Worth: $12.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Jessie Buckley
Intro:
... it never really goes anywhere interesting, and it takes too long to get there.
Anyone with even a casual interest in serial killers would have heard of HH Holmes. Frequently touted as “America’s first serial killer”, Dr. Henry Howard Holmes was infamous for building a “Murder Castle” full of traps and secret passageways where the mad bastard stalked and slaughtered hundreds of people in the 1800s.
It’s a fascinating and deeply morbid story that continues to resonate throughout the years. The only problem? It’s mostly bullshit. Holmes, as well as being a dodgy wanker, was also a con artist and while he did indeed murder some folks (estimates suggest about nine), it wasn’t done in anywhere near as cinematic a fashion as shonky historical records, and Holmes himself, would suggest. Still, you know what they say: never let the truth get in the way of a good story and the imperfect new Dark Pictures Anthology game The Devil in Me certainly embraces that philosophy.
The Devil in Me tells the story of a group of documentary filmmakers who have been invited to an exact replica of HH Holmes’ Murder Castle built on a remote island. Soon after they arrive, things take a macabre turn and before long they’re not fighting for good footage but rather their lives. It’s a solid, if familiar, premise for a spookshow, but the problem is it never really goes anywhere interesting and it takes too long to get there.
On the plus side, there’s a pretty decent voice cast assembled, including the great Jessie Buckley (I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Men), and some of the kills are fun in a B-grade splattery kind of way. On the downside, there’s the aforementioned pacing issues, some truly ropey writing – particularly with the character interactions – and some oddly clunky animation issues throughout.
It’s strange, when Supermassive Games develops titles like Until Dawn and The Quarry, they do much better work than their Dark Pictures Anthology titles. Is it a difference in budget size? An alternate pool of writers? An ancient Summerian curse? Regardless of the reason, The Devil in Me feels like a lesser entry in the series, never really rising above the level of adequate diversion for a rainy weekend. Much like HH Holmes himself, The Devil in Me talks a big game but can’t quite deliver.
