I Watched "The Devil All The Time" On Netflix, And Here's Everything You Need To Know

1. It's Rated R

"The Devil All the Time" is rated R for a reason. This film is full of graphic scenes filled with blood and violence. There are multiple scenes that make you want to look away and keep watching simultaneously. The movie starts off giving Willard Russell's backstory. This includes an incident where Willard found a gunnery sergeant skinned and hung on a cross to die by Japanese soldiers while serving during World War II. That's definitely not something I expected to see.

The film also gets this rating due to the intense themes that continue throughout the plot. Robert Pattinson plays Preston, a preacher who takes advantage of teenage girls. Also, suicide is sprinkled in, with both Willard and one of Preston's victims, Lenora. The whole movie feels like one tragedy after another. Though it's not the most positive thing to watch, it's necessary in order to explain the story.

2. There Are Multiple Storylines Going On At Once

One of the coolest things about "The Devil All the Time" is that there are multiple storylines being followed throughout the film. You are introduced to Willard and his family, including his mother, his wife Charlotte, and his son Arvin. We also meet Helen and Roy, who is a charismatic evangelical preacher that Helen later marries. Helen has a daughter named Lenora who she leaves with Willard's mother before she is murdered by Roy.

We also meet Sandy and Carl Henderson, a duo of serial killers. They pick up hitchhikers and persuade them to have sex with Sandy while Carl takes pictures. Then, he kills them. Finally, we meet Sheriff Lee Bodecker, who is arguably the definition of corrupt.

It's almost overwhelming with this many characters to follow, but it all makes sense as the movie progresses. All of these storylines are connected. Roy is killed by Sandy and Carl while he's on the run after murdering Helen. Since Helen left Lenora with Willard's mother before she died, Willard's mother raised Lenora. When Arvin was a boy, his mother died of cancer and his dad committed suicide. He meets Lee Bodecker after finding his dad's body. He's then put in the custody of his grandmother. There's a moment where everything clicks into place, and you realize just how well made this movie is. At the very least, no one can say this movie is boring.

3. The Talent is Insane

As soon as I heard the cast list for this film, I had high expectations. This psychological thriller is filled with A-list actors. Tom Holland plays Arvin. His performance during this film is arguably his best. It's very different from the characters we're used to seeing him play. He does a fantastic job of portraying the complex character.

Also, Robert Pattinson gives an outstanding performance as Preston. Preston is a southern preacher who takes advantage of teenage girls who attend the church. He plays this manipulative character incredibly well. I was also impressed with his accent, especially since he has an English accent in real life. You can tell how much effort he put in so that he portrayed the character to the best of his ability.

Bill Skarsgard gave a standout performance as well. I haven't seen him in many other roles, other than Pennywise. I was impressed, to say the least. Like most of the characters in this movie, Willard Russell was not an easy role.

Overall, all of these actors did an outstanding job of portraying these complex and intense characters. They kept me intrigued for the entire length of the film. With how short my attention span in, that's saying something.

4. It Makes You Question Yourself

"The Devil All the TIme" leaves you wanting more and second-guessing yourself. At the end of the movie, I sat there thinking, "Well, like I don't condone violence or murdering anyone, but I GET why Arvin killed the preacher and Carl and Sandy." Arvin had a lot of trauma. He had daddy issues and mommy issues. He killed Preston because Lenora committed suicide after finding out that she was pregnant with Preston's child. When he rejected her, it sent her into a spiral. Arvin and Lenora were practically siblings, and he felt like he had to protect her. For Carl and Sandy, they were going to murder him, so that one is pretty justified, in my opinion.

A lot goes on, and while watching, you feel like you're there, going through everything with them. This movie touches on a lot of social issues. It hints about PTSD, mostly in regards to Willard's time serving during World War II. Lee Bodecker shows corruption. It shows how trauma can affect someone's life. Arvin wasn't an evil person, entirely. He had a caring side, displayed when he's with his mother as a child, and Lenora later on. "The Devil All the Time" makes you think about topics you may not usually consider.

5. "The Devil All the Time" is an Adaptation of the Book

Originally, "The Devil All the Time" was a book. It was written by Donald Ray Pollock, and was released in 2011. Fun fact: Donald Ray Pollock is the narrator in the film. The book is 272 pages. If you're looking for a book that fits the spooky vibes of October, "The Devil All the Time" is a great choice.

Usually, I prefer to read the book before watching the movie. Since I didn't know it was a book beforehand, I made an exception. From what I could tell, the movie had a lot of direct quotes from the book. The first few chapter are almost word for word. I was pleasantly surprised that the movie adaption stayed true to the novel. That's not always the case. It's a great read, and it helps make the movie more clear.