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THE DEVIL INSIDE 2012
Fernanda Andrade (Isabella Rossi), Simon Quarterman (Ben), Evan Helmuth (David), Suzan Crowley (Maria Rossi)
Directed by William Brent Bell
The Short Version: Just like THE LAST EXORCISM (2010) before it, this movie centers around demonic possession but lacks the rural setting of that moody little spooker. DEVIL has a wider reaching plot even if it never quite grasps its full potential settling on cheap scares bolstered by several shots of unsettling imagery and a couple of genuine shock moments. Beneath the surface, there's a plot hole or two and even some minor religious political rumblings. Saddled with a frustratingly abrupt ending, this picture will most likely be just as divisive as some of the other 'Found Footage' flicks among audience members. The feeling some folks get may not be THE DEVIL INSIDE, but instead an upset stomach for paying $10 to see a movie that would make a better dish served on DVD for the more demanding viewers.
In 1989, police uncover a gruesome crime scene after receiving a chilling 911 call. The bodies of three people--two clergymen and a nun--are found brutally mutilated at the hands of Maria Rossi, the owner of the house. Twenty years later, Rossi's daughter, Isabella wants to learn what became of her mother on that terrible night. Mysteriously relocated to a Rome mental facility, Isabella and her video-ographer, Michael, travel to Italy where they join up with two priests, Ben and David who secretly, and illegally, tackle the cases of demonic possession forsaken by the Church. Not long after a harrowing ordeal with the possessed mother, Ben discovers that not only is she possessed, but that her body hides four powerful spawn of hell.
This is yet another in an increasingly long chain of 'Found Footage' movies, or 'Mockumentaries' that are spreading like a contagion to both theaters and DVD players across the country. All the ingredients are here such as the title cards that profess this to be a true story and the ubiquitous documentary interview segments and shaky cam theatrics. One thing can be said of these kinds of pictures and that's they seemingly all can be counted on to have a downer ending. In some cases, said ending is jarringly abrupt. Both apply here and the latter is especially frustrating. With the budgets getting bigger, the plots getting thinner and the CGI getting more extravagantly lousy, audiences expect more and more from theatrically released movies these days. Taking that into consideration, THE DEVIL INSIDE will likely be a massive disappointment for many moviegoers.
However, despite a few plot holes and some telegraphed moments, Bell's movie has an expansive, far reaching storyline that's too ambitious for its meager 80+ minute running time. The talky stretches may try the patience of some viewers, but some intriguing plot points make their presence known only to be drowned out in religious jargon and grotesque imagery. The moments of horror are mostly reserved for the last half and even then, the film simply ends right when it begins to gain momentum. This near disastrous closing sequence was possibly intentional as it leaves the door open for a sequel. Judging by the 34.5 million weekend haul (it took in $2 million at midnight showings alone), a second chapter is likely to happen. Still, it's a given that more than a few groans will be heard once the lights suddenly come back on after a final title card tells the audience to go to TheRossiFiles.com for more information about the unresolved case.
While it does feature a handful of 'Boo' moments, many of these come off as cheap shots inserted to remind the audience they are watching a horror movie. These consist of such cinematic condiments as sudden loud noises or dogs jumping up on an iron gate. The few exorcism sequences, though, while spewing a spooky moment or two, are more disturbing than scary. Bones are popped and contorted, multiple voices are heard emanating from the parched lips of the possessed and one poor girl soils her pants prior to scurrying up a wall like a spider. The satan scene stealer is Suzan Crowley as the creepy Maria Rossi, the woman whose body conceals multiple murderous entities. The fact that Ben (the dedicated priest practicing the eradication of evil in secret with his partner, David) discovers there are four extremely powerful denizens of hell residing within her foreshadows horrible things ahead since we also have four protagonists. Not to mention the theory of multiple transference looms large over the film.
It's also worth noting that this is a pick up from Paramount (who reportedly paid a paltry 1 million for it, more than the cost of the film itself) and released through their Insurge label which is designed to handle modestly budgeted pictures such as this one. What's curious about this is that the 'Found Footage' style of horror movie has seemingly supplanted the slasher flick as the dominant force in terror cinema these days. Whereas Paramount, which became an embarrassed and unwitting home to Jason Voorhees and his cut-up crew back in the 80s, have now embraced(?) the new killer in town since anemically financed endeavors such as these bring with them a tidy revenue stream.
THE DEVIL INSIDE breaks no new ground, nor does it give us anything we haven't seen before. It's not a bad movie, but far from a great one. There's a few effective moments scattered throughout, but it isn't skin-crawlingly scary (the best moments are in the trailer including the ending) like some of the bigger guns of this ilk. It does have one thing so many of these 'Mockumentaries' do not have and that's a globe trotting feel about it. Bell's movie greatly benefits from some grand Italian locations. The film doesn't take near as much advantage of these as it could, but the Euro setting does give this low budget flick some additional value. Difficult to recommend, this will appeal to devil movie specialists and those with a 'Found Footage' fetish. The feeling you get in your gut after it's over with may not be the devil, but a moderately unsettling feeling of creeping deja vu or possibly a bad case of demonic frustration.
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN 1981
Lily Tomlin (Pat Kramer/Judith/Ernestine the Telephone Operator), Charles Grodin (Vance Kramer), Ned Beatty (Dan), Henry Gibson (Dr. Nortz), Elizabeth Wilson (Dr. Ruth Ruth), Mark Blankfield (Rob), Maria Smith (Concepcion), Rick Baker (Sydney)
Directed by Joel Schumacher
The Short Version: If you enjoyed movies like Joe Dante's INNERSPACE (1987), than you're likely to get a giggle or two from this cheerful homage to Jack Arnold's THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957) starring famous comedienne, Lily Tomlin. There's also quite a bit of social satire on hand showcasing America's obsession with consumer products (what WOULD we do without Galaxy Glue?), suburban communities and the plight of the 80s 'Suzie Homemakers' of the world. All that and Award winning make up artist Rick Baker decked out in yet another of his amazing ape suits.
Suburban housewife Patricia Kramer enjoys a chaotic existence as a stay-at-home-mom till she develops a little problem. After being exposed to a new perfume that inexplicably reacts with a multitude of household products, Pat undergoes a peculiar transformation that results in her shrinking day by day. Becoming a community celebrity of sorts, she attracts the attention of a secret corporation led a group of malicious scientists. They plan to use her blood for a shrinking serum with the intention of reducing the Earth's population literally down to size.
Joel Schumacher's (THE LOST BOYS, BATMAN FOREVER) theatrical feature film debut is an endearing, enjoyably low key science fiction comedy that will appeal to lovers of 80s cinema and those who get all nostalgic about having seen the film upon its original release. I remember my mom taking me to see it and despite not having any monsters in it, the flick clicked with me just the same. With its origins based in Richard Matheson's novel, 'The Shrinking Man' (already adapted for 1957s THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN), mad scientists and the golden age mainstay of a hairy ape creature (in this case, a kindly, intelligent gorilla proficient in sign language) there's quite a few laughs to be had by the young and the young at heart.
This moderately successful comedic film starring one of the best female comedians was a television mainstay for a time before falling into relative obscurity. It had recently been released in an apparently unauthorized foreign release till Universal finally got it together and released the film as part of their own On Demand DVD-R service. While it's not technically an "official" release, at least it's out there. The film has also been enjoying steady airplay on numerous HD channels for quite a while now.
Lily Tomlin goes all out in making Kramer a likable character in her depiction of a woman trying to keep her sanity at home amidst her lovably raucous kids, a dog and an excitable Hispanic maid. Meanwhile, her advertising husband brings home the bread. Whether it was intended or not, there's a lot of social subtext on parade within the comedic parameters set down by writer Jane Wagner. The 1980s woman is satirized here as is America's preoccupation with consumerism (a concept translated in a far more gruesome fashion in George Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD in 1978); the latter of which would grow to decadent heights once Ronald Reagan successfully pulled America out of the economic muck that former President Jimmy Carter had placed the country in.
Tomlin also manages to pull multiple duties here as a few different characters. One of which is Judith Beasley, Pat's closest friend and head of their neighborhoods community group. Judith provides a number of the funniest moments with her sternly domineering delivery. Tomlin also throws in a cameo as one of her most famous characters from the TV show LAUGH IN (1968-1973), the obnoxious, squinty eyed, nose snorting telephone operator, Ernestine. She also had a brief scene as little Edith Ann (another classic comedy character of hers) that wasn't part of the theatrical release, but utilized in television airings of the film.
While the movie playfully makes light of the Women of the Tupperware Party Era, it also manages to spoof the dead serious 1957 B/W science fiction classic, the aforementioned THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN. Some of the scenes from that earlier picture are restructured here to fit the films comical slant, but the tip of the hat to Jack Arnold's original is clearly in evidence. Also, whereas atomic testing was a major concern in 50s society, by the time the 80s rolled around, such issues became less serious than the slew of new products that were voraciously flooding store shelves across the country. As per their respective time periods, a mysterious atomic cloud was responsible for shrinking Grant Williams and in this version, it's a combination of assorted household items set off by a side effect from a new perfume created by Pat's husband's corporation.
Just like the perils encountered by our shrunken hero in the '57 flick, Tomlin finds herself in a number of far sillier predicaments such as falling into a garbage disposal, assaulted by battery operated toys, chased by a dog and catapulted off of her bed. The film turns semi serious once the Kleinman Institute For the Study of Unexplained Phenomena hatches a plan to use Pat's blood to bring the planets population down to minuscule size. Carted away to a secret laboratory, Pat befriends a bumbling janitor named Rob (played by Mark Blankfield, the star of JEKYLL & HYDE...TOGETHER AGAIN) and a lovable gorilla (played by ace ape designer, Rick Baker).
Among the other cast and befitting of the consumer-product placement nature of the production, is Dick Wilson as a grouchy supermarket manager. Folks will likely remember him for uttering the immortal line, "Don't squeeze the Charmin" on many commercials advertising the line of toilet paper. The busty Sally Kirkland of a few Roger Corman spectaculars plays a cashier. Mike Douglas, former talk show host and entertainer is on hand playing himself and singing the timely tune, 'Little Things Mean A Lot'. Henry Gibson (THE KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, THE BLUES BROTHERS) is suitably gloomy as the main antagonist even though he isn't given a whole lot to do. Charles Grodin (THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, MIDNIGHT RUN) and Ned Beatty (DELIVERANCE, SUPERMAN) round out the cast of familiar faces.
This is the sort of comedy you can watch with the whole family. Fans of 50s science fiction will want to give this one a spin as well as lovers of 80s cinema. Definitely dated by that decade and representative of much of its memorable iconography, this is an unusually delightful, low key tour de force for Lily Tomlin. The box office may have shrank when compared to the gigantic success of Tomlin's previous years 9 TO 5 (1980), but the entertainment value is anything but diminutive.
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In 1989, police uncover a gruesome crime scene after receiving a chilling 911 call. The bodies of three people--two clergymen and a nun--are found brutally mutilated at the hands of Maria Rossi, the owner of the house. Twenty years later, Rossi's daughter, Isabella wants to learn what became of her mother on that terrible night. Mysteriously relocated to a Rome mental facility, Isabella and her video-ographer, Michael, travel to Italy where they join up with two priests, Ben and David who secretly, and illegally, tackle the cases of demonic possession forsaken by the Church. Not long after a harrowing ordeal with the possessed mother, Ben discovers that not only is she possessed, but that her body hides four powerful spawn of hell.
However, despite a few plot holes and some telegraphed moments, Bell's movie has an expansive, far reaching storyline that's too ambitious for its meager 80+ minute running time. The talky stretches may try the patience of some viewers, but some intriguing plot points make their presence known only to be drowned out in religious jargon and grotesque imagery. The moments of horror are mostly reserved for the last half and even then, the film simply ends right when it begins to gain momentum. This near disastrous closing sequence was possibly intentional as it leaves the door open for a sequel. Judging by the 34.5 million weekend haul (it took in $2 million at midnight showings alone), a second chapter is likely to happen. Still, it's a given that more than a few groans will be heard once the lights suddenly come back on after a final title card tells the audience to go to TheRossiFiles.com for more information about the unresolved case.
While it does feature a handful of 'Boo' moments, many of these come off as cheap shots inserted to remind the audience they are watching a horror movie. These consist of such cinematic condiments as sudden loud noises or dogs jumping up on an iron gate. The few exorcism sequences, though, while spewing a spooky moment or two, are more disturbing than scary. Bones are popped and contorted, multiple voices are heard emanating from the parched lips of the possessed and one poor girl soils her pants prior to scurrying up a wall like a spider. The satan scene stealer is Suzan Crowley as the creepy Maria Rossi, the woman whose body conceals multiple murderous entities. The fact that Ben (the dedicated priest practicing the eradication of evil in secret with his partner, David) discovers there are four extremely powerful denizens of hell residing within her foreshadows horrible things ahead since we also have four protagonists. Not to mention the theory of multiple transference looms large over the film.
THE DEVIL INSIDE breaks no new ground, nor does it give us anything we haven't seen before. It's not a bad movie, but far from a great one. There's a few effective moments scattered throughout, but it isn't skin-crawlingly scary (the best moments are in the trailer including the ending) like some of the bigger guns of this ilk. It does have one thing so many of these 'Mockumentaries' do not have and that's a globe trotting feel about it. Bell's movie greatly benefits from some grand Italian locations. The film doesn't take near as much advantage of these as it could, but the Euro setting does give this low budget flick some additional value. Difficult to recommend, this will appeal to devil movie specialists and those with a 'Found Footage' fetish. The feeling you get in your gut after it's over with may not be the devil, but a moderately unsettling feeling of creeping deja vu or possibly a bad case of demonic frustration.
