The Vatican does not want you to see The Devil Inside.
It’s nothing to do with the content, mind you; His Holiness felt the faux-documentary camera work started wearing thin around the 60-minute mark is all.
I reserve a healthy dose of my recommended daily amount of skepticism for any movie that holds a critics’ screening only the night before nation-wide release. It always feels like someone is hedging against a flop and doesn’t want bad press to ruin opening weekend's take. Nevertheless, I did my best to push this preconception far down with my inner demons and give The Devil Inside a fair shake.These efforts were rewarded with a pleasant surprise: a brisk, enjoyable heart-pounder that’s well-executed, if predictable at times.
This article appears in Jan 5-11, 2012.