Also known as I Don't Want to Be Born and The Monster.
Or, to this reviewer, Rosemary's Omen.
I've seen The Devil Within Her floating around on Netflix for what seems like forever, but never made the effort to watch it. And while I can't say that I'm immediately better off for having watched it after years of checking out the cover and deciding "Nah," I do have some thoughts:
While embarrassingly similar to The Omen and Rosemary's Baby (actually, the movie plays as some kind of half-assed mash-up of the two) TDWH has so many weird quirks it's almost charming. In a nutshell, it's about a woman who is cursed by a male burlesque performer with dwarfism to give birth to a devil-child who is also inexplicably the dwarf's psychic and physical other. If you think that sounds god damn ridiculous, then you're right. But the movie has heart. Like, I get the feeling that someone really thought this was a great idea and sank some cash and personal effort into it only to see the thing completely fall apart when actually put to film. Note that the freaky hand with baby legs wielding scissors on the poster does not make an appearance in the film (awww shucks).
What is completely disregarded, and what made TDWH's two illegitimate parents so affective, is any sense of mystery or questioning on the part of the viewer whatsoever. We're pretty sure from the get-go -- literally from the opening credits -- this baby is some sort of demon spawn. There is absolutely no psychological tension. Instead, the film relies on the notion that the audience will be legitimately afraid of a 4 pound devil toddler in a fuzzy yellow onesie. Unfortunately, we aren't.
So much of it just comes off as completely illogical and impractical that you're never even close to suspension of disbelief. Instead, watching TDWH is more like floating above the movie, wondering how the hell anyone ever thought this would come off. But maybe that's part of why it's kind of fun. It has a habit of moving from unbelievable to downright absurd (picture a grown woman fleeing from a murderous baby whom, due probably to a limited special effects budget, we never actually see), and constantly plays it straight as an arrow.
The Donald Pleasence factor, however, reaches a good 4.7 on the designated 10 point scale. We don't get too much of him, but when we do he's delightfully dry. He looks a little more turtle-esque than he would a few years later in Halloween. He also gets beheaded by a newborn while going on a Loomis-y jaunt through a walled garden, and that shit has to count for something when evaluating a film, right? Bonus points are also in order for casting Caroline Munro, though she's largely wasted. I appreciate the effort, nonetheless.
And that's really what TDWH is all about. The effort. This movie sucks pretty hard, but god damn it, they put in the effort. And because of that, it's an enjoyable watch, if even for all the wrong reasons. My recommendation would be to watch it with a group of friends so you can bag on in. I watched it alone at my laptop and had, I can imagine, less fun.
Oh, and one last thing. The soundtrack was surprisingly lush at times. Very prog-rocky with some great sounding synthesizers. It sort of reminded me of Walter Rizzati's scores (1990: Bronx Warriors, The House by the Cemetery). I went back and looked up the composer, Ron Grainer, and apparently he composed the theme music to 1963's Dr. Who as well as for The Omega Man later on in '71. I always thought The Omega Man had a cool score, so it's definitely interesting to find out it's the same guy.
Much thanks to The Moon is a Dead World for having me participate in this edition of Viewer Vomit!
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