Devour is a 2005 horror movie directed by David Winkler, who unfortunately bears no relation to Henry. It stars Jensen Ackles and Dominique Swain, probably best known for Supernatural and Lolita, respectively.
The movie is about Jake Grey, a pretty upright seeming kid who's stuck in a small town filled with morally tanked and bored delinquents. However, he's been plagued his whole life by ultra-real visions of torture, murder, and self-mutilation. One night at a party his friends introduce him to an online game called "The Pathway". When playing the game, players get phone calls from an unknown voice telling them to do specific acts ranging from sex, to vandalism, to violence, promising good fortune and power.
After some of his friends die while playing, Jake uncovers that "The Pathway" is a front for a devil worshipping cult that killed his mother. The cult is using the game to try to find someone, probably him.
The movie itself has bits where it's maybe over-stylized, but overall it's pretty sharp. The characters aren't terrible, but a bit flat and hammy. The movie shines in its visuals and scenarios. It's pretty imaginative in its setups, and the shooting and editing makes it all feel really fresh. It's got a lot of good stuff that's disturbing and uncomfortable without going too far and becoming ridiculous. The story isn't particularly impressive and I did zone out a bit towards the end, but for the most part I enjoyed it. There's a lot in there about facing fear, or facing temptation or the devil, but it's mostly window dressing to support its style. It's just deep and open ended enough to not be a complete wash but it has no illusions of grandeur. It's good.
Internet week continues with: Kairo, the original inspiration for Pulse (which I mention briefly in the 2009 overview).
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