The Devil Inside

Kind of getting this out of the way; ultimately looking past the found footage, “shot in reality” technique of The Devil Inside, this is about a daughter’s desire to free her mother from the spiritual and emotional (not to mention, physical if you think about what the possessive spirit has over the human host organism being used) hell. I think any one of us would have a heart’s desire to see our mother free and happy from the prison such a demonic possession creates. We see early recordings of the mother, in her Rome, Italy institutional cell, slamming her head against a wall. When the evil within is enraged, those in orbit of her, in arm’s reach, have a potential likelihood of pure suffering only a Cenobite could further dish out. While the results of a daughter’s influence on a young priest to help her remove “the devil” (or whatever you want to call it), with help from another young man attending school to become a man of God, are never in doubt (come on, did you not expect she’d suffer the same fate?), I think we can at least understand why she’d risk it. 

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I never doubted that The Devil Inside would continue the debate of religion vs. science. That the mother is simply subject to a litany of neurosis and psychosis if you ask those who study the mind, behavior, and brain “malfunction” while Catholic priests hold the belief that science cannot explain everything away so easily. I think at one point, it was established prior to Isabella’s (Fernanda Andrade) trip to Rome, through various interviews by theorists and authorities in their various fields dealing with this issue of science vs. religion, that her mother, Maria (Suzan Crowley), had been diagnosed like six or so times with a variety of mental illnesses and such. There’s no surprise where this film would go in regards to the evil. It was no shock to my system that the attempt at exorcising Maria would fail and that—like a sickness that spreads—the evil would take to others. The final moments have been concluded by many of those who have seen The Devil Inside as an abject, infuriating failure. It wasn’t exactly earth-shattering, but I didn’t really feel as enraged or disgusted as others. The cameraman’s eventual involvement in the last twenty minutes did rather fascinate me, but to end with him seemingly volunteering to crash while Isabella is under the demonic spell with her priest friend in a state of terrified duress in the backseat of the car wasn’t exactly profound or food for thought. It wasn’t an impact that such a found footage movie often works towards in its build up to the end. Just nothing spectacular. 

You'll have to click on this to see an "eye on them"

I did, however, really dig the opening where we see the aftermath of The Devil. How an exorcism of Maria doesn’t go according to plan and the remnants of her evil’s rage produced a bloody crime scene inside a house disheveled and disorganized, as if giant hands lifted it from the ground, shook it, and dropped it back where it was. Bodies of a nun and priest show how powerful this particular evil really is, and perhaps signify that any attempts by amateurs to try the same exorcism would not be wise. But through Isabella’s influence, an attempt, unwise as it may be, will only encourage similar results.

It wasn’t too long ago I watched The Rite where Anthony Hopkins (as a priest who becomes consumed by a demon once possessing a pregnant woman who committed suicide, suffering doubt in his abilities to exorcise after her loss, considering himself responsible, in turn allowing his body to be a Devil’s playground) spends the last half hour in a severe state of possession as two students attempt to fight doubts and personal feelings (and the past, used against them by Baal, the demon) in order to rescue his soul from the torment currently infesting him. I had also went and seen The Last Exorcism in the theater when it was making the rounds cinematically. The Rite, while I thought it was beautifully photographed, was a bit “seen it all before”, but I rewarded it your basic “average” rating; it wasn’t too bad, but I see no reason to watch it again anytime soon if ever. The Last Exorcism has its moments, and I thought the angle with the preacher who wasn’t really a believer as much as someone wanting to cash in, considering the role of a man of God nothing more than a performer paid to perform a service for a congregation willing to pay him, added an interesting dynamic to his visits to the family who have a daughter under possession. He gets a wake-up call when the real thing presents itself to him and there’s a need for him to confront evil head on. Reason I bring these up is that I honestly felt The Devil Inside really had to come up with something quite spellbinding and unique to really wow me. Because, good grief, what is there left to do in exorcism movies? Wasn’t The Exorcism of Emily Rose just a few years ago, also? And, what about two versions of Exorcist IV? 

 Why, I ask myself, do I watch these movies? Well, I do like the conflict between good and evil in horror, whether it be men of God against the forces of Satan, or a hero trying to upend a villain hellbent on death and destruction. I think there are some interesting storytelling that can happen in regards to spiritual doubt and internally fighting the evil within. You can substitute whatever evil you so desire; it is normally what results in how others deal with the horror afflicting the innocent. I have especially always found fascinating when evil possessing the innocent often pointedly attack the morality and iniquity of those up against it/them. Evil knows secrets that those trying to defeat it/them thought were concealed.

In The Devil Inside, it is learned through Father Ben’s (Simon Quarterman) study of the audio recordings of their exorcism (which the party believes was a success, but they are so, so wrong) that there were four different languages spoken, eventually theorizing that possessing Maria were disciples all congregating inside her soul together. Meanwhile a worried Father David Keane (Evan Helmuth), chief behind the exorcism of Maria, remains concerned afterward that he will be excommunicated when it seems the Church is not interested in his evidence of a truthful performance. Even worse for Isabella, she’s no longer allowed to see her mom, the hospital saying Maria is no better and should stay where she belongs, locked up. 

Then comes the possession, a trip to the medical hospital, a stabbed nurse whose wound is gurgling a puddle of blood, a retreat, and a car crash. David’s fate, along with Isabella’s, is the most tragic because he nearly drowns a baby while baptizing it in his church, comes home, puts the gun of an Italian police officer in his mouth, and pulls the trigger! Isabella suffers from a “demonic transference” (it leaves David and into her), and winds up getting her body contorted on the hospital floor. The trip from the hospital during the commotion thanks to the nurse’s horrific stabbing allows Matthew (the camera expert/technician) and Ben to “escort out” Isabella, into their car, and then the “mysterious trip of doom” results.

The Devil Inside seems to be more about the dangers of attempting/executing an exorcism and the aftermath of one; it could cost you your mind, body, and soul if so inclined to try an exorcism. The exorcism of Maria herself never quite hits you in the jugular and the gradual decline of David thanks to the possession (and the rapid attack on Isabella) isn’t quite potent enough to take up the slack. The camera work is too chaotic and haphazard in the hospital to lend to the kind of shock and awe needed when a possessed human causes destruction of the bloody sort. The ending, which just kind of happens, does the film no favors either. Nothing much to report here, folks. I don’t consider it a total waste of time (because the crime scene recording at the beginning is rather creepy and Maria’s charging the camera is a nice jolt), but I’m ready to put this behind me (that’s not a compliment in its favor…).