Incarnate (2016)

A scientist with the ability to enter the subconscious minds of the possessed must save a young boy from the grips of a demon with powers never seen before, while facing the horrors of his past.

Director:

Brad Peyton

Writer:

Ronnie Christensen

Stars:

Aaron Eckhart, Carice van Houten, Catalina Sandino Moreno

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aaron Eckhart	...	Dr. Ember
Carice van Houten	...	Lindsey
Catalina Sandino Moreno	...	Camilla
David Mazouz	...	Cameron
Keir O'Donnell	...	Oliver
Matt Nable	...	Dan
Emily Jackson	...	Riley
Paul Vincent O'Connor	...	Priest
Natalija Nogulich	...	Maggie (in the Car)
John Pirruccello	...	Henry
Petra Sprecher	...	Homeless Woman
Breanne Hill	...	Ilsa
Emjay Anthony	...	Jake
Vanya Asher	...	Jogger
Karolina Wydra	...	Anna

Storyline

In New York, the boy Cameron lives with his Dutch mother Lindsey that is divorced from his alcoholic father Dan. One night, Cameron overhears a noise in the kitchen and is attacked by a homeless woman: however he kills the woman, breaking her neck. The Vatican representative Camilla summons the scientist Dr. Ember to help the boy that is possessed and the exorcism is not effective. Dr. Ember has the ability to enter in the mind of people possessed by demons and bring them back to reality in a dangerous procedure with the support of his team composed by Oliver and Riley. When Dr. Ember visits Cameron, he realizes that the boy is possessed by the insidious demon Maggie, who killed his wife and son in a car accident. Will Dr. Ember succeed in destroying Maggie and saving Cameron?

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Plot Keywords:

mother son relationship | possession | exorcism | wheelchair | homeless person | 

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Taglines:

Faith has failed us.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images, brief strong language, sensuality and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 December 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

La reencarnación

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,534,884, 2 December 2016, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$4,790,573, 23 December 2016

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,341,855, 29 December 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

IM Global,Blumhouse Productions,WWE Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare for the role, Aaron Eckhart disguised himself as a wheelchair-bound, mentally ill Vietnam War veteran and yelled at people on Venice Beach. In one experience, Eckhart sat by the front door of an expensive house. When the homeowner arrived, she was frightened by his presence. She went inside but came back out moments later to ask if Eckhart was doing OK. According to Eckhart, he was very moved by this experience because he saw the woman's effort to change and have sympathy.

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Goofs

After the daemon/boy kills the father, all that happen was that two paramedics came and collected the body, no questions asked. In real, the place would have been swarming by police since his death hardly was by natural cause.

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Alternate Versions

Unrated DVD version contains much extra blood and some swearing that was edited out to earn a "PG-13" rating for theatrical release.

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: Incarnate/Rules Don't Apply (2016)

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Soundtracks

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Capella Istropolitana
Conducted by Barry Wordsworth
Courtesy of Naxos
By arrangement with Source/Q

User Reviews

Incarnate

Incarnate is basically Inception with a horror angle. Nevertheless, its premise is undoubtedly attractive; Dr. Ember doesn't employ a Christian iconography to pull his "exorcisms" (which he calls "expulsions"), and he doesn't consider invading spirits to be really demons (even though the Vatican thinks otherwise). According to Ember, the possessions are simple infections of psychic parasites, and his mental skills challenge the clichés of the films about exorcisms, offering a more scientific (well, pseudo-scientific) vision which opens new doors of speculation and mysticism. I'm not saying that that is more "credible" than the old standard of Christian demons, but it's certainly a creative focus. Aaron Eckhart credibly expresses Ember's dysfunctional personality, as well as his need to get redeemed for a tragedy in his past. Catalina Sandino Moreno is appropriately ambiguous as an emissary of the Vatican who does believe in demons, and doesn't care about the method used by Ember. And finally, Carice van Houten, Matt Nable and Emily Jackson also bring solid works in their roles. So, Incarnate is a horror film with a well written screenplay and good performances from the whole cast. However, I didn't find it completely satisfactory, due to the weak direction from Brad Peyton, who doesn't show too much enthusiasm for the material, while making the movie languish instead of exploiting with horror and suspense. I think Incarnate needed a much more perceptive director, with solid knowledge about the genre in order to take much more advantage of the interesting concepts of Incarnate, increasing the suspense and enriching the visual aspect. Anyway... Incarnate had the potential of being a hidden gem of modern horror, but Peyton's direction sabotaged the experience to a certain point, making it just be a decent entertainment which makes us think a bit.