The Demon Inside

directed by:
Joey Moran
written by:
Joey Moran
genre:
Horror

Do me a favor slick? Put down that EMP baton and let the professionals handle things - will ya? Those professionals I'm talking about? The Ghost Killers - and the cast and crew of "The Demon Inside" of course. Cast and crew aside, who are the Ghost Killers? A crack team of paranormal investigators who not only detect, but also vanquish their supernatural foes. You've seen these guys before, or similar anyhow. Just turn on your television and bam! Welcome to unreality TV. Living in the modern world of today, ghost hunting television has become all the rage. So... like in the real world, when the Parsons family call this particular team to deal with their haunting, no doubt the Ghost Killers are expecting another hum-drum trip dialed up, via tricky editing and their over the top acting, to boost their ratings yet again. A great attitude to have... all the way up until loosing their first team member to a demon. Fuck.
Let me backtrack a little. Sam and Courtney Parsons have a problem. A demon has taken up residents in their house and as expected, it's causing problems for a family that has already had it's fair share. If it were just Sam and Courtney, that would be one thing. But they have a daughter, Harper, who seems to be in danger as well. As the demonic activity quickly escalates... very quickly... until the only viable option is help. Enter the Ghost Killers.
This is a fun little flick. I use the term fun loosely - as there are just as many serious moments as there are comedic. But I love this kind of movie. Nothing wrong with adding comedy and parody to the mix. Something writer, director, Joey Moran is counting on. Yet you see reader - the jokes don't seem to be strategically placed. They just kind of pop up in weird places. I personally loved it, but can see others finding it a little counter intuitive. For those simply looking for a good way to spend an hour and a half however, and love the genre, you really can't go wrong here. "The Demon Inside" doesn't write any new rules - but also doesn't feel the need.

Technically, "The Demon Inside" is... pardon the pun... a pretty slick production. Not every moment, but a good chunk of scenes felt so much bigger than that of a micro budget indie. The cinematography is excellent and the audio? Let me just say that I had no problem hearing the dialog. I also feel the need to mention the sound design, it was pretty effective.
The cast in this film is numerous. So individual shout-outs would take a lot of space. So let me just write this. The leading couple felt authentic. Not the Cleaver's by any stretch, just a family trying to deal with this ridiculous situation. Sam's part in all this was also well thought out - having a little more to do with the movie than I at first thought. As for the Ghost Killers themselves? The perfect parody. I loved watching these guys during act two. Fun times all around.
So the production work and acting are all excellent - what's left? The writing and editing. Let me start with the latter. The pacing and editing are, for the most part, also top notch. I did however, notice a few unusual edits here and there. I can't really explain why they caught my eye, just that they did. Editors are the unsung heroes of film. It's when you don't notice them, that they are truly awesome. When you do notice them... there's something off. Again, not sure how else to describe it.
As for the writing, there is one aspect that may bother some people. It's the same aspect I personally really enjoyed. The comedic timing. "The Demon Inside" literally goes from serious to funny to serious again. There truly is no middle ground. I imagine this is on purpose... but perhaps adding a few gags before the Ghost Killers were introduced, would have helped with the transition. I didn't mind simply because I like this sort of thing. Kind of like watching "From Dusk Till Dawn" not knowing it's a vampire movie - until the blood suckers appear. Some people, may just not get it.
At the end of the day, I was caught off guard with this film. What was I expecting? Not sure... but not this. Maybe not for everybody - especially for those thinking this is a straight laced horror film - but I loved it. Even if you are looking for a serious horror movie, there's enough blood and seriousness for even you.
There's a special quality present in a film that takes itself seriously, but not overly so. Something captured onscreen sometimes, that makes you feel like the cast and crew had some fun when creating it. I can't say for sure if this was the case, but it felt like it - and I have no problem recommending this movie. A well earned four stars.