''Devil's Mile'' is a 2014 Canadian
horror film and the feature film
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
of Joseph O'Brien, who also wrote the script (developed in collaboration with producer Mark Opausky) and created the film's visual effects. The film premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 26, 2014 and was released on DVD and VOD on August 12, 2014. The film arrived on AMC's premiere horror streaming service
Shudder on May 11, 2020.
It stars Casey Hudecki,
Maria del Mar and
David Hayter
David Hayter is a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He is well known as the English-language voice actor for Solid Snake and Naked Snake in the ''Metal Gear'' video game series. He wrote the film ''X-Men'' and co-w ...
as a team of kidnappers who find themselves lost on a sinister stretch of highway where the laws of not only time and space, but life and death, no longer apply.
O'Brien cast the film with a mixture of newcomers and faces familiar to genre audiences. He re-united with Maria del Mar, having first worked with her on the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries
Robocop: Prime Directives, which he co-wrote. The physically-demanding lead role of Jacinta was written specifically for Casey Hudecki, whose background as a stage actor and stunt performer made her ideal for the part. O'Brien was already a fan of David Hayter's work as both a writer and actor, and was delighted when he agreed to join the cast as the villainous Toby after reading the script.
Synopsis
Toby (
David Hayter
David Hayter is a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He is well known as the English-language voice actor for Solid Snake and Naked Snake in the ''Metal Gear'' video game series. He wrote the film ''X-Men'' and co-w ...
), Cally (
Maria del Mar), and Jacinta (Casey Hudecki) are a fractious team of professional kidnappers who become lost while en route to deliver a valuable "package"—two teenage girls, Kanako (
Amanda Joy
Amanda Joy is a Canadian actress, screenwriter, comedian, satirist, and producer. She is best known for co-creating and starring in the Omni Television original series ''Second Jen''.
Early life and education
Joy studied vocal music at Cardinal ...
) and Suki (
Samantha Wan
Samantha Wan (born 1990 or 1991) is a Canadian actress, screenwriter, producer, and web series creator. She is known for co-creating, writing, and starring in the City television series '' Second Jen''. Since 2017, she has starred in the Global T ...
) -- to their employer Mr. Arkadi (
Frank Moore), a mysterious and terrifying mob boss. Tensions between the group reach critical mass after a botched escape attempt leaves Kanako dead, a failure that the notoriously cruel Arkadi will not forgive. As the survivors struggle to find an escape from the dire consequences awaiting them, they discover they have a bigger problem: Devil's Mile, the lonely stretch of highway they've found themselves on, seems to have no end. But when Kanako returns from the dead, transformed into a shape-shifting demonic entity (Shara Kim), they are forced to accept that the laws of not only time and space, but life and death, no longer apply. With no escape in sight, secrets are exposed, true identities are revealed, and one of them discovers that redemption can be had... at a terrible price.
Cast
*
David Hayter
David Hayter is a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He is well known as the English-language voice actor for Solid Snake and Naked Snake in the ''Metal Gear'' video game series. He wrote the film ''X-Men'' and co-w ...
as Toby McTeague
*
Maria del Mar as Callista "Cally" Chavez
* Casey Hudecki as Jacinta "JC" Ballantine
* Amanda Joy Lim as Kanako Kobayashi
* Samantha Wan as Suki Tsuburaya
* Frank Moore as Mr. Arkadi
* Adrienne Kress as Cally's Girlfriend
* Shara Kim as Demon
* Craig Porritt as The Caretaker
Reception
The film received polarized reviews. ''
Shock Till You Drop
Shock may refer to:
Common uses Collective noun
*Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names
* Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves
Healthcare
* Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emerge ...
'' panned the film overall, criticizing the film's script and direction, as they felt that O'Brien "goes overboard with the tricks and gimmicks." ''
Bloody Disgusting'' was also highly critical of the film and commented that they saw the film as being "weird for weirdness sake, without any real thematic or pulpy endgame in mind"
However, ''
Twitch Film
Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
'' praised the film's visual elements, script, and post effects, stating that "O'Brien displays the right amount of patience to get the right amount of tension out of his audience.", while ''
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book pro ...
'' enthused that the film "throws everything and a flaming kitchen sink at the bandits and the viewer.", while also noting "O’Brien ends up wrapping it up rather poetically with a few smart twists along the way."
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 2018136, Devil's Mile
2014 films
2014 horror films
2014 horror thriller films
2010s English-language films