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The Devil Incarnate Review

The Devil Incarnate

I’m not sure what has brought on the recent resurgence in what I’ve been calling “baby horror.” Perhaps it was the release of Devil’s Due in theaters earlier this year. Since that January release, there have been a number of films dealing with satanic cults and the demon seed (see Delivery: The Beast Within) and now there is one more to add to the list — L. Gustavo Cooper’s The Devil Incarnate.

Newlyweds Holly and Trevor are on their honeymoon. After Holly’s palm reading ends up being a sham, a homeless man tells the couple to “follow the spirit” in order to find a true fortune-teller. After endless searching, the couple end up at a strange house in Casadega where Holly is terrified by the mysterious soothsayer. Trevor and his new wife return home only to learn the news of a pregnancy that they were unaware of, and as the womb inside Holly grows, strange things begin happening and Holly doesn’t seem to be herself anymore…

Luckily The Devil Incarnate is not just another spawn-of-satan found footage film. While there are a number of scenes shot using this technique, Cooper and his team did not rely solely on it. I think the combination of ‘handheld cam’ shots and traditional camerawork was the right way to go here, making this film stand out just a little from its horror genre counterparts.

The Devil Incarnate has a lot going for it. Performances by the entire cast are rather believable and while Graci Carli may not win any awards for her portrayal of Holly Davidson, a cursed mother of an unborn demon, she did well enough to keep the movie going. The problems for this film begin with its length I believe. I don’t usually wish for horror films to be longer than they turn out, but at about 77 minutes, there is a lot left to be desired. I feel as though a lot of ideas were beginning to be explored, but seemed to be cut short, leaving no clear-cut climax to anything. The ‘exorcism’ scene, which should have been the most exhilarating part of the entire production, seemed rushed and half-hearted without much explanation. Sadly, this is how a lot of the sequences felt, leading me to believe that the filmmakers themselves weren’t very cognizant of how to achieve what they originally set out to do.

If you guys are supporters of independent horror films and enjoy movies like Devil’s Due, you may enjoy The Devil Incarnate. To purchase a copy and find out for yourself, head over to Image Entertainment’s official website.

I give this film 2 ceramic dolls out of 5.

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