Movies
The Devil Inside
“While there’s enough scares, general creepiness and gore to give it a soft recommend to those hard up for a horror fix, the fact that it doesn’t fully function as a movie can’t be overlooked. Also, it has no third act. So if you’re into things like satisfying resolutions you might want to give this one a pass.”
William Brent Bell’s The Devil Inside (co-written by Bell and Matthew Peterman) would like to give us evil incarnate, and on occasion it almost manages, but the commodity it serves up most purely is frustration. While there’s enough scares, general creepiness and gore to give it a soft recommend to those hard up for a horror fix, the fact that it doesn’t fully function as a movie can’t be overlooked. Also, it has no third act. So if you’re into things like satisfying resolutions you might want to give this one a pass.
The film opens with a Policeman’s VHS account of a crime scene. Lingering nicely on the bloodied, lifeless bodies of a rampage that has left three dead, The Devil Inside starts off on the right foot by actually letting us see stuff (most found footage films would be content jostling around and away from the carnage). Bell lets it all soak in nicely, at least until we’re given a jump scare so rote I could have set my watch to it.
We learn that Maria Rossi (Suzan Crowley), seemingly insane, murdered all of these people before we see her carted away in a police car. From there we skip ahead 20 or so years to 2009 where we meet Isabella Rossi (Fernanda Andrade), daughter of Maria Rossi, who has decided to make a documentary about what “really” happened to her mother. We learn that after spending some time in a local mental hospital, Maria was carted off to a facility in Rome, Italy. Near the Vatican. For convenient exorcism I suppose (even though it’s later stated that there has been no attempted exorcism in Rome because the murderous rampage 20 years ago was the result of a failed demonic expulsion and the Church has wiped its hands of trying such a thing again). Once in Italy, Maria and her acerbic (of course) cameraman Michael (Ionut Grama) hook up with semi-rogue exorcists Ben (Simon Quarterman) and David (Evan Helmuth). I say semi-rogue because they belong to the Church, but they also perform illegal exorcisms outside of its dominion. I guess this makes them sort of like Riggs and Murtaugh – defying red tape and warrants and sh*t to take the law into their own hands – only they’re really boring.
To be fair, from here on in we’re treated to some pretty cool stuff in the exorcism scenes. Bell knows how to render his creepy religious imagery. The Devil Inside doesn’t skimp on violence or scares (especially jump scares). Unfortunately, that doesn’t really make it a movie. I’m not sure where it was decided that every character in almost every found-footage film has to be utterly flat – but this film is in no danger of breaking with that tradition. The performances are serviceable only to be in service of nothing. The film also proudly beats the drum of keeping everything in between the good stuff as dour and exposition laden as possible.
The film delves into some interesting demonic soul hot-potato (though in a far less colorful way than Jason Goes To Hell) but it’s utilized only to keep the audience on their toes – there’s no thematic resonance. And the sense of randomness utterly diminishes our understanding of anyone’s actual goal (demons included).
I can’t go much further right now without talking about the ending. I’m not going to spoil any specific events – but Spoiler Alert anyway…
Alright. So right when things are finally getting interesting – towards the end of what I assumed was the 2nd act – the movie ends. Really, it does. Stakes get raised, options get scarce and there are several points of no return! There’s gore, carnage and legitimate spectacle! Everything is shaping up nicely for a grand finale! I was almost excited! WOOT!
Nope! The movie’s over! Really. Really.
Actually it’s not technically over. A title card informs you that the investigation into the events was never finished. Then another title card arises, and I’m not kidding, urging you to visit a website to search for clues about the film’s ending. To finish the story yourself. Online.
I’m not sure about you but if I pay to see a movie (or even if I go see one for free) – I’d like to see the whole thing. Sure, I like to think about and engage with a great film for a while after I’ve seen it. But, for reasons in addition to requiring a URL to complete it, The Devil Inside isn’t a great film. If you’re looking for some cheap scares and know that this type of thing is up your alley? Go for it. You’ll only be mildly let down. Everyone else? I reckon your full ticket price would be better spent on a full movie.
This week’s new releases offer everything from giant monsters to Spielberg aliens to ass-kicking martial artists and even an ash-eating medical student. Do we have your interest?
Here’s all the new genre movies that released on Friday, June 12, 2026!
These aren’t all HORROR movies, but we want you to be aware of them all the same…
Norwegian creature feature Kraken is now available on Digital.
The film was also unleashed in select theaters. Check your local listings.
In the monster movie Kraken, “unnatural behavior in wild salmon, followed by inexplicable deaths in Norway’s deepest fjord, points to the mythical Kraken. The ancient, multi-armed monster has awakened, ready to crush everything that moves or makes a sound.”
Pål Øie (The Tunnel) directs Samuel Goldwyn Films’ Kraken from a script by Vilde Eide, Kjersti Jelen Rasmussen, and Natasha Arthur. Sara Khorami, Mikkel Bratt Silset, Øyvind Brandtzæg, Jenny Evensen, Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes, Jon Erik Myre, Hans Morten Hansen, Steinar Klouman Hallert, and Filip Bargee Ramberg star.
An all girls trip into the desert for escapism fun instead implodes in violence in the revenge thriller Find Your Friends, now streaming only on Shudder.
In the film, “Amber and her four best friends flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with quiet hostility. As isolation sets in and encounters with aggressive locals grow more threatening, festering resentments within the group begin to surface.
“What begins as fun and reckless escape spirals into a violent struggle for control and survival, as past wounds and present dangers collide in a night that turns their trip into a nightmare.”
Bella Thorne (The Babysitter), Chloe Cherry (“Euphoria”), Helena Howard (I Saw the TV Glow), Sophia Ali (Uncharted), Zion Moreno (“Gossip Girl”), and Chris Bauer (“True Blood”) star in the feature debut by writer/director Izabel Pakzad.
Steven Spielberg is more sure today than he was when he made Close Encounters and ET that aliens are very real, and with Disclosure Day, he aims to make you a believer too.
Okay so it’s not a horror movie, but the sci-fi blockbuster is now playing in theaters.
The vague synopsis for Disclosure Day reads: “If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to Disclosure Day.”
The film stars SAG winner and Oscar® nominee Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place), Emmy and Golden Globe winner Josh O’Connor (Challengers, The Crown), Oscar® winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Kingsman franchise), Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters, The Perfect Couple) and two-time Oscar® nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin).
Based on a story by Spielberg, the screenplay is by David Koepp, whose previous work with Spielberg includes the scripts for Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Combined, those films earned more than $3 billion worldwide. Koepp also wrote the script for Jurassic World Rebirth.
Steven Spielberg is of course no stranger to extraterrestrial encounters, directing two of the greatest alien movies of all time: Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 and E.T. in 1982. It’s an arena he returned to in 2005, directing an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.
Here in 2026, Steven Spielberg sees hope in the existence of aliens. He notes in the final trailer for Disclosure Day, “How will disclosure change us? I believe for the better.”
Another movie that’s not a horror movie but worth mentioning here is the violent martial arts revenge thriller The Furious, which is now playing in theaters from Lionsgate.
Xie Miao (The New Legend of Shaolin) and Joe Taslim (Mortal Kombat) star.
After his daughter is kidnapped by a criminal network and he receives no help from the corrupt police, Wang Wei sets out on a rampage to find her himself.
His only ally is Navin, a relentless journalist whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. Fueled by a furious vengeance, the unlikely duo ruthlessly fights against the kidnappers.
Kenji Tanigaki (Enter the Fat Dragon) directs from a script by Mak Tin Shu (Kung Fu Jungle), Lei Zhilong, Shum Kwan Sin (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In), and Frank Hui.
A disturbing weight loss craze involving human ashes opens up a haunting world of hurt for a young woman in Saccharine, which is now available on Digital outlets at home.
From writer/director Natalie Erika James (Relic, Apartment 7A), the Australian supernatural body horror film follows lovelorn medical student Hana, who becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes.
Midori Francis (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$), and Madeleine Madden (“The Wheel of Time”) star in Natalie Erika James’ latest nightmare.
From directors Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz, I Am Frankelda is billed as the first ever full length stop motion movie from Mexico, and it’s now streaming on Netflix.
The history-making stop-motion film is a dark fantasy set in a world of monsters.
Here’s the synopsis: “In 19th-century Mexico, Frankelda is a gifted writer whose dark tales are ignored and dismissed. Forced to suppress her voice, she refuses to give up, even as many try to silence her. But when she is thrust into her subconscious, the very monsters she created come to life.
“Guided by Herneval, a tormented prince trapped between dreams and nightmares, she must restore balance between fiction and reality before both realms collapse. Meanwhile, the sinister writer Procustes and his conspirators plot to seize control. As Frankelda and Herneval grow closer, their bond becomes both a strength and a curse.
“To rewrite their fate, she must confront a love that defies existence and reclaim her power as a storyteller—before dark forces consume her imagination and reveal horrors beyond her creation.”
The directors said in a joint statement, “As brothers, we grew up inventing worlds together, drawing, playing, imagining. Over time we understood that fictional characters were not only companions but guides. Sometimes they felt closer than the people around us. They provided us courage, wisdom, and solace. We believe fiction is not an escape from reality but a way of understanding it. A way of converting truth into palatable chunks. I Am Frankelda comes from a lifelong love of storytelling.”
Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr., and Luis Leonardo Suarez lead the voice cast.
Meagan Navarro writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Mexico’s first stop-motion animated feature is a macabre beauty.” Meagan also notes in her review, “I Am Frankelda is a gothic fantasy feature whose boundless creativity is matched by its ambition.”
The lines of reality and delusion blur in Time of Death, now available on Digital.
Michael Kelly (“The Penguin,” Dawn of the Dead 2004) stars with Kevin Pollak (End of Days), Mena Suvari (Vampires of the Velvet Lounge), and Dennis Haysbert (Send Help).
In the horror-thriller, “When a prisoner vanishes without a trace, Detective Frank Morley (Michael Kelly) is sent to a decaying prison on the verge of shutdown. What begins as a routine investigation quickly spirals into a dangerous search for answers.”
Will Wernick (Escape Room 2017, Follow Me) directs from a script by Jason Rosen. They also produce alongside Kelly Delson, Jeff Delson, and Kyle David Crosby.
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