excellent day (for an exorcism): Devil Inside

I have begun a simple and yet probably preposterous mission to delve into the ever ripe sub-genre of horror. The Possession Flick, as I like to call them. Begun by the release of The Exorcist in 1973, these films spiraled out of control in the 1970s and ‘80s when film-makers realized they could squeeze a quick buck by throwing a usually pretty girl in pajamas and making her over-act the way Satan apparently does when he possesses people. The whole fiasco reached its ridiculous peak by the end of the ‘70s but lingered through the ‘80s and even the ‘90s.

Recently in the mid-‘00s, the Possession Flick has returned but with a new “twist.” Taking the cue from Saw and The Ring, it was decided to return to its mother film The Exorcist and play on our psychological fears. Priests questioning their faith, troubled laypersons who do not believe and the ever-present conflict between modern science/medicine and the belief in the diabolical. In short, spiritual warfare was back in style and believing in God was the new black! But were cheap scares gone? Sometimes.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) brought the exorcism movie back to a more "respectable" place in Hollywood filmmaker’s eyes. But what does this mean? Do these new films have something else to say? Something we did not hear in 1973 and on? Is the psychological scare teaching us anything? I have begun to watch these films to see if my current opinion will change and also to note what is cliché and what is novel about each movie.

I have been working on a novel for years that this plot key of demonic possession features in and have been researching demonic possessions even longer. (Let us just say since I was twelve the idea of being taken over by an alien force-- no not the kind in spaceships-- has fascinated me to no end.)
What is my current opinion on this movie trend? Well, it isn’t a high one.
I personally think that these films are rehashing the same thing and that the plots have become so predictable that the revival of the sub-genre is as laughable as ever. At least with the Italian exploitation films, it did not take itself seriously or pretend to be anything it was not. These movies were a string of shock scares and dumb plots masquerading as psychological horror.
Recently I watched Requiem, a German film based on the sad life of Anneliese Michel, a young woman who died after a string of failed exorcisms. She died of dehydration and exhaustion, basically starved and untreated for her epilepsy and psychosis. This tragedy was also what supposedly inspired The Exorcism of Emily Rose, the 2005 Hollywood blockbuster. But after watching the serious drama of Requeim I thought I would follow it up by giving a Hollywood Possession Flick a look.
Enter Devil Inside….

PICTURED: And the letter of the beast ,shall be DDD.

The story follows Isabella Rosetti as she seeks answers to a troubling past. Her mother Maria was arrested and institutionalized after she admitted to murdering three clergypersons during an exorcism.

And this opening scene would have been good if not for the acting. The camera crew acts like they are going through a pretty run-of-the-mill scene when there is enough corn syrup blood for an entire haunted house.

Isabella and her friend Michael are making a documentary as they search for answers. The search brings them to Italy where her mother is currently committed to a mental hospital. The supposed exorcism—which we can assume was... unsuccessful—happened when Isabella was only a child. She spent most of her life without her mother and now wants what all people in these movies want---answers. So she and Michael have a trip planned to the maximum security mental hospital in Italy where her mother is held. (Please keep in mind that this was an American family, meaning her mother's being taken to Italy for commitment is quite odd and purposeful. Though the characters never seem to address this).

But before that they take a detour to the “School of Exorcism” (No, really. They call it the School of Exorcism, which sounds like a great idea for a sitcom).  Here they meet two priests. Of course. It takes two priests to do exorcisms in the Catholic rite, and we already know at this point that these two wahoos will be doing at least one in this movie. Ben and David, who later reveal that even when the Church turns down a case and refuses to do an exorcism, they sometimes perform them privately. Which is both illegal and, by the Church law, immoral. This is because many of the people the Church rejects are, in fact, possessed by demons. Or at least according to the Demon Busters, Ben and David. (For some reason, maybe because their IQ is so low, they allow Michael and Isabella to film them for their documentary even though what they are doing goes against the Church and the LAW. Good job, boys. Now you're on film committing a crime. Didn't think that through, did you?) Isabella visits her mother in the mental institute and discovers that the staff keep crucifixes up as “precaution” because her mother is repelled by them.

Let me digress for just a moment here. What? You have a woman who you believe is mentally ill and you use her illness' triggers to control her? How does this not fly in the face of your ethics? Also, you didn't use just two or three crusifixes. Oh, no. You have a bajillion of them up. Mother Theresa would have thought you were going over board. Subtly is an art form.

Surprise, surprise! Her mother is still possessed (by Hollywood standards) and makes it a point to be as ominous and creepy as all hell before screaming at Isabella.


I will admit this scene was not bad until Isabella and Michael's exchange right after. Any atmosphere created by Maria's mother was shattered by the awkwardly timed and stiff reactions from the other characters Michael even whispers "Oh, this is good stuff!"
The priests Ben and David offer to show Isabella and Michael a “real” possession. They even tell the duo the name of the demon they are dealing with. Which was something like Bozo or Bobo or anything along that line. In the basement of a family’s house, a young woman is contorted into a human pretzel. This was a neat little effect but there was really no reason for it. At least in Emily Rose it was built up to and reacted to appropriately. In many cases of reported demonic possession throughout history this actually is a recorded "symptom" when it is described that the body is in the "throes" of the demon and does otherwise impossible things. But she untwists so quickly in this film that it just comes off as the demon saying "Hey guys! Look what I can do!"

The priests tend to the possessed woman medically and spiritually, calling the demon out. The possessed woman proceeds to be, well, possessed. She levitates off the bed, breaks her bindings and crawls up the wall.

But not before she menstruates. Upon first viewing I was confused about what all the blood was about. Then I realized it was the filmmakers' latent fear of the female body and its icky, icky blood. Is that supposed to frighten us? She had her period. Am I supposed to be uncomfortable seeing period blood? You realize I have periods myself, right?

Needless to say, Michael and Isabella are now believers in demonic possession because a woman had her period. Hm, doesn't take much, does it? They ask David and Ben to re-analyze Isabella’s mother’s case. Ben has reservations because if the Church finds out he’s doing this very public exorcism, which they seem to have scrapped years ago, he could lose his job and even go to jail. Though, he should have thought about that before he allowed two Americans to film them for their little documentary. (Question: Why did the Chruch spend money transporting Isabella's mother to Italy after she offed three clergy and now does not want to exorcise her? Is she an international criminal for killing a nun and two priests? Is the mental hospital jail for Beezlebob? What's going on? Why isn't this addressed! It would be more interesting than watching these people argue over things that are already established!) But David seems more at peace with what he feels they must do. They analyze Maria and she comes out positive on the “possession” test, it seems. After this possession-test, at home, Ben shows signs of a possession; talking to himself, crying, sitting in the dark and, finally, shooting himself on-camera. He could have saved us a lot of useless dialogue if he did this earlier in the film. (Somehow Michael has managed not to drop the camera and continues to film that dizzying Blair Witch-style thing horror movies do these days.) Directly after Ben blows his Doubting Thomas brains out, Isabella has a seizure and shows signs of possession. They rush her to the hospital where she kills a nurse and seizes more. Michael realizes that his friend is possessed. (What clued you in on that, Michael?) They flee from the hospital with the possessed woman (because that is the logical thing to do, apparently). David keeps her from having a violent episode in the backseat of a car while Michael drives with the camera facing them. His pupils dilate to “preternatural” size and they crash. The End. (But you can read more about on a website. Which actually no longer exists. Weee!)

I am not quite sure where to start with this film. Whether to begin with what is trite about it or what I found potentially entertaining. You must bear in mind that I have seen many Possession Flicks so some of the clichés will hit me harder than they may a casual movie-goer. I also try not to be outright negative towards things that I do not personally like unless they seriously offend me. Meanwhile, the things that I found working in the film’s favor will probably be based on what I thought the film had to “offer” to the genre. Before going any further I will note that Rotten Tomatoes gives this thing a 7% rating. I would say that is pretty damn low and harsh. While this was certainly not a “good” film I did not find it painful to watch. It was laughable enough to sit thought. It had its intrigue and the set-up was fun. (Most would probably disagree with me there. At its core it is simply a rehash of the possession films and the “Spontaneous Possession” theme it attempts to utilize—the cases where demons “jump” from person to person—gives it little distinction in the subgenre. Not to mention, the shaky camera will probably physically irritate the watcher.

Saving the good for last, let us start with the negative. The clichés and mind-blowing plot holes. I’ll jump into plot holes first because I love when people tell me I “over think” horror, as if the genre cannot be serious and is not hard to do. Why do David and Ben allow themselves to be filmed doing these “under the table exorcisms” if they know it is against the practice of the Church? Not to mention, illegal. Especially since they bring medical tools into their exorcisms. Let me be honest. I like the ending. Abrupt endings and questions unanswered can be a part of horror. What I do not like is the fact that these guys take the obviously possessed Isabella out of a hospital where she just killed a nurse. Why? Were they planning on running away? Where the fuck to? It does not even seem like something someone would do in a state of panic.
Survival test. Possessed woman kills a nurse.
Do you:
A) Pray
B) Help restrain her
C) Run
D) Any or all of the above
E) Run away with her.
Isn’t that like running into a burning barn to rescue a dead chicken?
Much of the plot is flimsy. But the clichés are worse. It has almost become expected in these kinds of films that there be a Linda Blair or Emily Rose stand-in. In this case the poor girl in the basement of her house is a human pretzel, then hemorrhages blood from her vagina, levitates off the bed and seems to seize. All of this without us ever getting to know her. The same for Isabella’s mother Maria. That is typical of this sub-genre. Female characters are easily possessed vessels. The demon is not given a name and seems to have no motivation except to distress these meddling kids. Why are these people-hopping demons wasting their time carving the backwards cross on women’s lips and spree killing? That appears to be an age-old question and makes them pretty damn "lame" as far as demons go. Why not possess the Pope? Or a political leader? Why not do something truly diabolical?
Let us see a handy checklist of possession clichés.

• Pea Soap/Vomit- nope
• Body Contortion (+points if pretzel is possible)- double check
• Horror of the Female Body- check
• Victim is a Young Woman- two times, yes.
• Young Woman says Lewd things to Priest/Man- check
• Science vs. Religion- yes. There is a Cynical Man in the School of Exorcism who makes valid points but who is played up as an asshole.
• Demon “Jumps”- check
• Spider Walk- check
• Demonic Verbal Battery- check
• Raspy Demon Voice- not this time
• Mental Illness is Scary. Ahhh!- check
• Pointless Poltergeists- no
• Imitating Emily Rose- half a check.

Cliche Score: Twelve!
Skipped Cliches: Three!
any original here? ...Not really.

But I do not think it as bad as Rotten Tomatoes would suggest. There were a few moments that I had not seen yet in other possession films. The ridiculous and fictitious School of Exorcism may have been a bit unbelievable but at least it is not a staple of the possession movie (yet). It also took a moment to say that the Catholic Church does not endorse this film and that made me laugh so hard that I actually enjoyed myself. "No, really? I thought this was a legit documentary!" The documentary angle is interesting and at some moments did in fact lend the film a feeling of real-world atmosphere. Though the shots, lighting and special effects would never appear on a truly gritty documentary of “found footage,” the moment where Michael follows Isabella out of the hospital stood out. Seeing her weep after meeting her mother felt strangely real. Until he spoke. The idea of two priests running these “under the table” exorcisms is not believable but entertaining. In the school of exorcism it is mentioned that a certain dilation of the eye is supernatural because it is not physically possible. The abrupt ending bothers many people and that I can understand. But as a fan and a writer of horror I appreciate the loose end and an unsettling feeling the film tried to convey.
Some of the themes mentioned and set up in this film are science versus religion. In the two priests we meet these supposed rivals coming together to help people afflicted by demons. That is refreshing to see priests using medicine in a horror film. It has become a cliché for the two to be at war. If filmmakers were to go back to the start of the sub-genre they would see that The Exorcist goes to great lengths to show that the particular case has exhausted medical science and psychiatry before it turns to a level-headed and skeptical priest for help. Devil Inside returns to this almost foreign notion now, that science and religion are not enemies, but tools to fight evil forces. But Devil Inside is also choppy, full of plot holes and laughable. It loses any chance at psychological horror. None of the characters, save for Isabella because we see her pain and moods, can truly make a connection with the audience.

It is one of the more interesting movies I have seen in the sub-genre lately. Which is sad, really. I will probably not watch it again and don't suggest it unless you like "So Bad It's Fun" movies.
For now that is all. Perhaps next time I will review The Rite with Anthony Hopkins.
 


AN: know of any other possession films you'd like to see reviewed? Let me know! Always up for suggestions in the comments, my twitter, Facebook or just my email (luzbriar@gmail.com)

Profane Comics: Soliloquy

Soliloquy Times

Did we do Shakespeare reference? Oh yes we did.

A/N: So this shall be the first a few if they go well.

Profane Tales: Melancholy & Magic (part 2 of 2)

4-unicorn & siren
THE UNICORN found welcomed silence among the Fairy forest. He found a tree to lean against, for he was bone-weary and ready to sleep without waking.
Solitude was cut short by the sound of a woeful song. The voice was one the Unicorn thought he knew, female and too enchanting to be mortal. It may have worked to weary a mortal traveler into lying down to weep. But he was not mortal. Instead he was filled with curiosity.
"Your ha ho has. So full of joy.
words you pass make me a toy.
My wings are soaked,
my bones already dried.
So build you hungry fire.
So build it high.
Your painted lies, your this and thats

Your torchlight cries with sharpened flats
My wings are broken, so throw your spears
You delay my defeat
‘for cries are music to your ears."
A sob broke the ballad’s end and by then the Unicorn found the Siren beneath a tree, knees hugged to her chest. A veil half-concealed her countenance but he knew there was only one siren with a veil. That of their oracle.
"You sing when it does you no good, siren. Tamryn, dry your ears and fly from this world. It is not for you. You are demon and they are fae."
"I belong in no world now. I am the last of my kind," she sighed and lowered her head, dark hair falling in a curtain.
The Unicorn saw no wings but he knew it was an illusion to make her seem harmless. He kept his distance, for though they dined on men, sirens were unpredictable.
"If you are the last then a decision should be made whether you wish to perish or live on. Action must be taken. Passivity is nothing and will lead to nothing."
"And so you are here to mock me, too?" the Siren asked.
"I find few things funny, Siren. Our melancholy is as one. They have all broken my horn."
This captured the creature's ear and she lifted her head. "I see your horn, Unicorn."
"And I still see your wings beneath the glamor."
There was a faint smile behind the veil. "We are of opposing natures. You protect innocence and purity."
"Sirens eat the tempted mortal. I do not see how this makes us very different."
"I..." she told him with a sharp gesture "eat virgins."
"I see." The Unicorn lowered his horn. It was not something he wished to do, to slay this pitiful creature. Likewise, she rose to his challenge. As his horn let out a ghostly light, her disguise as an ordinary woman melted. She spread her arms, her veil going black and feathers appearing where her white dress had been. Great, magnificent black wings unfolded before the Unicorn and where had sat a demur creature a fearsome Siren with midnight-black wings awaited the white creature's next move.
The Unicorn backed. "I do not wish to fight you."
"I do not wish to fight you," the Siren returned.
"Lower your wings and I shall lower my horn."
The Siren was afraid, this was clear in the way her feathers ruffled. But she lowered her wings. For this show of trust, the Unicorn lowered his horn. He also set his head down and began to walk away. The demoness followed, at first in silence but then "May I join you? I promise I will not touch you."
"Yes, you may come along. I am leaving this world. I must return to the mortal one, where demons and men have free reign."
"I must, too."
"Then walk by my side."
Tamryn obeyed. The veiled Siren walked with the unicorn, neither touching but each smiling slightly.

5-the Unicorn lives
IN THE mortal kingdom, the executioner still waited with an assembly of guards. All hung their head when they saw the white creature approaching. The Unicorn was luminous at night, like a beam of moonlight. His own head was not hung as low as earlier but he approached his certain death with a steady gaze.
"I had hoped...he would not come," spoke one man, echoing the thoughts of all.
Of all the heads hung, the executioner's was the heaviest. He was now to behead a unicorn.
The Unicorn knelt before the tree stump where he was to place his head. "I have known so much time that Death appears like dawn light and tomorrow sounds like Nothing."
A long silence stretched over them all as the unicorn offered his neck to cut.
But a voice glided through the quiet. It was a feminine voice, its words difficult to discern.
Yet the Unicorn knew enchantment when he heard it. Of all the men about to witness this execution, it was the executioner who stirred at the sound of the voice.
"She is calling me..." he whispered.
"Do not listen to it!" one of the men warned him.
"I have no choice..." he told the others. Then, with his axe in hand, he followed the voice. “It is the Angel of Death.
Deeper into the forest, the voice was singing. Beckoning the innocent and the pure to an embrace.

Only the bravest guards chased after him in an attempt to break his trance.

By the castle, the Unicorn stood. He had begun to trot into the forest after the Executioner. But fanfare announced the return of someone of the the princess Amethyst.

The Unicorn turned as lift of gloom could be seen on the way he ran. While the other men were discovering the Executioner's axe, the virgin and the Unicorn were reunited. Somewhere in the shadows of the forest, the siren watched, humming a merry tune.

Profane Tales: Melancholy & Magic (part 1 of 2)

1
SOMEWHERE IN the Kingdom of a mortal King, a Princess was away and visiting her relatives. In her long absence, the Unicorn who was her protector and friend would lie in the king's garden and sleep. When he woke he stared into the sky and wished for an end to his memories. Time for him had become heavy. He bowed his head and stood that way as hours passed. Every mortal man, woman and child who crossed his path would bow their heads as well and begin to weep. The Unicorn's sorrow touched every mortal who saw him.

"Look at the Unicorn," they would say, but instead of the joy or wonder that usually followed, a melancholy of deepest black settled on them.

It became so dark in their hearts that the mortal King had to make a decision. "Every time my daughter is gone for more than a few days this happens. We cannot keep living this way. Nor will the Unicorn go to hang his head elsewhere, no matter how we shoo or threaten him. Something must be done."

With a weeping heart the King ordered that the ancient creature at last be put to rest. As the guards arrived to tell the Unicorn this news, he lifted his head, white fur shining in the moonlight. He nodded and let his head drop again. The creature made no move to run or fight.

"Have you nothing to say?" the Guard asked.

"What difference shall it make if I am quiet or I speak? In eternity, all paths lead back to an end."

The guards stepped away and gave the Unicorn some time before they would return with the axe to do the deed. Unseen, all of this was watched by the keen eye of Puck. Or as some mortals knew him, "Robin Goodfellow." 

He lamented, "No! That is almost the last Unicorn there is. Noble and powerful creature! My King will not hear of this creature of night perishing in such an anti-climatic way! I must tell him!"
And so Puck did.

2
SOMEWHERE IN the Other World, the one of Fae and fantastical things, the Queen of Fae had ordered the execution of a dangerous being. The Queen stood surrounded by her guards and with axe in hand. In front of her knelt a she-creature with black wings and a veil over her face. As the Queen lifted her axe, the sun began to set. The scarlet-haired beauty looked at her shadow beside the siren and sighed.
"Here. Let my husband deal with the bloody part of this ritual. I retire, it is his time," she told the guards.

Some of them gaped but the older ones merely shook heads for the familiar order. The Queen, more accustomed to the diplomatic daytime duties, left on the back of her fantastical flying creature. The trembling siren lifted her head, a look of perplexity visible beneath her veil.

When night fell there was a clap of thunder and gust of wind. The King of Fae appeared in a grand sweep of splendor and the guards announced him. His voice was the terror of nightfall, cut and scratched from years of warring " WHAT IS THIS MY WIFE LEAVES ME? AN AXE AND A HARPY?"

"A siren, actually, your majesty," Puck appeared in time for the King's entrance. "The last of her kind, I believe. She ate most anything she could lure to her path."

"But is that not the nature of the beast? Why are we executing her?" he rasped.

"Particularly, she ate virgins. Whom your wife protects."

"She is the very last. And we have no war against these particular demons. They mind their own. One must eat to live!" the King announced, voice still a cascade of power.

Puck cleared his throat, his floppy ears lying flat. He was used to his King's overwhelming presence. But the siren clearly was not. She had curled up on the ground in a tight ball of whimpers and feathers.

"Perhaps we could convince Her Majesty to spare the poor thing if she heard her sing. Such a song is a treasure, especially if this is the last."

Oberon nodded. His bronze eyes lit. "Yes. SING, SIREN!"

The little veiled siren lifted her head up, entire body shivering. She opened her mouth, took in a breath of night air and sang. But it was a frightened squeak, something a mouse might have topped in a contest.

Puck winced. "Not a show-stopper."

"Sing if you WISH TO LIVE, CREATURE!"

"Your Majesty, that may not be the way to go about coaxing a song out of a frightened siren. And on that topic. I have news for you about our favored Unicorn."

Oberon turned to meet Puck's gaze with his own, curious. "What news have you?"

"The King who keeps him plans to execute him. The poor creature is melancholic and a Unicorn's sorrow spreads to all mortals in the area. Quite a tear-jerker."

"And so they should make the thing glad! Killing it fixes nothing, for then they have unicorn blood on their hands and nothing cures such regret! SHOULD I SPEAK TO THEM?" he belted.

"I do not favor that idea either, Your Highness," Puck gave an innocent smile. "But I do have an idea."

"You have my ear."

"I believe these pathetic creatures could help one another. This siren is an immortal maiden. The unicorn is an immortal friend. Both probably the last of their kind. He may stir the song in her once again and that will stir him to smile, for her song is balm to the soul. It is too bad she cannot sing right now. You should hear the kind of notes these creatures can hit--"

"Done! We shall show them to one another. But first we must take the Unicorn from the mortal king's court."

"You cannot drive a unicorn where it does not want to be..." Puck sang-song.

"Mortals cannot drive unicorns. We shall see what an immortal King can do!" the tall fairy exclaimed, lifting from the ground with his large wings.


3
WHERE THE Unicorn sulked by the castle fountain there was no sign of other life around him. But in his own reflection, he could see the moon become clouded. He recognized the outline of the Fairy King on the Moon and his eyes opened wider, delicate ears set to twitching. From the water of the fountain several water sprites jumped. They seized the Unicorn with expert hands and pulled him face first into the water.

That water was deeper. Deeper than any man-made fountain, for it led into the Other World.

The Unicorn emerged from the deep and found himself in a pond far, far from the kingdom where he had been. He jumped from the pond and skittered about like a newborn deer.

"I apologize on behalf of the King," came a familiar voice.

"Robin! What is this meaning of this!" the disgruntled, wet unicorn commanded. "Has the King lost his already hole-ridden mind?"

"Shhh..." Puck shushed him and laughed. "We wanted you safe from the axe."

"Out of the boiling pot and into the fire. I know where I am, fae. I have been here before and it is as dull as the mortal demon-haunted world."

Puck's ears drooped, large brown eyes reflecting true hurt. "Now, Unicorn, why be so harsh. We only want to see you happy again."

"I have not been happy. I have not known happiness for longer than you, your King, your Queen or any of the beings here have lived. I am older than this very realm."

"We thought we might have found a kindred spirit for you. If you want to be difficult then do so." Puck folded his arms and shook his head. "But you will have my King to answer to."

"I have a King to answer to in your world and in another world. I am tired of kings. Let them question me, let the axe fall. I do not care."

The Unicorn shook himself off and began to walk in the opposite direction of Puck. His head was turned upward while little droplets of water fell from his body. Never had a Unicorn looked so mournful.

---
A/N: Not sure why blogspot isn't letting me space this story properly or not publishing it on time. I'm working on remedying this. Part 2 shall be up Sunday. As always, feedback is welcome and let me know you like by sharing. <3, LB

Running behind schedule with posting.

So have some goats!
Yes, totally irrelevant.
Should have a post soon. And one that is winter-themed!

Happy New Year! Some updates for your eyeballs' pleasures!

Gelding saved New Year. Same old, same old.

Hello, readers!

Happy New Years!

Check out the new and improved Tables of Contents to the right! There is one added just for Profane Tales and the one for Dearests Artists shall be up soon as well! Including artwork and everything. I have also organized the index for already posted Short Stories to make navigating the site easier and funner. 

So, tell me about your favorite mythtical creatures?

And while we're at it, what is your New Year's resolutions!

As always, thank you visiting and don't be afraid to comment and share. Click a response below to let me know you were here and you'll have good luck :p

<3