The Devil Inside (2012)
Following in the wake of The Last Exorcism (2010) which enjoyed box office success, The Devil Inside also includes two staples of horror cinema: supernatural possession and the found footage/faux documentary genre. On paper these themes have the potential to yield an interesting drama. Sadly that is not the case with The Devil Inside which excels at neither and is distinctly average at best. It lacks the gravitas and visceral power of The Exorcist and even the sensational shock value of Paranormal Activity. The plot focuses upon Isabella (Fernanda Andrade), an American woman who sets out to make a documentary about her mother who murdered three members of the clergy. She was judged insane and subsequently sent to a mental hospital in Italy. Isabella meets two priests, Father Ben Rawlings (Simon Quarterman) and Father David Keane (Evan Helmuth) who explain that her mother's condition may be due to demonic possession.
The Devil Inside explores an alleged Catholic conspiracy as well as the perceived conflicts between science and religion, through a very familiar classic plot device. The film subsequently proceeds to tick off many standard genre conventions such as physical contortions, torrents of verbal abuse, knowledge of secrets and of course sporadic bouts of violence. The story unfolds from the perspective of two priests who are the subject of a documentary film. The performances are adequate from a relatively unknown cast, although British actor Simon Quaerterman has subsequently gained wider exposure through his recurring role in HBO’s Westworld. The narrative has occasional elements of interest in-between the standard genre tropes. For example, it is nice to see a depiction of a priest who is not questioning his vocation for a change.
The Devil Inside is simply too insubstantial to carry any cinematic weight. There are a few jolts and jumps along the way, but they are often contrived and telegraphed. Plus most people will not accept the basic conceit of this film that the Catholic Church conducts exorcisms willy-nilly. However, I did find the denouement of this movie to be interesting. It is incredibly abrupt and for many viewers potentially unsatisfactory, leaving a multitude of unanswered questions. This sort of nihilistic ending is very reminiscent of seventies cinema. It is obvious that the contrived ending is driven more by marketing, as the movie closes with a statement that the case is still under investigation and provides a URL for further details. The website is now defunct but you can view an archived copy via the Wayback Machine.
The Devil Inside provides at most a minor diversion for casual viewers. It certainly is not going to win any fans among longterm horror fans. Yet the depressing fact remains that this sort of low budget, derivative exploitation fodder fares well at the box office. The viral marketing appeals to the youth market, who like these films due to their similarity to the “creepypasta” you find on YouTube. Hence The Devil Inside made $101,758,490 worldwide. Not bad for a movie that cost $1,000,000 to make. Therefore, if you are new to the horror genre, do yourself a favour and watch The Exorcist or even The Blair Witch Project rather than The Devil Inside. The commercial success of such movies may mislead new horror fans into thinking that this is as good as it gets.
