The Evil Within (2017)

Memorable, crazy movie

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

This movie was absolutely not what I expected having watched it without ever seeing a trailer or reading reviews on it. This movie will strain your mind and perception. I would have liked to give it a higher score but it is what it is. You can't help but feel sorry for the characters in this film as they're all just along for the ride. Lots of imagination in the script, well developed characters for the most part, and lots of eye-opening ideas for what hollywood could pull off if they had the nerve. If you're a horror fan it's a definite watch otherwise you probably won't get much out of it.

I was pleasantly surprised to see my favorite actor Sean Patrick Flanery who starred in the hit TV 1991 series P.S. I Love You opposite Connie Sellecca. All the time I was thinking who is this handsome actor? Then It clicked - he was in this TV series I saw in my youth, opposite another beautiful actress. How time flies... Back to the film: it's about a demonic entity specializes in possessing mentally challenged individuals. Frederick Koehler plays Dennis who mentally handicapped. One day he stares at an antique mirror and befriends his reflection. Unknowingly, he becomes possessed by a demonic entity bound to that antique mirror. The demonic entity tell Dennis to do unspeakable things. Sean Patrick Flanery plays Dennis's bother John. Dennis confides to John about his problems but he ignores him. Dina Meyer another veteran actress plays Lydia, John's girlfriend. Michael Berryman who has starred in a lot of horror B class movies is a cult status actor. He best known for his creepy performance as "Pluto" in the uncompromising Wes Craven horror film The Hills Have Eyes (1977). Frederick Koehler does an outstanding job portraying a mentally challenged individual who is in torment as he is unable to tell about the demonic entity possessing him and telling him to commit atrocities. Flanery and Meyer do good supporting roles for Koehler's character. I personally think that the script of the film was not good enough. The special effects are good so are the sound-effects. Photography is also professionally handled. Andrew Getty does mot take an effort to make the film more engrossing. So this film can be categorized as a passable watch. Movies based on possession The Exorcist(1973), Burnt Offerings(1976), The Amityville Horror(1979), The Evil Dead(1981), The Thing(1982), Witchboard(1986), The Hidden(1987), Prince of Darkness(1987), Night of the Demons(1988), Shocker(1989), C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. (1989), The Borrower(1991), Clown(2014). These above movies are a good guide to horror movies and make a good horror movie collection.Thank you for reading my review, live long and prosper.

This bizarre little horror certainly surprised me, within minutes I had no idea where the film was going or which sub-genre it would fall into.Starring Sean Patrick "As seen in a hundred b-movies" Flanery and Dina "Starship Troopers" Meyer this odd little tale follows Dennis a mentally limited young man and his descent into madness & violence.Heavily open to interpretation but well created this isn't for everyone and generally not the type of film I'd enjoy but by the end I was quite gripped.With a good twist and finale I wish I had liked this more than I did as you can tell a lot of effort went into it and the creator had some good ideas.Kudos as well to the young fella who plays the lead, hopefully he'll piggyback this movie on route to better things.The Good: Lead is fantastic Some great ideas The Bad: Flawed in placesThings I Learnt From This Movie: Dina Meyer must have p*ssed someone in Hollywood offI'm never going to be able to look at a ghost train the same way again

Dennis (Frederick Koehler) is mentally handicapped (R-word sometimes used) but you wouldn't know it by his coherent thoughts. He is cared for by his brother John (Sean Patrick Flanery). Dennis has nightmares with Michael Berryman in them, but who doesn't. A recently placed mirror in Dennis' room allows him to communicate with Berryman who turns into a reflection of Dennis. The reflection instructs Dennis to do this with the promise of making Dennis mentally whole.The production hides a lot of the gory scenes and at best gives us glimpses. The film is different take on evil entity commanding a person. Dennis is a unique character who is hip to many things. The horror aspect doesn't rely on jump scares, just the slow anticipation of what you know is coming.Guide: F-word. Nudity (Brianna Brown described as "outlandishly hot")