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Title: Don't watch this at 3.00 a.m.
Review: This is an unusual mix of courtroom drama and old-school horror. As the former it's reasonably, though not notably, successful, but where this film does score is in its depiction of the torment and fear suffered by the eponymous teenage girl who believes herself possessed by demons. This is a movie that provides shudders through the things glimpsed in the dark rather than those that leap out at you dripping gore. Creeping dread is created with little more than suggestion, and, although the exorcism itself is dealt with more explicitly, this is where the film is at its most effective.However much of this is faithful to the real story (which involved a poor Bavarian girl), and whether you side with the scientific or the spiritual explanation of these tragic events, this still a gripping story that is let down only by poor pacing and structure. It deserves four stars, however, for the way it handles the fear of the unknown.
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