The Devil Inside: Review By Bryan Yentz

If there are two genres which have overstayed their welcome, it would definitely be that of the "found-footage" and "possession" kind. Like drunken, awkward guests at a party that no one wants to admit they invited, these styles of filmmaking just don't understand when they're not wanted. Yes, they may look appealing with their hip wardrobe, aviator-covered eyes and confident demeanor, but the second either of them open their mouths to speak, everyone discovers just how shallow, empty and vapid they truly are. They come to the celebration without anything to offer; husks built from imitation. Not content to be a single douchebag, THE DEVIL INSIDE encompasses the worst of both worlds. It fails as both a found-footage film and that of a demonic one as well.

As a child, Isabella's mother butchered three people of God during an exorcism. Now older, she hopes to seek out her mother within an asylum and piece together what actually happened that terrifying night. As one would expect, a limp battle between science and religion begins as she, her camera operator and two priests confront supernatural forces with some nasty plans in store for them all.

Before I tear THE DEVIL INSIDE a new one, I will say that it does a handful of things right. For one, there is some hefty potential with its subplot involving priests acting as spiritual mercenaries. Not content to sit on the sidelines and be told by the powers that be, who may be exorcised, two men of the cloth have dedicated themselves to discovering possible possessed beings and relieving them of their troubled spirits. It's a neat idea, but like the majority of the film is utterly undercooked and hardly tapped of its latent qualities.

The possession scenes also offer some decent intensity and grisly imagery to keep one hooked to the screen. Never did I find it at all scary, but several of the effects were commendably done and I was entertained by the blunt creepiness sparingly developed. However, like the plot-point mentioned above, the majority of these "terrifying" moments are ripped straight out of other films which have just come out in recent years. And no, that nostalgic feeling didn't overtake me, the notion of "Wow, you shamelessly stole that idea" did.

So yeah, those are two backhanded compliments for THE DEVIL INSIDE. Unfortunately, those are the only slight positives I can muster for this trashy cash-in. Oh, and the lead actress (Fernanda Andrade) is hot. So yeah. Three slight positives.

The other 95% of THE DEVIL INSIDE is so misguided in its approach and execution that it's downright embarrassing. The "improvised" acting is forced, unbelievable and consists of nothing more than expository dialogue. There's practically no development for any character involved and the attempts at characterization are incredibly shallow and cheap. The adventure itself is so horribly paced that the end credits are purposefully designed to run slower than normal so as to pad out the runtime to just over an hour in length. This is a mockumentary--no, actually, this is just a film. . . A film made by filmmakers without any conception of how a film should even be made. Plot holes never stop spreading, logic is abandoned every second, characters perform one insipid action after another, and to make matters worse, THERE ISN'T EVEN AN ENDING. I sh*t you not. There isn't an ending. At the point in which the film just stops, this would typically be the halfway point for any and every other film. I'm sorry, but when the story begins approaching its main focus--that doesn't mean you slice off the tail and "conclude" with a cheap promotion for your website. At least APOLLO 18 applied a tad more ingenuity in its self-promotion.

It's rare that I attend a screening met with booing by a movie's end, however, THE DEVIL INSIDE managed it quite well. An incomplete picture whose structure is comprised of cinematic theft, THE DEVIL INSIDE became quite lucky with its box office (as I'm sure someone involved with its production made a deal with the devil), but has easily solidified itself on not only the list of "Worst Films of the Year", but "Worst Horror Films Ever" as well. Sadly, a sequel is apparently in the works. Maybe it will just be ending they "forgot" to incorporate in this one. Regardless. . . When it arrives. . . May God have mercy on our souls.