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With: Tony Todd, Krista Grotte Saxon, Monaye Moyes, Vincent M. Ward, Meberate Brooks, Wil Crown, Dennis W. Hall, Michael Cervantes, Kole Benfield, Jon Briddell, Meghan Carrasquillo, Jaida-Iman Benjamin, Jessamine Kelley, Jackie Quinones, Kelsey Caesar
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Written by: Thomas J. Churchill, based on a story by Vincent M. Ward
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Directed by: Thomas J. Churchill
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MPAA Rating: R for bloody violence
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Running Time: 93
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Date: 06/09/2023
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Shovel It
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Suffering mightily from its small budget, questionable performances, odd dialogue exchanges, and a general lack of suspense or direction, this supposed horror movie is laughable, but also mostly dull.
Lexi (Monaye Moyes) wakes up in the hospital, claiming that she and her friends were attacked by a being known as Devilreaux, and only she has survived. Lt. Bobbie Briggs (Krista Grotte Saxon) takes her statement, and then has dinner with Peter Turner (Jon Briddell), who explains that the Devilreaux is real, and that he's after everyone in Peter's bloodline.
In flashback, we meet brutal slave-owner Mr. Michaels (Dennis W. Hall), who has impregnated one of his slaves, Sally (Meberate Abajian), and causes the death of her husband Leonard (Tony Todd). Years later, Sally and Leonard's grown son, Baron (Vincent M. Ward) is killed by White men for speaking to a White woman. With help from some voodoo, becomes Devilreaux and vows revenge (using the shovel that he was killed with).
Back in the present, Lexi recounts her story as Devilreaux stalks and kills her friends in a remote house after playing a "game" that re-awakens the demon. It's up to Bobbie and Lexi's boyfriend Dylan (Kole Benfield) to investigate the scene of the crime and try to uncover the mystery of the monster.
Devilreaux confuses right away with its wordy, rambling description of just what a "Devilreaux" is, but just wait, because there's a long, boring flashback sequence to help explain things further. Some exchanges here are just bizarre, such as Lt. Briggs subjecting Lexi to a lie detector test while she's in her hospital bed. Characters often say the same things or ask the same questions over and over, for no reason, and other times, they just appear to be filling time with idle chit-chat. And, in general, the movie's chintzy look and awkward editing make things feel overwhelmingly amateurish.
It's likely that the filmmakers were going for something in the vein of Candyman, having stolen both the actor Tony Todd from those movies, as well as some of their ideas (and thanking Clive Barker in the closing credits as an "inspiration"). But stealing ideas and re-using them interestingly are two entirely different things. Devilreaux falls short on all counts.
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