I Trapped the Devil

I Trapped the Devil is an austere shocker worth checking out.

A horror film more interested in sustained dread than easy answers. Scott Poythress gives a memorably unhinged performance.

A promising debut despite its flaws.

It proves Lobo an able helmer (if one who could probably use a co-writer next time), eking decent atmospherics and good performances within a potentially claustrophobic premise.

Unfortunately, for all the debuting filmmaker's talent for creepy atmospherics, I Trapped the Devil feels draggy and attenuated even with its brief 82-minute running time including credits.

By seesawing between bland normalcy and hellishness, Lobo denies his audience the immersive horror that his film's best images promise.

If you think of it as a film, you will scream for the sweet, blissful release of an axe buried in your head. But if you view it as a video version of the book The Idiot's Guide To 8mm Filmmakin, there are a number of useful lessons.

There's something to appreciate in this seemingly simple little film for any horror fan.

Lobo has an interesting eye for visual aesthetics but there's not really anything else that I'd recommend here.

I Trapped the Devil ultimately has just enough meat on its bones to stick with viewers willing to plunge into its grim, nightmarish world.