The Devil Inside (Movie Review)

‘The Devil Inside,’ the first movie of 2012, is a big disappointment, not only in my opinion but also in the opinion of everyone else that was in the movie theater with me. When the movie finished there was endless booing and cursing from the public, they all wished to have a tomato to throw at the screen. The biggest flaws of the movie: the ending is a cut off scene that manages to upset everyone and the “scary” film mainly manages to make the whole audience crack up throughout most of it because of how ridiculous it is. There are only about 3 scenes that make you anxious for the safety of the main characters but everything is so predictable that it takes away from the few good scenes.

The film is done in documentary form. The main character Isabella Rossi (Brazilian actress Fernanda Andrade) has decided to make a documentary to help her mother Maria (Suzan Crowley) who allegedly killed 3 people from her church group who were performing an exorcism on her, when Isabella was 8years old. Her mom was acquitted of the murders and sent to a psychiatric hospital but later on was transferred to Vatican City for unknown reasons. Isabella travels to Rome with Michael (Iount Grama) her cameraman, they visit the Vatican school of exorcism where they attend an exorcism seminar type class; here they meet two priests: David (Evan Helmuth) and Ben (Simon Quarterman), who are experts on the matter and perform exorcisms illegally without the churches consent. Basically, the four of them become roommates who are out to learn about exorcism and help the hunted souls such as Isabella’s mom.

The movie tries feebly to come across as a real documentary by displaying disclaimers that the Vatican doesn’t endorse this movie and by using shaky camera work, which is blurry at times and seems to be affected by the possessed souls. The acting is not very good and it just adds to the unintended comedy. We get some of the character development from what I like to call “the darndest thing possessed people say” which is not a very good technique.

You are supposed to go home traumatized and scared after a horror movie, but with this one you will just go home disappointed and upset. There are better ways to close off the first week of 2012 than watching something that will leaving shaking your head out of dissatisfaction and frustration.

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