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6.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Devil's Lottery remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for 1930s soap opera energy. If you hate movies where people talk in long, flowery paragraphs about their feelings while standing in stiff suits, you should probably skip this. But if you like the idea of a bunch of strangers getting trapped in a mansion with a host who clearly has a hidden agenda, you'll have a decent time.
The whole thing feels like a high-stakes dinner party that went sideways. It’s definitely not high art, but the cast is just so extra.
There are so many people in this movie that I had to keep a list on a napkin. You have the tycoon, the bitter winners, the secret lovers, and the staff that just looks tired of everything. It reminded me a bit of the tension you see in The Boss, where everyone is just waiting for the other person to drop their guard.
There's this one scene where a glass gets set down a little too hard on a table. It made me laugh because the sound effect was way louder than it needed to be. It was like the table was made of pure echo.
The story starts off as a nice little 'lucky winner' tale, but then the murder happens and everything gets weirdly dark for ten minutes before pivoting back to romance. It’s got that jittery, uneven pacing that you sometimes see in stuff like The Corner. It doesn't really care about being a tight thriller; it just wants to keep the drama bubbling.
I found myself watching the background extras more than the main actors sometimes. There's a butler in the back of one shot who seems to be having a much more interesting internal monologue than the leads. 🙄
It’s not perfect, and sometimes it feels like the script was written by three different people who didn't talk to each other. But there's a certain charm to it. It’s not quite as intense as Morocco, but it’s definitely better than sitting through a blank screen.
Grab a coffee, settle in, and don't try to keep track of who is sleeping with who. You'll just get a headache. Just enjoy the ride. 🎭
IMDb 6.4
1931
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