experiencing certain things. But since we, the viewers, see things that she does not see because she --for example-- has her back turned, this would seem to be independent (of her) corroboration by us, the viewing audience that the restaurant is indeed haunted. Now when not mopping up, having strange experiences, and run-ins with her boss, Lourdes is (1) On the phone begging her mother to speak with her son. (2) Having personal fantasies --no, not that kind. (3) Talking to some guy she bumped into early in the movie when something spooked her and she ran out of the restaurant. (4) Desperately giving blow jobs and who knows what else to patrons for money (so we inferred anyway).

At the beginning of the movie I was captivated by it's style and anticipatory and intrigued by what was starting to happen with this woman; the things she was experiencing. What was behind them? But then the movie seemed to settle into a routine; her going to work, cleaning up, calling her mother, fantasizing about seeing her son and her friend, run-ins with her boss, and some curious unnatural experiences. I say "routine" because things didn't escalate as quickly as I would have liked. BUT THAT'S JUST ME, READER. You may have a different sense of pace should you choose to see the movie --AND YOU SHOULD, since it acquitted itself very well with a very interesting twist and explanation at the end. Well worth the wait. Love, Boloxxxi.

I will never understand how someone can rate this a 1, unless you have the attention span of a flea. I liked the main character, she was sad and vulnerable and I thought the acting was pretty good. It isn't straight horror, more like part ghost story, part thriller. It kept my attention throughout. It's not the happiest movie, quite depressing actually but well made.

I consider this film a Giallo which generally means a thriller and specifically an Italian thriller but has come to mean any thriller with high production values where the perp is hidden. I.E. Hitchcock or Dario Argento. This is not a "horror" movie. It is a great character study with beautiful cinematography, a nice story line that gets you invested in the characters and a wonderful atmosphere. I am generally a horror fan but I like Giallos and enjoyed this very much. I would say if you enjoyed movies like Suspiria or Rear Window, you will probably enjoy this. I do not compare this movie to those, but it may give you an idea of the type of movie it is. I was very impressed by the overall quality. That's pretty much why I am writing this review. I watch a lot of movies and a lot are sub par. This movie deserves more attention. No, I am not in any way related to anything to do with the production of this movie. I am just a fan of quality movies and a critic of horrible movies. Call me silly but I think that is what the reviews on IMDb are supposed to be about.