In 1989, emergency responders received a 9-1-1 call from Maria Rossi confessing that she had brutally killed three people. 20 years later, her daughter Isabella seeks to understand the truth about what happened that night. She travels to the Centrino Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Italy where her mother has been locked away to determine if her mother is mentally ill or demonically possessed. When she recruits two young exorcists to cure her mom using unconventional methods combining both science and religion, they come face-to-face with pure evil in the form of four powerful demons possessing Maria. Many have been possessed by one; only one has been possessed by many.
Heading into the theatre, I can tell you there was a lot of anticipation for “The Devil Inside.” Not only was I interested to see this spin on demonic possession, but seemingly everyone else in the line was too, which is quite unusual for an independent film. Does the film deliver though? In many aspects, yes.
First off, the movie is shot in documentary style. This lends to the realism, grittiness and whole ambiance of the film. The cast was decent. Fernanda Andrade does a fair job as Isabella Rossi. Evan Helmuth and Simon Quarterman do an excellent job as two young priests performing unsanctioned exorcisms. The subplot of these priests being in conflict with the organization is one that is intriguing. The mixture of religion and demons together and in conflict is always fascinating. The most memorable performance, however, was definitely Suzan Crowley as Maria Rossi. Her performance leaves audiences wishing they could’ve seen more of her and Maria’s unpredictability in the movie. But honeslty, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of what real horror fans want to know….
The possession and exorcism scenes were great. They were chaotic, bloody, and loud, which draws you in, and you can’t look away, or for some of the squeamish, you will hide your face during these scenes. The opening scene where the police find the bodies of Maria’s victims, rivals most horror movie “kill scenes.” The plot moves along and some ways that are unpredictable, which this viewer loves. This includes the ending. I really do not want to spoil the ending, but in my opinion, it ends the only way this story could’ve possibly ended.
Seeing poor fan reviews, and hearing some grumbles in the theatre after the ending, made me realize that this independent horror film is NOT for everyone. The movie isn’t a glossy Hollywood cookie cutter “product.” The ending isn’t wrapped up in a neat little package and spoon-fed to the audience. If that’s what people were looking for, they should’ve gone and seen “Tin Tin.”
Personally, as a horror fan, I really enjoyed this movie…and thought the ending was stellar. For a real horror fan, the trip to the theater won’t be a waste.
