The Devil Inside (2012)

One of my all time favorites.

Awesome Movie

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

How stupid is this film? The plot centers on the Vatican School of Exorcism where all classes are apparently held in English. Every single moment of this film that comes close to working is just stolen from "The Exorcist". This movie ends with a title card that implies that nobody knows what REALLY happened ... but we just saw what happened ... it's a found footage film guys ... oh, whatever. Idiots.

When I realised that this was a 'mock-umentary' I nearly turned it off, but what kept me watching was the acting, or rather the lack of acting. If that sounds bonkers, what I mean is that the actors for the most part pulled off a rare achievement: appearing NOT to be actors, but seeming to be real people. I can only assume that those reviewers who rated the acting as awful spend too much of their time in movieworld and have forgotten how real people sound, i.e. unprepared, off-the-cuff and uncertain rather than speaking as if they obviously know their lines. In this respect, this film was remarkably realistic. On the whole 'exorcism' issue, this film also contained one of the most intelligent debates on the 'Possession versus mental illness' arguments that I've seen. So in conclusion, if you want a formulaic, shock-horror fright-fest, don't watch this. If, however, you want an intelligent film with 'real life' dialogue instead of smoothie-polished Hollywood glitz, and a different take on the 'religion versus science' question of exorcism then watch this with an open mind and enjoy a non-mainstream film.

The Devil Inside (2012): Dir: William Brent Bell / Dir: Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quarterman, Evan Helmuth, Suzan Crowley, Bonnie Morgan: Here is yet another nauseating so-called true story marketing ploy that shakes the camera about to the point where throwing up on the movie screen would improve the picture. It is a lame supernatural thriller about the presence of evil, such as the way they market this crap. It begins with promise featuring a 911 call where an apparent exorcism concluded with several dead bodies. Now the possessed is in Italy or Rome, or some bloody place where they shacked her up in a rubber room, and her dimwitted daughter decides to document her visit after twenty years. This cannot end well for these morons nor the audience who has to sit through it. Director William Brent Bell strikes up tremendous images of Rome and Italy and such but he cannot save the actors from themselves. When Fernanda Andrade, who plays the daughter, becomes possessed, any so-called true story account goes straight down the shitter with any other brilliant logic the screenwriter concocted during a night of heavy drinking. There are two pea brain Priests, one who becomes possessed and attempts to drown a baby during a baptism. Then there is the mother who cuts herself and likely removed herself from any Mother's Day card delivery. Either that or she just became so upset at this career move that she attempts suicide to remove the embarrassment. We witness the twitching and distorted possessed bodies who are in such agony, nobody is in more agony than the poor saps viewing its spectacle. Score: 4 / 10

The film features a great car cash, as viewed from inside the car. There's some impressive bodily contortions during those possessed moments. Acting is OK, although I found the lead female 'the daughter' to be below par. The film is supposed to look like a documentary filmed by non professional camera personnel, as thus there are far too many moments when the person holding the camera can't hold a camera still for hit. It's way over done. Never once did I feel like I was watching an actual documentary. At that level, the film fails. Also, it's not scary, which is probably why it's Cert 15. The image of the Nun on the DVD cover appears for all of a few seconds during the film?