My Inner Demon: A Geraldson Tale

Having just watched this, I feel deceived, both by the high IMDb score which, as of this writing is 7.4, and four IMDb reviews that gave it a 10. However, my own rating would have been the same even if I had not felt deceived.

An all-around amateurish affair as asinine as anything. Boorish, bad, bafflingly bewildering. Cast can't convince, characters created crudely, creator craters crapshoot.

They quoted Macbeth, which put me in an alliterative mood. What else to do when it becomes a challenge to say anything positive? Even the basic story lacked coherence, and the connection to Macbeth escaped me completely. Maybe it was meant to be a tale full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Plain and simple, filmmaker Gerald Varga meets Gerald Gerald Geraldson in a meta sequel to 2019's Murder Box. The lines of what is and is not real are blurred in what begins as a how-to video on making a found footage horror film...

I loved the first film's story, but it admittedly felt like a novice filmmaker in many ways. On the other hand, Inner Demon really feels like a huge step for Vargas as a filmmaker, front shot composition to editing to just about every technical aspect of the craft. Seeing a filmmaker grow so much in a few short years is one of the greatest joys of experiencing low budget films but young filmmakers... and this is a prime example of one such joy.

The character of Gerald Gerald Geraldson lives on and off the screen and has prior to this duo of films. A 2009 stand up set (below) shows Vargas working out the character on stage at a comedy club. His brand of horror comedy is edge without being without substance. It crawls up on the line of bad taste, but never becomes a vapid edgelord act. This is something to be commended for such an act.

Watching this character become more developed in Murder Box, then further explored in Inner Demon, is a treat. The way the character is explored as an "inner demon" of Vargas himself in the meta sequel is handled really well. Acting as a commentary on found footage film, the stress of being an aspiring filmmaker, and how people wrestle with their darker sides, Inner Demon is a must watch for genre fans.

If you haven't yet, watch Murder Box first, the prequel which introduces the character of Gerald Gerald Geraldson. After having thoroughly enjoying Murder Box with it's cutting take on mental health with a stand-up twist, I was excited to watch this direct sequel. I wasn't disappointed, as My Inner Demon: A Geraldson Tale manages to delve further into this fantastic storyline in a fresh, inventive way. Gerald Varga pokes fun at his character, society and himself, and manages to creep me out with his split second character change. This low budget indie film is a fine example of passion combining with fresh new ideas that you just don't get from Hollywood anymore. Check it out, it's got killer jokes!

I really enjoyed this found footage comedy-horror film. If you like this type of feature then 'Inner Demon' will be right up my alley. Not a lot of movies are successful in mixing comedy and horror but this one does it beautifully. I saw Cocaine Bear not too long ago and this film does a better job of marrying these two genres than did the former mentioned. The film doesn't have too many roles but the ones that are there are brought vividly to life by a superb cast. The acting was fantastic. The practical effects were very well done. Visuals were great. I really liked the forested locations where you shot. Overall, I really enjoyed the ride. One thing that plaques indie films is that they're very slow but this film moved along at a very nice pace. If you like FF horror and really demented characters this is definitely for you.

The stuff between Gerry and Darren is fantastic. Legit funny that devolves into genuine horror. It was able to make me laugh then creep me out. Everything not involving Gerry and Darren almost feels like filler though, otherwise I would have given this an even higher rating. The film was slow to start for me, but took off as soon as Darren shows up. The tension and contrast between the characters brings their emotions out and the film turns into a really interesting story about their relationship. I feel like this could have been a truly great film if it just stuck to the relationship between the main characters and explored that more. Still, I really enjoyed it, especially when Darren began reciting Shakespeare... hilarious. There aren't a lot of movies that mix horror and comedy without resorting to goofy humor, but My Inner Demon accomplishes that. Solid movie.