A multi-generational tapestry, woven from the darkest strands of desperation, devotion and despair, THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME makes it clear pretty quickly that there are no happy endings to be found here. With an impressive cast and a gorgeously bleak southern gothic aesthetic, this time-hopping, plot-crossing saga is thrilling and gruesome in equal measure, and only slightly hampered by a tendency to meander.
Kicking off with Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgård), a soldier freshly home from the war who meets his sweetheart, Charlotte (Haley Bennett) in a typical 50s diner, THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME comes dangerously close to feeling optimistic for a moment. That does not last. Tragedy strikes the household, and Willard gets more desperate and sinister, unravelling into an ugly darkness right before the eyes of his young son, Arvin (Michael Banks Repeta).
When this prologue draws to a suitably grisly close, focus shifts to a grown-up Arvin (Tom Holland), as he struggles to navigate the world with the shadow of his father’s violent teachings looming over him. Threaded throughout are several smaller plots, introducing a host of archetypical side characters. These include fire-and-brimstone preacher, Roy Lafferty (Dudley Dursley himself, Harry Melling), and Carl (Jason Clarke) and Sandy Henderson (Riley Keough), a serial-killing couple reminiscent of Mickey and Mallory Knox.
While initially presented as isolated and disparate, these additional narratives slowly begin to knit together, widening the frame and making clear their impact on Arvin and one another. For the most part, the jumps between timelines and characters work well. Themes established in the prologue resonate strongly throughout the different eras, and there’s a distinct satisfaction in seeing the various paths cross in mostly unforeseen ways.
There are a couple of bits that don’t gel as well with the others as they could: Robert Pattinson’s lecherous preacher, Preston Teagardin, is played a hair too camp for the gravity of his story, and corrupt sheriff Lee Bodecker (Sebastian Stan) is woefully underdeveloped, considering his eventual relevance to the overarching plot.
Most jarring of all is the intermittent narration, offering insight into character reactions and morbid foreshadowing of things to come. While it is a nice homage to have Donald Ray Pollock, the author of the book that the film was adapted from, fill this role, the omnipotent nature of the narration feels ultimately incongruent with the gritty, grounded tone of the film. Instead of a satisfying cameo, this wink to fans ends up being more distracting than anything.
Even though director Antonio Campos and his brother/co-writer Paulo Campos didn’t entirely nail the pacing and plot balance between the different characters, the film more than makes up for it with its cast. Skarsgård starts quite shy and sweet before circumstance allows him to dip into his trademark intensity easily. Melling is near unrecognisable as he is introduced giving a wild-eyed, spittle-flecked sermon that ends with him pouring spiders on his face, and only gets more deranged from there. Keough brings plenty of relatable regret to Sandy as she begins to suspect she’s in over her head.
Having earned fame for his portrayal of the perpetually pubescent Peter Parker in the MCU, Tom Holland takes full advantage of this opportunity to prove his status as a viable leading man—as opposed to leading baby-faced man. There is no sight of excitable boyish charm here; Holland’s Arvin is sullen, angry, and prone to sudden outbursts of brutal, red-mist violence. Steeped in characterisation and evoking life lessons bestowed in blood by Arvin’s father, these scenes are choreographed with a breathless energy and executed with the merciless precision of Michael Corleone.
Between Lol Crawley’s moody cinematography and the relentlessly bleak melodies of Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans’ score, THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME grabs its desired aesthetic by the neck with both hands and squeezes until the kicking stops. Though there are moments that linger too long, hampering the pace somewhat, and others then feel underdeveloped, for the most part, everything clicks nicely into place. With a gloomy, noir-tinged vibe and a slew of fantastic performances, THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME is an exhilarating dive into the deepest pits of desperation and depravity.