Found footage horror films seem to be all the rage at the moment, with almost every other horror film being a shaky, static-y hand held journey through dark corridors and nightmarish situations and The Devil Inside sticks pretty closely to this pre-established formula.
The story follows Isabella Rossi, young woman who’s mother
killed three members of the church during an exorcism in nineteen eighty
nine. Fast forward twenty years later
and Isabella, along with camera man Michael, embark on a journey to investigate
the truth behind what happened with Isabella’s mother and investigate her
claims of demonic possession.
Travelling to Rome Isabella and Michael team up with a pair
of priests specialising in exorcisms, exorcisms that the Vatican
does not approve of. Together the four
of them enter the mental institution where Isabella’s mother is being held to
perform a sneaky exorcism, opening the door for all of the horrors to begin.
Whilst I initially found the film to be an interesting take
on the found footage genre, with its documentary feel and investigation of
demonic possession versus mental illness towards the end it quickly began to
descend into a by-the-numbers horror affair, running around in the dark, shaking
the camera and lots of screaming.
The Devil Inside had the potential to do things different
and make an interesting and unique film, but instead chose to stick to a
standard formula. Whilst some may
consider this playing safe I found that the film did not benefit from this. Coupled with an ending that I am sure most
people will find rushed and disappointing the film feels like a missed
opportunity, one that will be quickly forgotten.
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