If you read the back of the case, you'll know that the movie is about a guy and his girlfriend dropping acid in an abandoned mental institution. The catch is, that all happens in the opening credits of the movie. One lovely day in England, Nick West (Andrew Howard) and his girlfriend, Sammy (Pollyana Rose), decide to go exploring a local abandoned mental institution. Apparently there are abandoned institutions all over the English countryside just waiting on their next victim. As with all abandoned institutes, this one was at one point run by a mad doctor. I mean seriously, have you ever heard of any mental institute that wasn't run by a mad doctor at some point in its history? Anyway, they drop acid, she sits in a chair, and she ends up brutally murdered, but there's no body to be found. Then the opening credits are over and the rest of the movie starts.
Since there was no body, and Nick was so messed up that he can't tell them what happened other than some nonsense ramblings about a chair, Nick is sentenced to an insane asylum (fitting, huh?). After 4 years there, he is released. But it's not really a true release. He has to go with another psychiatrist, Dr. Willard (David Gant), back to the abandoned institute where it all happened to participate in a study. If he doesn't, then he has to go back to confinement. If you're like me, then at this point you're thinking "Wow, what a great idea. Let's take the supposed killer back to the scene of the crime and see if it happens again," (said with major sarcasm!). So when the researchers start disappearing one by one, can Nick prove that it's the chair taking their lives or is he going to be blamed for it all over again?
Now unfortunately, I really can't tell you any more than that without giving things away. But if you read the box, you do already know that there is a twist ending. Honestly though, I wouldn't call this a twist. I would more call it a "we didn't think the movie was exciting enough, so we threw in a last minute rewrite ending." At least that's what it felt like to us. The only thing we said at the end of the movie was "Damn, I just feel cheated now". Maybe you'll like the twist, but personally I would love to see an ending that more fit the movie. It's not that I don't like twists. But when you throw in a twist that's never even eluded to throughout the movie, it just doesn't work.
The Devil's Chair starts off very fast-paced with a bloody killing, which was a really good way to hook you in. From there, the pace and killing slow down a bit, but it's still an interesting supernatural journey with a monster straight out of H.P. Lovecraft's mind that you're waiting to see the conclusion of. From there, I wish I had just stopped the DVD and made up my own ending. The DVD also includes a few special features to try and rope you into buying it. None of them are extraordinarily exciting though.
I can't in good conscious recommend that you even rent The Devil's Chair. Maybe you'll be one of the people who just loved the ending, but I'm not going to recommend that you take that chance.
