Incarnate (film)

Last updated
Incarnate
Incarnate (film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Brad Peyton
Written byRonnie Christensen
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Dana Gonzales
Edited by
  • Todd E. Miller
  • Jonathan Chibnall
Music by Andrew Lockington
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • December 2, 2016 (2016-12-02)
Running time
87 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million [2]
Box office$9 million [1]

Incarnate is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by Brad Peyton and written by Ronnie Christensen. It stars Aaron Eckhart, Carice van Houten, Catalina Sandino Moreno, David Mazouz, Keir O'Donnell, Matt Nable, and John Pirruccello.

Contents

The film was released on December 2, 2016, by Blumhouse Tilt and High Top Releasing.

Plot

An 11-year-old boy named Cameron Sparrow is attacked by a hooded stranger who tries to kill him. However, Cameron kills her instead and looks at the camera with red eyes, revealing that he is actually possessed by a demon named "Maggie".

Meanwhile, Dr. Seth Ember approaches a man named Henry in a club and makes him realize he is dreaming. Ember reveals that the woman Henry has been with is a demon who has possessed his body. The two escape and return to reality, and Henry is freed from the demon. In the waking world, Ember actually uses a wheelchair. Ember's assistant Oliver warns that the demons have started to adapt to Ember's efforts and that soon he may not be able to escape back to reality.

Ember is approached by Camilla, a representative from the Vatican, who asks him to exorcise Cameron. Ember refuses, stating that his methods are not "exorcisms," but Camilla reveals that she believes the demon is one Ember knows. Ember visits a priest named Felix to question whether the demon could indeed be Maggie, which Felix affirms. Felix offers him a vial of blood from a possessed man which, when injected, would allow Ember about ten seconds of lucidity - just enough time to commit suicide, but he refuses.

Ember meets the boy's mother Lindsay and explains that he does not exorcise demons but evicts them by entering their host's subconscious to make them realize they are dreaming. Demons do not have the power to truly control those they possess; instead, they lull their hosts into comforting dreams so they will be unaware while the demon uses their body. He visits the possessed Cameron and the demon recognizes him.

Ember, Oliver, and, the third member of their team, Riley prepare for the eviction. Riley explains that by entering a near-death state, Ember will be able to synchronize his brain frequencies to Cameron's and enter his subconscious. However in this state, Ember has only about eight minutes before his heart will give out. Ember enters Cameron's dream and sees him with his father, Dan, but has a seizure and has to be pulled out of the dream to be revived.

Ember demands that Dan be present to help evict the demon. Lindsay refuses, explaining that the couple separated after Dan broke Cameron's arm in a drunken rage, but she agrees when Ember insists that Cameron's father might be the only way to save Cameron. Dan's presence initially seems to help, but Maggie lashes out at him. Ember pleads with Maggie to release Dan since Ember is the one Maggie wants. The demon does so but Dan dies from his injuries. Lindsay, alarmed, demands to know Ember's history with the demon. Ember reveals he discovered that he had the power to perform astral projection and enter the dreams of possessed people, but hid his power to live a normal life. However, this made him a target for demons. One day, while driving with his wife and child, the three were hit by a car driven by a possessed driver. The attack left Ember's family dead and is the reason that he needs to use a wheelchair, and ever since, he's been hunting the demon "Maggie," whom he named after the woman it had possessed.

Ember visits Felix to acquire the blood vial but discovers that Felix has been possessed. Felix attacks Ember and commits suicide. Returning to Cameron's dream, Ember uses a ring Cameron had received as a gift from his real father to make the boy realize he is in an illusion. The pair flee from Maggie, and Ember helps Cameron escape. Ember and Cameron wake up, but Ember wakes up again in a hospital with his wife and son. He realizes he's now inside his own dream and begs Maggie to release Cameron and take him instead, to which the demon agrees. However, when Ember wakes up for real, Riley administers the blood and Ember uses his ten seconds to throw himself through the apartment window. As he dies, Riley warns everybody not to touch Ember's body.

Paramedics attempt to resuscitate Ember, joined by Camilla. They succeed in getting a heartbeat, allowing Maggie to possess Camilla, before Ember dies.

Cast

Production

Brad Peyton was hired to direct & executive producer the film. [3] Ronnie Christensen was hired to write the film. [3] Blumhouse Productions and WWE Studios were hired to be the production companies. [3] [4]

Aaron Eckhart was cast in the film on September 17, 2013, [5] [6] followed by Mark Henry in November 25. [4] Catalina Sandino Moreno, David Mazouz, George Anthony Anisimow and Karolina Wydra were cast later. [7]

Music

Andrew Lockington composed the score. [8] The soundtrack is now released at IM Global Music.

Reception

Box office

Incarnate was released in the United States on December 2, 2016 and was expected to gross $2–4 million from 1,737 theaters in its opening weekend. [9] It ended up grossing $2.5 million, finishing 9th at the box office. [10]

Critical response

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 17% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 3.5/10. The critic consensus reads: "Incarnate can't be accused of lack of ideas -- if only any of them made sense or coalesced in any meaningful or scary way". [11] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score 30 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C−" on an A+ to F scale. [13]

Related Research Articles

Professor Maggie Walsh is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Lindsay Crouse.

<i>Possession</i> (2002 film) 2002 film by Neil LaBute

Possession is a 2002 romantic mystery drama film written and directed by Neil LaBute and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart. It is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by British author A. S. Byatt, who won the Booker Prize for it the year it was published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Eckhart</span> American actor

Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his high school senior year. He left high school without graduating, but earned a diploma through a professional education course, and then graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah, U.S., in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film.

<i>Rabbit Hole</i> (play) 2006 play by David Lindsay-Abaire

Rabbit Hole is a play written by David Lindsay-Abaire. It was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play premiered on Broadway in 2006, and it has also been produced by regional theatres in cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The play had its Spanish language premiere in San Juan, Puerto Rico in Autumn of 2010.

<i>Neverwas</i> 2005 film

Neverwas is a 2005 Canadian-American fantasy drama film, written and directed by Joshua Michael Stern in his directorial debut. It stars Ian McKellen, Aaron Eckhart, Brittany Murphy, Nick Nolte, William Hurt, and Jessica Lange. It was first shown at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. However, the film was never given a full theatrical release, eventually being released straight to DVD in 2007.

<i>Rabbit Hole</i> (2010 film) 2010 film directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Rabbit Hole is a 2010 American drama film directed by John Cameron Mitchell and written by David Lindsay-Abaire, based on his 2006 play of the same name. The film stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as a grieving couple coping with the death of their four-year-old son. It also stars Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Tenney, Sandra Oh, and Miles Teller in his film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Nable</span> Australian rugby league footballer, film maker & actor

Matthew Nable is an Australian film and television actor, writer, sports commentator and former professional rugby league player. After playing in the Winfield Cup Premiership during the 1990s for the Manly-Warringah and South Sydney clubs, he wrote and starred in the rugby league-centred drama The Final Winter in 2007. Nable went on to act in films such as Killer Elite and Riddick. He appeared on The CW's Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow as Ra's al Ghul. As an author and as an actor, he is credited as Matt Nable, a name he generally used during his sports career.

<i>I, Frankenstein</i> 2014 film by Stuart Beattie

I, Frankenstein is a 2014 American science fantasy action film written and directed by Stuart Beattie, based on the digital-only graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux. An international co-production between the United States and Australia, the film was produced by Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright, Andrew Mason and Sidney Kimmel. It stars Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto and Jai Courtney. The film tells the story of Adam, Frankenstein's creature, who embarks on a dangerous journey to stop evil demons and their ruthless leader from taking over the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Mazouz</span> American actor

David Albert Mazouz is an American actor, best known for his leading role as Bruce Wayne in Fox's Batman-prequel TV drama Gotham (2014–2019). Mazouz started his acting career with several guest roles before joining the Fox TV series Touch (2012–2013), for which he was nominated for a Young Artist Award. He has had leading roles in the films The Games Maker and The Darkness.

<i>The Monkey King 2</i> 2016 film

The Monkey King 2 is a 2016 Hong Kong-Chinese action fantasy film based on the classic 16th-century novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. The film was shot in 3D and is a sequel to the 2014 box office hit The Monkey King with Cheang Pou-soi returning as director and Sammo Hung as action director, who replaces Donnie Yen's role from the previous installment. The film stars Aaron Kwok, who portrayed the main antagonist in the previous installment, as the film's titular protagonist, who also replaces Yen from the previous installment. It was released in the United States on 5 February, in Hong Kong on 6 February and in China on 8 February 2016. A sequel, The Monkey King 3, was released in China in 2018.

<i>Moana</i> (2016 film) Computer-animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios

Moana is a 2016 American animated musical fantasy action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, co-directed by Chris Williams and Don Hall, and produced by Osnat Shurer, from a screenplay written by Jared Bush and a story by Clements, Musker, Williams, Hall, Pamela Ribon, and the writing team of Aaron and Jordan Kandell.

<i>Bleed for This</i> 2016 American film

Bleed for This is a 2016 American biographical sports film written and directed by Ben Younger and based on the life of former world champion boxer Vinny Pazienza. The film stars Miles Teller as Pazienza, with Aaron Eckhart, Katey Sagal, Ciarán Hinds, and Ted Levine in supporting roles.

Custody is a 2016 American courtroom drama film directed and written by James Lapine. The film stars Viola Davis as a judge who presides over the custody case of a Latina woman named Sara whose children are taken away after an episode of domestic violence. Hayden Panettiere plays the lawyer given Sara's case, with Ellen Burstyn, Selenis Leyva, Olga Merediz, Dan Fogler, Raúl Esparza, and Tony Shalhoub in other roles. Custody was filmed in New York City in May 2015.

<i>My All American</i> 2015 American film

My All American is a 2015 American biographical drama sport film based on the life of college football player Freddie Steinmark. The film was written and directed by Angelo Pizzo. It is based on the book Courage Beyond the Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story by Jim Dent. The film stars Finn Wittrock, Sarah Bolger, Robin Tunney and Aaron Eckhart. The film was released on November 13, 2015, by Clarius Entertainment. The film coincides with the 2015 biography Freddie Steinmark: Faith, Family, Football., It received negative reviews and grossed $2.2 million on a $20 million budget.

<i>Dont Kill It</i> 2016 American film

Don't Kill It is a 2016 American comedy horror film directed and edited by Mike Mendez. Written by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, it stars Dolph Lundgren as Jebediah Woodley, a demon hunter who travels to Mississippi in the hopes of destroying an ancient, homicidal demon. Kristina Klebe, Tony Bentley, James Chalke, and Miles Doleac appear in supporting roles.

<i>Justice League Dark</i> (film) 2017 film directed by Jay Oliva

Justice League Dark is a 2017 American adult animated science fantasy superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Home Video. Featuring the DC Comics team of the same name created by Peter Milligan and Mikel Janín, the film is the 28th of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and the eighth of the DC Animated Movie Universe. Unlike most installments in the DC Animated Universe Movies series, Justice League Dark features an original premise. The film stars Matt Ryan as John Constantine, Camilla Luddington as Zatanna and Jason O'Mara as Batman. Ryan and O'Mara reprised their respective roles from previous media. It was released on Digital HD on January 24, 2017, and on DVD and Blu-ray on February 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XXVIII</span> 4th episode of the 29th season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XXVIII" is the fourth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, the 28th episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials, and the 622nd episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Timothy Bailey and written by John Frink. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 22, 2017.

<i>The Cleansing Hour</i> 2019 American horror film by Damien LeVeck

The Cleansing Hour is a 2019 horror film directed by Damien LeVeck about a staged televised exorcism that takes a nefarious turn.

References

  1. 1 2 "Incarnate (2016)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  2. Doty, Meriah (29 November 2016). "Could 'Moana' Top 'Frozen' in Second Weekend Box Office?". TheWrap . Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Incarnate". comingsoon.net. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Mark Henry to appear in WWE Studios' exorcist thriller 'Incarnate'". WWWE.com . WWE. November 25, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  5. Kit, Borys (September 17, 2013). "Aaron Eckhart to Star in Microbudget Horror Thriller 'Incarnate'". The Hollywood Reporter . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  6. Armitage, Hugh (September 18, 2013). "Aaron Eckhart takes exorcist role in new horror movie 'Incarnate'". digitalspy.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  7. "Incarnate (2015)". filmtotaal.nl. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  8. "Andrew Lockington Scoring 'Incarnate'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  9. "'Moana' To Repeat at #1 Over Post-Thanksgiving Weekend". Box Office Mojo .
  10. "'Moana' Keeps Fire Going In Chilly December Weekend; 'Manchester' & 'Jackie' Bask In Awards Season Rays". Deadline Hollywood . 4 December 2016.
  11. "Incarnate (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  12. "Incarnate reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  13. "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-16. Retrieved 2020-03-30.