“The Devil Lives in Hot Springs” is a film that does very well being most things to most people. It can’t be all things to all people — romantic comedy fans will be disappointed.
Being a local production, “Devil” lacks the polish that viewers not acclimated to the ultra-low budget aesthetic may expect from anything on a screen.  What it’s missing in turtle wax, it more than makes up for with its eclectic story and a sense of humor that pops up even in “Devil’s” darkest moments — especially entertaining are the outtakes, the DVD’s only special feature, which must only hint at how much fun this movie was to make — somehow managing not to compromise those scenes’ intensity.
The story is complex but not complicated. “The Devil Lives in Hot Springs” starts with five separate narratives, which merge into three and then one. Each bears elements of exploitation, thriller, pulp and straight drama, and the ambition of this film is endearing.
Pine Bluff native Shelia Taylor Stanfield brings her years of stage acting experience to the project as an unfaithful wife whose husband has discovered her secret and is understandably distraught. The couple’s neighbors — a pair of drunken rednecks who’ve just kidnapped an attractive young damsel in distress and a lone mentally unstable woman who has conversations with disembodied voices while popping ambiguous pills — enter the picture and interrupt, although temporarily, the 2nd amendment-loving husband’s violent plans.
The exploitation elements of “Devil” go further than I would’ve expected from a local production, which is admirable, but the pay-off revenge is disappointingly weak and quick. This being my sole complaint, it is easily overlooked.
Jett West and Tony Gschwend, the masterminds of this project, showed no fear of taking risks and set few limits for where their movie could go. With the experience of having made “The Devil Lives in Hot Springs” under their belts, I’m anxious to see what they bring us next.

On the Net:
http://thedevillivesinhotsprings.com
http://www.sheliastanfield.com/

review written by me for the Pine Bluff Commercial