Incarnate (2016)

2 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Parasite Club

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

This horror movie tries to set itself apart from other recent demon-possession movies by inventing an interesting new mythology, but eventually it gets tired, bogged down and lost in its own rulebook. Aaron Eckhart tries his best in the lead role, as a scruffy, wheelchair-bound man that has lost everything, but his efforts seem to exist in a void. No one else seems to have even shown up for work, certainly not director Brad Peyton (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, San Andreas), who mainly seems intent on keeping the horrors from stretching beyond the PG-13 realm.

In Incarnate, Dr. Ember (Eckhart) has the ability to enter into the minds of possessed individuals and help drive out the demons, which he considers parasites. When a young boy, Cameron (David Mazouz) is taken over by a demon, a representative of the Vatican (Catalina Sandino Moreno) calls upon Dr. Ember to help. He agrees, but only because he believes that the demon in question is one he's been hunting, called "Maggie," who was responsible for the deaths of his own wife and son. But as Ember begins to take the plunge, he finds that Maggie is not so easily dispatched, and that there's more at stake than he originally bargained for.

Peyton includes a few jump-scares, and some digitally-included black eyeballs, and has his actors stare in disbelief as "amazing" visual effects happen before them. Other characters aside from Dr. Ember never seem to know what they're doing, or what the most realistic, emotional choice might be. It's lazy, uninspired work; perhaps, after this and I, Frankenstein, it might be wise for Mr. Eckhart to stay away from horror and stick to things like Sully.