by I am going to do something I have never done before – review a movie I have not seen.
Apparently, The Devil Inside, Paramount Pictures’ new release about a woman investigating the possible possession of her mother, had a pea soup shooting weekend, with ticket sales totaling $34.5 million…taking the #1 box office spot.
There is only one problem. I can’t find a single person who didn’t hate it.
After learning that critics were not allowed to screen the movie before it was released (a sure sign that the production company knows it reeks), reading the reviews, and hearing from friends and acquaintances who did go to see it, I decided I did NOT want to waste ten bucks just to walk out of the theater saying, “Wow, everyone was right…that DID suck.”
But it seems even blocking the critic reviews beforehand did nothing to slow this disaster, which tells me something. People are still hungry for a good flick about demon possession. The problem is, they rarely find one.
Since The Exorcist caught viewers off guard in 1973, every production company and studio has tried desperately to recreate and cash in on the phenomenon. Yes, there have been some really good movies about possession. The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Exorcist III. Demons. The Shining.
But the list of awful movies that should never have been made is much longer. Exorcist II. Exorcist: The Beginning. Dominion. Possession. The Last Exorcism. Fallen. Night of the Demons. The list goes on.
But it seems this newest entry, The Devil Inside, is a loser even among losers. People who have seen it have NOTHING good to say about it, criticizing the plot, the acting, the story holes, and especially the ending (or lack thereof). Talk is already circulating that it will be voted the worst movie of 2012 (and it is only Jan. 9, for Pete’s sake!), and it currently holds a 7 % approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes….7 %!! That is even lower than the current approval rating for Congress!!
For someone to truly hit a home run with a movie about possession, there needs to be some talent behind the project (are you listening, makers of American Horror Story? I bet you could do a great possession storyline for season two!), and keep the studios (who only worry about opening weekend numbers and catering to 12-year-old filmgoers) out of the creative process.
Look for my next blog in the next day or two, exploring the trend of? “found footage” movies, of which The Devil Inside is just the latest…
