No suspension of disbelief whatsoever

Rating: 5/10 (24 August 2018)

SPOILER ALERT
Why did they cast the Wolff brother for the role of the son?!?! Why on Earth cast a guy that looks like he's 25 in real life, to play a role of a 16 year old, who screams like he is 5?!?! I've read reviews praising the acting on this film but I totally disagree with those. Some scenes are so nonsensical (even in a paranormal setting) that even Collette, who is an amazing actress, could not do the trick. Byrne acts like an expressionless robot. But Alex Wolff really takes the cake when it comes to pathetically faking fear. It's laughable when he shrieks and cries, saying "I'm so scarred" and calling his mother "mommy" as if he was 5. I thought that would later be explained, like "oh he's actually 5 and she was dreaming that he was 16" or something like that. But no, it's just plain bad acting. And how about the last scene? I thought he should look a little more empowered, right, since he became a demon. Or maybe that's when he should act more childlike, since he became Charlie. But no. There was no change in his expression, body language or persona. Miscasting that totally compromised suspension of disbelief, IMHO.
Pace is also much slower than necessary. If it was supposed to create tension, for me, it only created boredom. Definitely NOT the scariest movie of the year. Actually it did not scare me at all.