Which is the bigger challenge for an actor: being mentally challenged or being possessed? I could make a case for either. Bottom line is it doesn’t especially matter; this is the most important role in any film that demands such. If I don’t believe you are, say, a real police officer, well that’s gonna detract from the movie, but give somebody a badge and a gun and put him or her in a cop situation and we’ll all play make believe, OK? If your character is supposed to be either mentally challenged or inhabited by the devil and I don’t buy it, there goes your movie.
So why is feigned mental illness presented with awards while feigned possession means you’re still reading Variety cover-to-cover?
The Devil Inside is yet another The Exorcist rip-off. This one in the trendy fashion of documentary style to add more realism. I’m starting to hate 
this trend. We’re supposed to give them a pass on the crappy cinematography because it’s a “documentary.” We’re also supposed to give a pass on the minimal action. Same reason. And stiff acting. Same reason. And no name cast. Same reason. And minimal story line. Same reason. That’s a lot of excuses. Actually, it’s just one excuse used over and over again. That’s even worse.
Devil Inside tells the story of a churchy housewife who got all possessed and stuff and took it out on her pastor ‘n’ pals. Twenty years later, the action resumes with her daughter trying to relive the good ol’ days by visiting mom in a place that only exists in movies: the Vatican’s private combo mental ward/possessed soul shut-in clinic. But, of course, this is not the family reunion she envisioned and it’s time to call in Il Ghostbusters. Luckily, Rome doesn’t lack for exorcist professionals. Around Vatican City, I bet they’re as common as janitors:
“Fix a toilet, ma’am?”
“No, possessed daughter.”
“Eh, 3rd one today. Ok, but it’s gonna cost you. I’m into double time.”
(Pretend all that was said with Italian accents, by the way.)
Now here I’m inclined to wonder what demons get out the whole possession thing. I mean, there you are, you got your demon powers of strength, flexibility, mind reading and language manipulation, so what do you do? Take over a housewife, kill a priest or two and then get locked up in a white room for decades. Is this really what you had in mind? Is this what demons do in their spare time, dream of straightjackets and padded walls? Does Hell really suck to this extent? I guess it must.
Anyway, what we got is your basic possession movie. There are some standard fake documentary tricks – screaming, blurred picture, violent-but-harmless action so that we can invoke “horror.” When Isabella (Fernanda Andrade) meets her mom (Suzan Crowley) for the first time in 20 years, the scene is legitimately creepy. Mom doesn’t say anything for a bit and then suddenly, but quietly, mouths: “connectthecuts,connectthecuts,connectthecuts …” over and over again. Well I’m convinced she’s possessed, because nobody is that big a UConn fan. And then she summons her daughter and the camera pulls in close, too. Squirm happens. The hag reveals a cross etched into her bottom inner lip and then exposes her left arm which is marked in a way that is best described as the intense frustration of not knowing the rules to Tic-Tac-Toe. There’s a level of creep that seeps, nay, oozes from demon-inhabited actors. Possessed can be kind of spooky, y’know? And yet, here it’s docile at the same time. There’s a hint of the danger involved, but the payoff is relatively minimal.
That is essentially the plot – there’s a Devil Inside, Devil Inside, every single person has the Devil Inside. So a lot of acting happens, but not a lot of action. The acting/setting is probably the best part of Devil Inside. Do you like creepy with a bit of dirty and ugly thrown in? This might be the movie for you. Personally for me, 75 minutes (“87” minutes? Hah!) spent on acting class is money better spent elsewhere.
Rated R, 87 Minutes
D: William Brent Bell
W: William Brent Bell, Matthew Peterman
Genre: Is she really going *in* with Him?
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Those who believe in Satan
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Those who believe in Satan
