Devil Times Five

Devil Times Five (1974)

Is there anything creepier than kids? I don’t think so, which is probably why I don’t have any myself. Devil Times Five is the story of five kids that are on their way to a hospital for the criminally insane. Along the way the van they are being transported in crashes and they are able to make their escape. Eventually they come across a house where three couples and a slow-witted handyman are spending the weekend. At first they take the kids in and help them, but after a couple of deaths they being to suspect that there is something dreadfully wrong with the children. But by then the kids have sabotaged the phones and the car, so they are trapped in the house as the children pick them off one at a time.

So I’ve heard mixed things about this movie for many years before running across a copy of it myself. After watching it I have to say that it is way better than I thought it was going to be. The story is believable and well paced. This is a big deal to me because many of the killer kid movies I’ve seen fall flat for me because I don’t buy that a kid could be killing off adults as easily as they do. Right from the start the movie establishes that these kids are well organized and determined to get the job done. They use the trusting nature of the adults towards them as a weapon. After the cat is out of the bag they use all sorts of tricks and traps to get them. The kids in the cast are made up of mostly unknowns, with the exception of a very young Leif Garett, who went on to become an icon of the 70s. He is surprisingly creepy as the cross dressing eleven year old David! The adults in the cast include some familiar faces like Sorrell Booke (The Dukes of Hazard), Shelley Morrison (Will and Grace), and Gene Evans (Walking Tall). Both the children and adults do a very good job in the roles they are given. Without quality performances this story just wouldn’t work, so I give them a lot of credit.

The movie has a great 70s vibe to it. Between the music, hairstyles, dialogue, and clothing there is no doubt what decade this movie was made in. Also some of the deaths in the movie are memorable, including piranhas in a bathtub! But be warned that they are also pretty tame and bloodless, except the piranha kill, which involves quite a bit of red water. All of the other technical stuff, camera work, sound, etc. is acceptable.

This is an odd little movie that I enjoyed a great deal. It doesn’t break any new ground and isn’t a classic of the genre, but is worth checking out. So if you are a fan of evil kid movies or the decade of the 70s then you have got to get the Devil Times Five.

The copy that I watched of this movie is on the Mill Creek Devils and Demons 10 pack. It has some issues but is a good way to check the movie out cheaply. Check them out at http://www.millcreekent.com/ for more information.

3 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer