I swear that it looked like they were making up the script as they went. The movie is totally derivative, and Eckhart is at his very weakest.

Some really intense scare scenes in the beginning, but ultimately the film is one of the less interesting possession films. Aaron Eckhart's character was the only active character in the fim, as the rest were very passive, including the demon Maggie. This demon simply sat waiting in a room the entire movie, and didn't really do anything. Once the boy was possessed within the first few minutes, the rest of the film became bland with no scares whatsoever. Matt Nable's character as the boy's father added a bit of interest, as well, but in general this was a dull and slow ride.

The demands for horror aren't high. You just want some scares and at least one likable character. This movie offers neither, so don't get fooled by the decent cast.Aaron Eckhart plays a man who has the ability to confront demons (parasites and illusions) inside people's minds. This is shown in the intro in an interesting way, that completely rips of Constantine and Inception, but Eckhart might be that likable guy.After that intro, the main story shows up, which is about a possessed (or infected) boy, with completely no background information or motivation. That parasite happens to be the same one that is responsible for the death of Eckharts family. The church motivates Eckhart to be the excorsist here, which is all the more reason for the boy's mother to complain that Eckhart does this only for himself. The mother is played by Carice van Houten and she acts as if she regrets being in this movie, being a cardboard character who hates her cardboard ex-husband and the kid is caught in the middle. Off course this is the strongest parasite ever, so the battle between Eckhart and the parasite begins, with more than just the boy at stake.Bad movies can easily be forgiven. Bad acting can be forgiven. Predictability can be forgiven. If at least a few scares and twists are present. But the predictability in this movie has risen to sky high so there is no effect here. Add to that the flat story and unlikable characters, and you have a stinker. Too bad because with a cast like this one, you'd expect a little better.

I'll simply say this about Incarnate, if you're looking for a film that is in the vein of Insidious or some other horror film that relies on the viewer actually paying attention to the story over the typical guts and gore, then you're in luck. However, if you're looking to just kill an hour and a half with something mindless, look elsewhere. This movie, while by no means perfect, is also highly underrated and at least tries to put its' own twist on the whole possession sub-genre. Don't let the negative rating or reviews put you off, this is one film that you'll regret not viewing several years later. In this viewer's opinion, this is a future cult classic.