THE DEVIL BELOW (2021)

| Horror, Thriller |

Director(s): Bradley Parker

Writer(s): Eric Scherbarth, Stefan Jaworski

Cast: Adan Canto, Will Patton, Jonathan Sadowski

Release Date (Theaters): Mar 5, 2021  Limited

Release Date (Streaming): Mar 5, 2021

Runtime: 1 hr. 30 mins.

SYNOPSIS:

Investigating an urban legend about an abandoned coal mine in Appalachia, a group of scientists/adventurers come across a threat far bigger than they expected.

SUMMARY:

There is an abandoned place nestled deep in Appalachian country where underground coal mines have been ablaze for decades. When a team of researchers try to find out how the fires started, they soon discover something more startling than the mystery that sent them there: they’re not alone.

REVIEW:

In the upcoming horror thriller “The Devil Below” from director Brad Parker an abandoned Appalachian mining town holds a dark and deadly secret. Back in the 1970s the tight community of Shookum Hills was decimated by what was ruled an “environmental disaster”. As a result the town burned to the ground and as many as 1,000 miners and their family members vanished. Now it’s as if the town and the events that occurred there has been wiped off the map and from everyone’s memory.

“The Devil Below” has a setting that grabs you and Parker soaks his film in atmosphere. And while it does stumble with a couple of head-scratching character choices and some all-to-familiar genre moments, there’s more than enough mystery and fleet-footed tension to keep things fun and entertaining. Good performances fill out the under 90-minute runtime, keeping our focus forward and leaving little time to question the logic of what we’re seeing. It does leave some of the characters too thinly sketched, but the story has just enough grit and suspense to keep things entertaining.