Days of Halloween Redux: The Devil Inside

2012, William Brent Bell -- Netflix

I was raised Catholic so I think fear of The Devil and possession is buried deep inside my DNA.  I remember my mother liking scary movies but actually being nervous about religiously scary movies.  Being mostly atheist these days (is that like being a little pregnant?) I cannot say the idea of it scares me anymore but I still like the genre cliches -- Church coverups of "actual" possessions, the difference between possession and just being batshit insane, demons always know your secrets, etc.  But more often I am left asking the same questions.  What are the motivations of the demon?  How does it further the Devil's agenda to be locked away inside one person for 25 years? If you can blow a door off the hinges, why are you still locked up? If I was performing an exorcism, and it became apparent the eyes rolling and change of timbre voice meant demon-inside, I would first ask, "So, what is the point  of all this?!?!  What are you hoping to accomplish?"

So, another possession another shaky cam movie done all faux documentary style.  Maria Rossi is locked away in an Italian insane asylum (seriously, who approves an international medical transfer?!?!) because during the investigation of her possession, she murdered three people.  Coverup!  Seriously, if she actually possessed then don't cover it up with false stories, just call in Sam and Dean and exorcise that motherfucker.  Anywayz, years later daughter Isabella and her camera crew friends come to Italy to investigate. They get mixed up with some priests taking the local Vatican community college course on possession and exorcism.  Not such a good idea to cover up the existence of possession while running a course on it.  They find that Mrs Rossi is not insane afterall and she doesn't have just one demon inside her, but mooooore.

Normally I don't mind if a movie follows the tropes and cliches of its genre.  Its not like the people in the movie watched all the other movies in the genre and knew what and what not to do.  But this movie strings together all the expected scares and shocking scenes with nonsensical dialogue and plot.  Why?  Who cares?  WTF ? These are common questions I had while watching.  And remember my reaction to the abrupt ending in The Valdemar Legacy ?  Well, I don't care if that movie was a Spanish box office success -- that is not a good movie ending model !!!!  Boom, crash, movie ends.  No conclusion.  P.S. The creepy old lady on the Netfilix "box art" ?  A blind nun --- that's it, nothing whatsoever to do with the plot.