ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Leofwine_draca A clear rip-off of Ben Wheatley's KILL LIST, THE DEVIL'S BUSINESS is a hopeless travesty of a film. Shot almost entirely in the dark with mainly just two actors on the screen, it sees a couple of hit-man - a seasoned professional and his rookie apprentice - visiting a house to carry out a hit. Once there they find the place deserted so they sit round for about an hour of screen time, waiting for him to show up.The story is extraordinarily low budget so this needed a fantastic script to make up for it. Sadly there isn't one. The acting is hopeless, particularly on the part of the inexperienced younger guy, but it's the dialogue that crushes the life from this one. There's a ten minute monologue which is one of the dullest ever and has no real connection to the central story, as tenuous as that is. It appears somebody researched the life of Aleister Crowley and decided to do a modern-day version of the tale but the effort is entirely unsuccessful. Indeed THE DEVIL'S BUSINESS is the worst horror film I've seen in a long time, and that comes from somebody frequently exposed to the worst late-night excesses of The Horror Channel.

jessicafischerqueen This film benefits by taking the time to develop an interesting dynamic between the two lead characters. The "old pro" vs the "rookie" is a shopworn premise, but it's carried off with good humour and even pathos here. We definitely care what might happen to both of them. Because the movie takes its time on character development, the surprising finale has all the more impact. I say "surprising" even though the film's title is somewhat of a spoiler, because the screenplay and narrative remains firmly in a realistic mode until the closing segment. The demonic character appears at the end and reveals that he was always in control of the situation, and in a most horrific manner. The actor portraying a man in league with the Devil employs an understated style that only adds to his menace. This film is the opposite of the all too-often comic bookish treatment of this familiar cautionary tale, and it stands out from the pack because of it. The subdued deep blue lighting, both inside and outdoors, lends an air of oppressive claustrophobia and impending doom. This film is a fine example of how a good idea, good screenplay, and good acting can turn a very low budget affair into a gem. Independent horror at its best.

captain-balrog I can't think of another instance where I've felt the need to comment on a film that wasn't especially good, or especially bad. I think it might be because this film is nearly brilliant.--- THE SPOILER ---It's the end that lets it down. I don't mean the homunculus. I do like a homunculus. I mean how it was done. I can't say there was anything wrong with any of the elements, and I think the bit where the dead bloke leads the homunculus away like a child could have and should have worked really well. Maybe just poor execution of a good idea.--- END SPOILER --- A lot of the film was really nicely acted and it did a great job of building tension. Billy Clark's monologue about the dancer at the club was excellent. He really stole the show for me. I suppose a bloke from Belfast his age working as a hit man for a mainland gangster is nicely plausible now that the local hooding industry has dried up. Even so I thought he really carried some real menace, and it's just nice to see a fellow Belfastard in a central role once in a while.It's also nice to see another film about the occult. It was all the rage back in the 80s but it's really fallen out of favour in the last decade or two. The very mighty House of the Devil seems to have revived it a little, and I'm very much in favour. The Devil's Rock, The Devil's Business – Bring back films with 'The Devil' in the title! Overall I think this film deserves a six for a brilliant first fifty minutes.

FlashCallahan Even though it's just over an hour long, this movie is very taut and tense for the majority of it's duration.Two hit men, on a new boy and one a veteran, are waiting for the eponymous Kist, who for some reason needs to be killed. He is at the opera and should be home after midnight.after a few exchanges, the hit men check the area, and find some very disturbing things in the garage, that could indicate some kind of devil worship is going on.After they find the body of a child, they realise all is not well.Kist arrives home and is killed. On their way out of the house, one realises that he has left his watch, on entering the house, Kists body has gone...Yes, the movie is so much like Kill List, that you know that something will change the whole of narrative and the genre before the final act, but, considering the lack of sets and the tight budget, it's very surreal and atmospheric.This is partly thanks to some use of wonderful lighting, and a fantastic monologue by Pinner about Eddie, and his cheating wife.The trouble is that the film gets a little too bonkers for it's own good come the end. I would accept the fact that Kist could be resurrected due to Paganism, but did you really have to go all 'Don't Look Now' at the end.Fans of kill list should see this, for the most part, it's excellent.