Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fake documentary about exorcisms has gore, strong scares.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Devil Inside
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 8 parent reviews
Based on 10 kid reviews
Kids say that this horror movie seems to elicit a strong negative reaction from viewers, with many calling it poorly made, boring, and lacking genuine scares. Although a few found some scenes to be frightening, overall, the consensus is that it fails as a compelling horror experience, with mediocre acting and a disappointing ending.
- poor execution
- boring scenes
- few jump scares
- not kid-friendly
- mixed reactions
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
When Isabella Rossi (Fernanda Andrade) was a child, her mother went crazy and killed three priests during an exorcism. Now, as an adult, Isabella wants to visit her mother in Rome and try to unravel the mystery of what happened, hoping to prevent the same thing from happening again. She learns that her mother may be possessed, but that the church probably won't help her. Accompanied by her cameraman, Michael (Ionut Grama), Isabella turns to a couple of young priests, Ben (Simon Quarterman) and David (Evan Helmuth), who specialize in cases that the church has ignored or turned down. Unfortunately, Isabella's mother seems to have more than one demon inside her, and these demons are looking for a new home.
Is It Any Good?
The "fake documentary horror film" genre seems to have totally run its course, creativity-wise, and THE DEVIL INSIDE is no exception. It re-uses the same ideas again and again, such as trying to fool the audience into thinking the events are real. It barely cooks up any kind of character or dramatic arc, even though Andrade has wonderful screen presence and the two priest characters share an interesting moral conundrum.
That said, the movie still has some authentic scares, mainly through a lack of background score music and through long takes on the hand-held cameras. The rhythms are unpredictable, and it's never quite clear when something is going to suddenly jump up or switch gears. And indeed, this movie has a few decent tricks up its sleeve. But it ends in an unsatisfying manner, having left several stones unturned and several ideas untapped.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 6, 2012
- On DVD or streaming : May 15, 2012
- Cast : Evan Helmuth , Fernanda Andrade , Simon Quarterman
- Director : William Brent Bell
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 87 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : disturbing violent content and grisly images, and for language including some sexual references
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate