The Inhabitant

So why did I still give it a 7 out of 10? Sounds a bit too much and I won't argue with you, if that is how you feel. However there is some redemption towards the end of the movie. While it is mostly predictable, the over the top ending kind of almost saved the day (no pun intended).

As I stated above in the summary line, characters do act weird to put it mildly. They do things that the viewer should be dismissing. And while it is imperative for a horror movie, that characters do certain things so the story moves forward ... it doesn't help if the characters who are doing those things are of questionable character ... some may call those characters despicable. I wouldn't go as far, but likeable is not something you can attest to them. Until maybe you learn something about their past ... if that changes you perspective, fine, if not you will have many issues with this. Still the scares are right and it's decent overall

Typical movie were actors make bad choices in tense moments. Like: "Oh, we kidnapped a couple un their house and we tied them to a chair, but let's leave them by themselves while we run through the house searching for nonsense noises"

El habitante is the best possession horror film I have seen in decades. I think I would score this one only second only to The Exorcist (1973). It does not have expensive computer generated graphics found in American films. But what it does have is a better screenplay than most possession films. I was enthralled by manipulative dialogs between the characters and the demon. How the demon digs deep into the characters past to weaken them morally and uses it against each of them to create hatred, doubt and chaos. Best of all, it has a main theme about forgiveness. This film without a doubt will go unappreciated by the masses conditioned to jump scares and expensive CGI. But for those who like to look deeper into a film's message, especially if you come from a Catholic background in a film like this, you will probably like the story.

I am giving it a 10 because I found the Catholic references authentic unlike the made up BS hollywood and the tv studios make up in the states. Can't tell you how much I cringe when the best dialog american possession films can come up with is having the priest yell "The Power of Christ compels you" for twenty minutes while beds float above the floor. At least this film has a real dialog between the demon and the protagonist in the film.

This is the definition of an abismal script, but the music guy really did his job well that's the only reason it's getting two stars instead of one

From Mexico comes this film produced by the Mexican companies Cinepolis and Televisa. Mexican cinema has very little recognition in the world of cinema and has ventured into the world of exorcisms with this film. The story it presents is something that instead of just being an exorcism film, takes elements from films like Panic Room, Don't Breath and Gallows Hill for obvious reasons. It all starts with a robbery by the sisters Maria, Camila and Ana without knowing that they end up getting involved with something quite sinister. The film may seem like something that has been seen before and sometimes falls into the cliché or predictable, but its story is interesting and engaging. There are no jump scares, but the terror of this film is based more on the tension and psychology of the sisters. The film has a fairly tense atmosphere that makes the viewer keep their eyes glued to the screen to see if something happens. What is also appreciated about the story is the depth it gives to the sisters Maria and Camila, using their psychology to their advantage. In the film we discover more about them, suggesting that they suffered a traumatic childhood and the demonic entity uses that as a weapon to attack them psychologically. The film also uses the loss of faith as another fundamental element. The sisters have clearly suffered a terrible experience that caused them to lose faith and that makes them more susceptible. The parents of the possessed girl also have a connection with this crisis, which was something that could have been the trigger for the possession to which the girl is subjected. Even the movie has hidden clues that serve as symbolic puzzles for the movie's plot. The death of the Pope mentioned at the beginning of the film, the song titled "El Pecador" by Enrique Guzmán which is linked to the sisters' painful past, the fact that the sisters' father has been a religious man and even one of the sisters name Maria are very obvious clues that become symbols of the conflict that breaks out in the film and how Maria has to overcome the trauma that has tormented her for so many years. It must be admitted that the film knows how to use the aforementioned elements very well, offering a fairly subtle horror story without having to offer much. You don't even need to be very detailed to make clear the disturbing traumatic history of the sisters, that is left to the dialogues, some flashbacks and the viewer's imagination. The Dweller is perhaps not on the level of The Exorcist or The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, but it is perhaps one of the best exorcism films ever produced. In the end it ends up being a pleasant surprise on the part of Mexican cinema. My final rating for this movie is a 9/10.