The Devil Inside is the first demonic possession film I know of to entertain the idea of back-alley exorcisms - that is, those performed by ordained exorcists outside official religious jurisdiction. They're portrayed as progressives eager to bypass the hypocritical and bureaucratic sanctioning of the church, which, according to them, has been alarmingly selective when it comes to who can and cannot receive the services of an exorcist. Officials stipulate that there's a definite difference between possession and mental illness, and not all cases fall into the former category.