User reviews

While traveling from California to Bangor through a lonely road, Carrie Mitchel (Daryl Hannah) is advised by the gas station attendant Jimmy (Twan Holliday) to rest in a hotel; however, she decides to continue driving through the night. Later she almost hits the teenager Amy Singer (Leah Gibson) that is wandering on the road wounded with blood on her face. She gives a lift to Amy that tells that her friends from the Boston University Mike (Luke Camilleri), Greg (Jeb Beach), Tammy (Maria Gruending) and Lisa (Lee Tomaschefski) and she had traveled in a RV to Arrowhead to research the area as part of a discipline in their course. When they stopped in a gas station, the attendant Billy (Daniel Probert) advised them to avoid the place in Bradford City called "Devil's Playground" by the locals. While digging in an area where a mine collapsed on 19 December 1967 killing 239 coal miners, they find preserved bones that they believe belonged to the Indians. However, when they find teeth with golf fillings and a watch on the wrist of an arm, they realize that the deaths have recently occurred and they are in a dangerous location.

"The Cycle" is another forgettable rip-off of an overworked genre that was successfully explored in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", "The Hills Have Eyes", "Wrong Turn" and other sub-products of the slash. The plot point is silly and flawed, and abuses of the clichés. Daryl Hannah's character has minor participation along the story and surprisingly there are viewers that wrote good reviews of this flick. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Terra Maldita" ("Damned Land")

"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.

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.

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.

Typical horror crap with an idiotic ending. Could have at least had an evil hick with a brain. I've seen ratings above 7 that complain about other imdb reviewers. Hey, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Don't hate because they don't agree with you. Did you have something to do with the production of this film? If so then sure you'll love it. I found it trivial and predictable. And I'm sure many will disagree. But...hey, that is my opinion.

The movie was boring at the beginning and got interesting the last half hour more or less. Some shots were very clever. I really liked them. If you expect to see a lot of Daryl Hannah, don't. Her role is actually pretty small. As for the other actors in this film most of them are really bad. At the end the story becomes a little more complicated and it leaves you with some questions about the plot but I am sure you won't stay awake at night thinking about them. Don't expect a lot from this film because if you do you will be disappointed. If you see it for what it is (a b-movie with some interesting twists in the story) you won't be that annoyed by it.

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.

The Devil's Ground is a surprisingly effective entry in the ubiquitous "tourists attacked by deranged yokels" horror genre. This excursion into dangerous rural America works due to a bright script, an even brighter cast, a spooky soundtrack, and cinematography that captures the eerie flavor of the deep woods where our heros meet their fate. Although everyone's favorite 50 Foot Woman, Darryl Hannah, is top billed, the real star of the film is Leah Gibson, a newcomer who portrays terror, pathos and felicity with ease. As for Ms. Hannah, she plays a character who starts out neurotic, lurches into someone vaguely complicit, and ends up being another sad victim of fate. (Intrigingly, Hannah got her start in a superficially similar film, 1983's The Final Terror.) The hair-raising finale takes several unexpected twists and turns, and the ending is as grim as one could want in this type of film. (Any horror film worth its salt does not end on a happy note!) The screenplay also brings up a theme of interest; are corporate crimes of the past sufficient grounds for punishing future generations? Or, should the guilt for these misdeeds be buried along with the original victims? My only complaint is that the murders - which after all are what the viewer is looking forward to - are edited in such a brisk, almost subliminal manner that it is difficult to discern what is going on. This quick-cutting is a tendancy of most recent horror films, but I still prefer the old-school method of lingering on moments of terror for maximum impact. Still well worth a look.

I really did like this movie for several reasons and why it has received negative reviews is still a mystery. But the movie was good and I'm going to give it a 7 because it did have a good storyline and good acting as well. To be short, it was a story inside a separate story that led it to a twist ending that was not expected and will leave you thinking and there may even possibly be a part 2. You will need to judge this movie for yourself and ignore these people who say they never post and gave it a 1 of 10. I did find it leaning more toward horror then thriller but either way a good movie is a good movie.

Started quite well, continued well. We've seen plenty of these but still kept the viewer interested to a good extent. Come the end, the first twist at the gas station, nothing new but still kinda fitted. But after (whatever they were trying) it just ddnt work, not for me. Left a lot of holes and a lot of questions.

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+

The beginning of the movie shoes Daryl Hannah driving , smoking, and listening to what sounds like a rip off version of freebird, by lynrd skynrd.

Movie was okay.

First of all, this is an absolutely excellent horror flick that I have seen multiple times on cable and I still don't get sick of it. This is the type of story that you have to watch at least twice to grasp. If you like horror your in for a ride with this one. Let me just pick apart some of the more idiotic reviews here by these armchair critics who try to compare the horror genre to regular movies. Let me break it down for you idiots:

First of all this is Horror. We as horror lovers don't always expect clever plots and we don't expect everything to be breakthrough movie or something with a "statement". And cliché can be good in the horror business and sometimes can make the movie really fun and sometimes nostalgic of simpler times. My point is that the Horror genre plays by strict rule sets so please STOP with your crap reviews. You people take yourselves too seriously actually thinking that someone gives two craps what you think and your "opinion". Us horror lovers only want a few things:

1)Good realistic gore

2)A clever story(Not always needed) that MAY OR MAY NOT be similar to other horror styles and genres

3)Decent acting is not always neded especially when its not tongue and cheek, but true horror needs good actors

4)A decent production, direction, sets, etc

5)Characters we recognize from other legendary horror movies

The Devils Playground delivers in spades on all of the above except the scream queen, but we get Daryl Hannah which is a very worthy stand in. Now, let me clarify something that really needs clarification again for those real smart people here at IBMD, "There is no such thing as a rip off or "cliché" in a Horror movie", Or let me rephrase that. You should never, EVER bash a movie because it bears similarities to other horror flicks. I can tell the reviewers writing these reviews weren't around in the 80's to watch the tens of thousands of Zombie/Slasher/Low quality movies released. If these bashers were around they wouldn't set out to see a movie like this. Let face it the internet allows us to check up on and watch movies we would never even looked at before. So Only real horror movie lovers wouldve watched most of the independent horror flicks. I think had these "bashers" been loved horror since the 80's they maybe actually able to understand the Horror genre and give these guys a break.

So, when it comes to horror you don't rate like you would a drama or a romance andif you do you have no business voting or even watching horror movies. Don't you know because you all sound like broken records on every single horror movie thread? Go be a movie reviewer somewhere else please and let us, The real horror movie lovers rate horror movies..Or lighten up. I mean you will never catch me rating romance movies which are just as, if not more repetitious then horror movies. Hell all movies have influenced by other and have similarities to others

And to the repetitive reviewers with the same old post: the plot is filled with holes. Um no. The plots are usually as simple as they can get its your attention span thats filled with holes.

I am just SO sick of these idiots trying so hard to bash these movies and ruining all their ratings. I never know what to watch because of it. Isn't it obvious to these people that they're not really horror fans?? Just because you liked The Descent and Paranormal activity doesn't make you a horror buff.

To the die-hards:

This a winner. Great flick, great story, great gore, and even a great twist. This movie is very original in its own right no matter what people say. Comparisons to Texas Chainsaw are non-existent just more crap from idiots reaching far and wide. This is a winner. I promise.

7 stars and it deserves every star!

I want to agree with the reviewer Jon Doe. They did a great job with what they had. Yes the acting could have been better, yes the script could have been better. But the music was great, the outdoor scenes were good, and if you are a hardcore horror fan, you should check out this movie - it is a good popcorn movie with friends.

I also want to agree that although these ideas have been used before, they are good ideas, and that is why they are copied.

The movie has a good climax also.

The bare midriffs on the girls is always a nice touch. The lead actress has a face to forget, but a body to love.