Netflix’s The Devil All The Time is here – but it is more blood than sweat and tears.
With its gritty trailer and flashy cast – a Spiderman, a Batman, a, erm, Winter Soldier! – you may well be tempted to click on Netflix’s hyped new ‘Southern Gothic’ thriller, The Devil All The Time.
Indeed you will get great performances and a palpably tense atmosphere. And it does blend many of the genre’s signature elements – religious fanaticism, sinister characters, intergenerational pain, general misery – into a somewhat compelling intrigue.
But it’s ultimately too hollow and blood-thirsty to be haunting or gripping. Nonetheless, it’s a good excuse to explore Southern Gothic – and these are worth your time:
*
CLASSIC – THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)
If you’ve already seen Deliverance, one of the daddies of the genre and still a superior thriller beyond THAT scene, take this chance to watch modern classic There Will Be Blood.
Set in California, it is southern gothic gone west, mixing capitalism and power – and peak Daniel Day-Lewis – into the pot to make a potent, twisted and unforgettable stew.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% | On Netflix
**
CROWDPLEASER – STOKER (2013)
Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho may be the South Korean director of the moment, but Oldboy’s Park Chan-wook remains an absolute master of the craft.
Stoker, his criminally underwatched first English language film, is an utterly stylish, gripping and disturbing slice of thriller heaven, dripping with as much subtext and mystery as blood.
RT 70%
***
WILDCARD – THE PAPERBOY (2012)
Head on down to an extra sweaty Florida for something even more provocative, with Stoker star Nicole Kidman doubling down on the Southern femme fatale role in The Paperboy.
With equally over-the-top performances from Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey, this is pulpy, wild and quite ridiculous fun. In fact, Matt may be the king of modern Southern Gothic, with Mud and Killer Joe two other excellent options.
RT 45% On Peacock
MS