Geekscape Movie Reviews: ‘Inner Demons’
Reality television is easy to criticize, and sometimes that dirt isn’t unjustified. The form should be groundbreaking. A hybrid of episodic storytelling and documentary form, at its best the reality show format educates on a lifestyle or occupation not common in the everyday. But because we’re humans and we mess up, the form has become low-brow and shows about vapid, narcissistic individuals provide enough ratings to last for eternity. The genre draws apathy from even the most casual of cinema and television buffs and your grandmother who can’t stand young people today. Yet you at least know someone who is still keeping up with those Kardashians.
Which is why I found Seth Grossman’s Inner Demons kind of fascinating. It’s also not fun. A veteran of reality television, Grossman has jumped into fictional storytelling feet first using a kung-fu style he knows best. Much like As Above, So Below from a few months ago (check out our review here), Inner Demons experiments with the verite form in novel ways largely not explored, but succumbs to cliches and a nauseatingly predictable “twist ending” that leaves a nasty taste as the credits roll.
Inner Demons is about an Intervention-style reality show who follow Carson (Lara Vosburgh), a former straight-A, devout Catholic schoolgirl turned angry, unstable drug addict. Carson, however, believes she’s possessed by the devil, which is predictably scoffed at by everyone except the whipping boy production assistant, Jason (Morgan McClellan). Only Jason believes her, and thus begins the nightmare.
A unique question the film asks — and I’m glad it does — is something I expect most documentarians can have daylong conversations about: As filmmakers, how much do we interfere with subjects? Speaking as someone who has worked on documentary and news projects before, I believe we shouldn’t unless necessary. Philosophies wildly vary in the community but the oft-agreed upon standard is to interfere as little as possible, much more so and strictly in journalism. The filmmakers behind Hoop Dreams became very involved in the lives of their subjects, as did the filmmakers behind the excellent and haunting The Act of Killing. On the other side, there are films like Salesman and The War Room where the filmmakers are almost nothing but flies on the wall. In Inner Demons, Jason crosses a line that exists between documentarian and subject in the most offensive, unforgivable ways… But it begs moral questions that aren’t easily answered. Is it okay to stalk your subject if it means their well-being is in jeopardy? Is it okay to satisfy their addiction? Disgusting actions, debatable results. But it’s a fantastic thing to ponder that I’m so happy the film left me with.
Elsewhere, Inner Demons is almost a genre-bending ride but it doesn’t quite reach the heights you wish it could. You could admire it for morphing over its running time, but to me its clumsy and schizophrenic. It is first and foremost a horror movie, but it starts in typical found-footage fashion reminiscent of Cloverfield (complete with the title on black screen as if we’re watching on a government-issued DVD). Then it flip flops between reality show and found footage to Paranormal Activity-style surveillance with non-diagetic music (its found footage, where is that stuff coming from?) before finally settling into just found footage. A consistent form could have truly salvaged the film and warranted multiple viewings, but instead it’s an unremarkable one night stand. The premise gives way to imitating a reality show, and when it does it’s almost amazing. I was laughing, but not at the expense of the film. I was awed whenever they almost nailed the cliche beats of a trashy, corny reality program. It was almost too good. And then it nails the cliches of horror movies and I was left bummed out.
I said almost a lot because almost is the best way to describe Inner Demons. It is almost a worthy movie.
One thing Inner Demons isn’t just “almost” at and excels in are its central characters’ performances. The main, core cast (and only them, everyone else is expendable and cardboard) range from excellent to excellently campy. The centers of the film, Jason and Carson, played by McClellan and Vosburgh respectively, absolutely command the screen. Vosburgh had a tough job: from high on heroin to straight up being the devil, she’s got some range. If there’s one thing to watch it’s her remarkable ability, and for being such a young actress I have high hopes for her. McClellan equally succeeds in being an empathetic, likeable wise youth who hasn’t been tainted by pessimism like the adults and so-called professionals. He’s a good vehicle for the audience. Jason will gain sympathy from fellow young filmmakers working the lowest rung of production as the bullied PA; the teasing he endures, although it may be too exaggerated, succeeds because the reality show producers are total dicks. You can’t wait to see them get offed. Most of the time it’s dished far too heavy, lame, and humorless — at one point they call him “Craigslist” and my eyes rolled — but sometimes it’s subtle and fantastic. Anyone who has worked as a PA can and will relate.
But how is it as a horror film? Admirable, but largely a failure. Carson is possessed by the devil. There’s no doubt, and that kind of sucks. There’s nothing to mull over. Every exorcism movie is usually a confirmed thing: This person is possessed. There’s nothing to have fun with. Can we ever have ambiguity? The scares are appropriately creepy and startling, but every move is telegraphed. In fact, the camera suffers a technical error anytime the devil’s presence is there. When the body count starts rising in the climax, you see everything. You know everything that is coming, and the only way you’ll truly be scared is if you’re looking on your phone and you’re startled by a screech. The ending of the film is almost an exact replica of Paranormal Activity and I just about had it.
Its failure at being a true horror movie is probably the largest misstep by the movie. It paints by numbers and isn’t fun. The humor does not work. The scare beats are predictable. It can’t tell its story consistently, and its messy without reason. You could argue that by after the first act of the film the reality show format is lost because its still in production, but then why bother cutting it like so in the first act?
I like Inner Demons in theory. Playing with genre is something that can easily win points for me, but that isn’t enough to carry the whole film. It left me pondering a worthy moral dilemma, but nothing else from the film stuck. It’s a horror movie and I am not thinking a single thing about that.
Geekscape gives Inner Demons a 2/5 stars.
