When the theatrical trailer was released for Paramount’s upcoming horror movie The Devil Inside, I responded to it by groaning and putting my face in my hands. There wasn’t anything in the footage that made this film look any different from the one million exorcism movies or the one thousand found footage horror movies that are already out there. Was this project really necessary? Well, the new red band trailer hints that though it might not be necessary, The Devil Inside might still be pretty fun.
No, there isn’t anything revolutionary going on here that’s going to separate this film from the rest of the pack in your mind, but it’s starting to look like this one goes a few steps further than the rest of the recent exorcism films as far as big time spectacle, creepy effects work, and offensive content goes. This time around we get extended bone-crunching gymnastics, camera-splattering vaginal blood, lots of action, and a bit with a baby that’s bound to give you the willies.
The first trailer spent most of its time setting up the found footage, based on a true story aspect of the movie’s presentation, and I found that to be a real turn-off. These movies that try to look like real, pieced together home video footage are always boring as heckfire. But this new trailer drops some of that pretense and focuses more on selling the film as an over-the-top, gross, horror movie gorefest. Now that’s something I can get behind. There might be some hope for the genre yet.
The Devil Inside opens on January 6, 2012.