Setting the Traps (Incarnate, 2016)

Incarnate takes it’s queue from the Exorcist2 more than, say, the original Exorcist. Doctor Ember is a bit of a disgraced type who focuses on exorcising demons with science, rather than deities.

When a young boy kills a homeless woman who had broken into their house, the Vatican calls Ember and his team in to deal with a determined case of possession.

It becomes clear that Ember knows more and is willing to risk his own life to end this possession.

Incarnate tries to bring something new by making science a major part of the exorcism game.  But at the same time, it really does not rise above the level of, say, a ghost hunting show.

While it has a good cast, the film’s attempt to make it’s heart the final confrontation of a longstanding battle between Ember and a demonic entity never results in any sort of real engagement for the viewer.

Incarnate lacks any real emotional or visceral punches to draw the viewer in. In it’s attempts to make it a personal mission of the exorcist, it actually neuters anything the story might have done to keep you invested.