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THE DEVIL'S GIFT (1984)
Directed by Kenneth J. Berton
Vestron Video VHS
Reviewed 01.11.07
Review by Dan Budnik
THE FILM
A Semi-Related Prologue. Two things.
1. Sometimes you really want to
give points for effort. 2. Occasionally
you can watch a film and have a)
no strong opinion, or b) what you
think might be a strong opinion
that peters out the longer you think
about it.
Just things to keep in mind. And
now, Bleeding Skull presents...The
Devil's Gift review.
There is a little toy monkey that
becomes possessed. A young boy is
given the monkey as a birthday gift.
Systematically, the monkey begins
to kill up the family food chain.
Only Dad knows what's going
on. Only he can stop the evil of
The Devil's Gift.
I'm not a big fan of the little
plot blurb in reviews but I do understand
their necessity. This one, however,
is different. The Devil's Gift
is a 90-minute movie and that is
the entire plot. I've read the following
statement in reviews before but
this is one of those films where
it really is true: This would have
made a decent half-hour or hour-long
Twilight Zone episode.
At its current length, all I can
do is applaud the efforts of all
involved. The film never lost me
but it rarely grabbed me. It moves
glacially from event to event. Not
a lot of surprise.
This film looks a lot like an Afterschool
Special that never really found
the issue it was after. There is
a widowed Dad raising a son in a
lovely Don Dohler-esque suburb.
He has a best friend next door who
he pals around with all the time.
Dad talks to his Mother regularly
and has a nice girlfriend. It all
seems like it's waiting for alcoholism
or some such malady to rear its
head. But, instead, we get a possessed
monkey toy.
In the book Terror on Tape,
James O' Neill calls it one of the
most boring movies ever made. Well,
it's not. It's not Speed
but then it's not Speed 2
either. And, I think the filmmakers
knew that (see the extras). Sadly,
I've now painted myself into a reviewer's
corner. I was generally more interested
when I watched this movie than when
I watched Love
Me Deadly. It doesn't have
the show-stopping necro scenes or
Lyle Waggoner, but it's more charming.
At the same time, I'd never pick
this film as one to show to a group
of friends.
So, what is the verdict?
If you come across The Devil's
Gift and you can slow yourself
down a bit (and have a taste for
Star Wars toys and paraphernalia
of the day), then give it a viewing.
It's never stupid. Just very slow.
But, I don't know that I'd hunt
for it although that's actually
what I did. I'm not sure you should
listen to me on this one.
I believe my Mother might like this
movie. She doesn't have a movie
review website up yet, though. (They
just moved into a new house. They've
been so busy.) I feel like I should
say more, but I keep running in
circles. I think I'm trying to counteract
the unfortunate inertia of the Devil's
Gift.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Sweet VHS, you treat me nice. The
film's look is comparable to an
old sweater. Nice, familiar and
comfortable. Although, like an old
sweater, it may make you a little
too warm and put you to sleep.
EXTRAS
None. Although...Merlin's Shop
of Mystical Wonders might be
a sort of extra except you have
to rent it separately. It is a semi-anthology
film (2 stories) directed by Kenneth
Berton, the director of The
Devil's Gift. Merlin's
Shop is about the modern-day
retail store that Merlin and his
wife run in, I believe, the Glendale,
CA area. Ernest Borgnine tells the
story of Merlin's shop to his grandson.
Within Ernest's story of Merlin's
story, there are several more stories.
One of them is a 40-minute abbreviated
version of The Devil's Gift.
There you go...I wanted a shorter
version. I got it. In the context
of Merlin's Shop, it works just
fine. All the charming local color
is gone. The one slightly disturbing
plotline (involving Dad's girlfriend,
the son and a smothering pillow)
is gone and the ending is changed.
But, it moves. Think Night Train
To Terror's abbreviating of
The Death Wish Club and
Cataclysm and you'll be
on the right track.
Of course, part of the reason why
the full length version is worth
watching is the characters and the
settings. So with those gone, it
become kind of a speedily-paced
time passer. But, it is fun to watch
The Devil's Gift and then
see how the filmmakers edited it
to fit another movie.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I have no strong opinions about
The Devil's Gift either
way. I can see that it's slow and
goes on for far too long, but a
part of me really liked it. I'm
not sure I can use that criteria
to send someone after a movie, however
-- not when The
Last Slumber Party remains
unwatched by at least one person.
If you know where I'm coming from,
you might want to find the film
and check it out. If you've got
a strong opinion on it, send over
an email. Maybe it will help me
sort out my thoughts. Don't send
me a Devil possessed monkey, though.
That's just being a jerk. |
Dad, you ol' dog!
Gifting
Encourage your neighbor
Love, The Devil
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