Release: January 5, 2012 (U.S. Theatrical)
Directed by: William Brent Bell
Written by: William Brent Bell and Matthew Peterman
Starring:
Fernanda Andrade as Isabella Rossi
Simon Quarterman as Ben
Evan Helmuth as David
Ionut Grama as Michael
Suzan Crowley as Maria Rossi
Isabella Rossi (Fernanda Andrade) lives a life where “Exorcisms define her”, in her own words. Her mother Maria (Suzan Crowley) spent much in her life in a Rome Italy mental institution after allegedly killing three priests of the Catholic Church as they were performing an Exorcism – on her. Isabella’s father died years later after being worn down mentally and physically by the family’s dark past, and now she is headed to Rome with a documentary filmmaker in tow (Evan Helmuth) to try and find out what really happened to her mother all those years ago.
Once in Rome Isabella meets two members of the clergy, one an ordained Exorcist and the other a medical doctor turned Priest with an interest in helping those tormented by demons. Isabella’s mother Maria was determined by the Church to not be possessed, but rather simply psychotic, and the foursome have decided to take matters into their own hands and find the truth on their own.
The Devil Inside is a found footage feature that is edited differently than most we’ve seen thus far. The supposed purpose of the filming is to create a documentary, but we are not viewing a finished documentary. This is not, however, the typical “pre-finished documentary" with quite a bit of random conversation and informal happenings to add realism – ultimately this is pre-documentary footage that is edited in a way that a cohesive and comprehensive story is told without the slickness of a monstrous studio production. Really, The Devil Inside exemplifies the best possible use and presentation of the found footage film production method.
The acting performances in this film are spot on – not overly slick and “Hollywood” while also not being purposely ragged to “add realism” and
thereby reduce the power of those performances. Of particular note is Suzan Crowley as mother Maria Rossi. She is just so creepy, so crazy – so possessed that every second she is on screen is electrifying. It is very clear that she could just jump up and bit your nose off at any second, so even when she’s appearing docile the energy of extreme violence and evil is clearly there. Really, a perfect performance by Crowley.
The way the story of The Devil Inside is told flows beautifully, building through every scene with bits of information being presented that will be important to note later, without disrespecting the audience by thinking that those facts must be jammed down our throats lest we forget them when they’re needed. To really “get” some of the specifics and intricacies of the story is important to pay attention, but it’s also easy to pay attention and retain the required background without realizing it is happening. Every scene builds on what came before, toward a climax that is quite intense indeed. There are no slow periods or parts that drag, but there are peaks and valleys so that the adrenaline has time to reduce back to near normal levels before spiking once again.
Regarding the ending, the choices made by Director William Brent Bell will certainly be a source of controversy. I will not give that ending away, but must note that there will be some who complain bitterly about the film’s conclusion. After thinking about the film for a short time after the credits rolled it came to my mind that, how else would they end it? With so many options, most of them being cheesy, or convenient, or unbelievable, or in some other way breaking the spell of the film as a whole, the final scenes and final end of The Devil Inside are the ideal conclusion. That is about all I am willing to say about the ending, lest I ruin it for those who have not bared witness.
The Devil Inside is an outstanding film that is terrifying, engrossing and uncomfortable, and presents the entire concept of demonic possession and exorcism as something so real that it could affect any one of us at any time. What
The Exorcist started in 1973,
The Devil Inside continues brilliantly in 2012.
Release: January 5, 2012 (U.S. Theatrical)
Directed by: William Brent Bell
Written by: William Brent Bell and Matthew Peterman
Starring:
Fernanda Andrade as Isabella Rossi
Simon Quarterman as Ben
Evan Helmuth as David
Ionut Grama as Michael
Suzan Crowley as Maria Rossi
Isabella Rossi (Fernanda Andrade) lives a life where “Exorcisms define her”, in her own words. Her mother Maria (Suzan Crowley) spent much in her life in a Rome Italy mental institution after allegedly killing three priests of the Catholic Church as they were performing an Exorcism – on her. Isabella’s father died years later after being worn down mentally and physically by the family’s dark past, and now she is headed to Rome with a documentary filmmaker in tow (Evan Helmuth) to try and find out what really happened to her mother all those years ago.
Once in Rome Isabella meets two members of the clergy, one an ordained Exorcist and the other a medical doctor turned Priest with an interest in helping those tormented by demons. Isabella’s mother Maria was determined by the Church to not be possessed, but rather simply psychotic, and the foursome have decided to take matters into their own hands and find the truth on their own.
The Devil Inside is a found footage feature that is edited differently than most we’ve seen thus far. The supposed purpose of the filming is to create a documentary, but we are not viewing a finished documentary. This is not, however, the typical “pre-finished documentary" with quite a bit of random conversation and informal happenings to add realism – ultimately this is pre-documentary footage that is edited in a way that a cohesive and comprehensive story is told without the slickness of a monstrous studio production. Really,
The Devil Inside exemplifies the best possible use and presentation of the found footage film production method.
The acting performances in this film are spot on – not overly slick and “Hollywood” while also not being purposely ragged to “add realism” and
thereby reduce the power of those performances. Of particular note is Suzan Crowley as mother Maria Rossi. She is just so creepy, so crazy – so possessed that every second she is on screen is electrifying. It is very clear that she could just jump up and bit your nose off at any second, so even when she’s appearing docile the energy of extreme violence and evil is clearly there. Really, a perfect performance by Crowley.
The way the story of
The Devil Inside is told flows beautifully, building through every scene with bits of information being presented that will be important to note later, without disrespecting the audience by thinking that those facts must be jammed down our throats lest we forget them when they’re needed. To really “get” some of the specifics and intricacies of the story is important to pay attention, but it’s also easy to pay attention and retain the required background without realizing it is happening. Every scene builds on what came before, toward a climax that is quite intense indeed. There are no slow periods or parts that drag, but there are peaks and valleys so that the adrenaline has time to reduce back to near normal levels before spiking once again.
Regarding the ending
, the choices made by Director William Brent Bell will certainly be a source of controversy. I will not give that ending away, but must note that there will be some who complain bitterly about the film’s conclusion. After thinking about the film for a short time after the credits rolled it came to my mind that, how else would they end it? With so many options, most of them being cheesy, or convenient, or unbelievable, or in some other way breaking the spell of the film as a whole, the final scenes and final end of
The Devil Inside are the ideal conclusion. That is about all I am willing to say about the ending, lest I ruin it for those who have not bared witness.
The Devil Inside is an outstanding film that is terrifying, engrossing and uncomfortable, and presents the entire concept of demonic possession and exorcism as something so real that it could affect any one of us at any time. What
The Exorcist started in 1973,
The Devil Inside continues brilliantly in 2012
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
The new disease shows itself to have a pretty effective mortality rate rather early on, and is also extremely contagious. Remember the horror stories of how bad the Swine Flu might become? This actually is that horror story. It stops far short of being apocalyptic - Contagion does not even approach the devastation of something like The Stand - however, it does send the entire globe into turmoil as the disease catches fire and people begin to rapidly die.
The primary focus of Contagion is the cultural reaction to this deadly disease. Life in the United States rapidly falls into complete chaos. Commerce and industry completely stop. Law enforcement disappears to a skeletal force, and life in the city becomes a deadly venture wherein groups of armed thugs roam, loot, and worse. Trash pickup - something we rarely think about and take for granted - stops, and the sidewalks of the cities literally bulge with mountains of refuse. Civilization is in a state of rampant chaos.
disease on culture and society. It's a good cautionary tale that takes the unusual step of keeping its horrific story within the realm of reality. What I learned from this film was 1.) stop touching everything and 2.) buy a gun.
