Incarnate

A scientist who can enter the minds of people who are demonically possessed (Aaron Eckhart) takes on the case of an 11-year-old boy (David Mazouz) possessed by the same demon who killed the scientist’s wife and son. Written by Ronnie Christensen and directed by Brad Peyton, it’s Inception meets The Exorcist, and the best thing you can say for this routine scare-’em-up is that the final result isn’t as idiotic as the premise sounds. Not quite. But it’s silly enough, with science and religion tag-teaming Christensen’s mumbo-jumbo dialogue. It’s a mystery why Eckhart signed on for this junk—but an actor’s got to eat, and they can’t all be Sully or Bleed for This. With an optimism that’s almost touching, in its way, Peyton and Christensen set up the ending as if they think they’ll be making a sequel. J.L.