The Devil Inside

This derivative, micro-budget tale is the latest entry in the “found footage” subgenre of faux documentaries—allegedly inspired by true events—launched by The Blair Witch Project. In 1989, after Maria Rossi (Suzan Crowley) confesses to committing a triple homicide in Connecticut, she's dispatched to Centrino Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Rome, mainly because of its ties to the Vatican and the fact that her three unfortunate victims were two priests and a nun attempting to exorcise the demon within Maria. Flash forward 20 years: Maria's daughter, Isabella (Fernanda Andrade), travels to Italy to find out if her mother is mentally ill or demonically possessed. Accompanied by videographer friend Michael (Ionut Grama), Isabella delves into what's described as the Vatican School of Exorcism. While the Catholic Church is unwilling to assist in this investigation, two rogue clerics (Simon Quarterman, Evan Helmuth) invite the pair to observe as they cast the devil from a young Italian woman (Bonnie Morgan). But when the priests attempt to perform a similar cleansing on Maria, the results are quite different. Writer-director William Brent Bell conjures up some spooky, perilous scares, but makes a fatal error by abruptly ending the film, making it come across as an unsatisfying supernatural satanic stunt. Not recommended. (S. Granger)