This exorcism movie starring Dan Stevens, Patricia Heaton, Ashley Greene, and Al Pacino tells the story of a priest who is forced to take in a possessed teen at his church in the 1920s. During her stay, he and another priest perform an exorcism in the form of nightly rituals meant to weaken the demon’s hold on the girl.
It is told from the point of view of the priest which gives the film a slight disadvantage because it makes the girl a secondary character. I didn’t really care what happened to her because our sympathies lie with the priest and the nuns that live at the church. Don’t get me wrong. I love rooting for Dan Stevens in anything he is in, but when the girl’s life is the one at risk, I’d rather be worrying about her wellbeing.
It also jumps from one scene to the next so quickly that you barely have time to process when you are thrown to the next scene. I’m not sure if it was an editing choice or a screenwriting choice, but for me, it was a bit jarring. At least it kept the movie moving.
On the upside, this film has three great things going for it. Number one, the camera work is a force in and of itself. The choice to have all handheld cameras for the entire film was genius. It adds so much tension and the closeups really bring the viewer into the scene, adding intimacy with the characters that the film lacked by having the girl’s story secondary to the priest. I’d love to see more of this in this type of horror film.
Secondly, the cast really showed up for this one. Every performance is strong, even Abigail Cowen as the girl. I only knew her form The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, so even if I didn’t fully sympathize with her character, I did find her performance to be creepy when the demon had control of her. Ashley Greene was wonderful as well, making me wish she would do more horror movies. Patricia Heaton brings a strict motherly nature as a nun who certainly cares about the church she has made her home.
Lastly, this film was based on true events and taken from the notes of the priest who helped with the exorcism. The film casts doubt upon the proceedings in such a way that it is palpable. Everyone, aside from Pacino’s character, has little faith that the possession is real and it isn’t until the end when they all start to believe that they begin to succeed in their exorcism. This is something I want to see explored in movies where religion plays such a big role. This film handles it well.
This imperfect exorcism movie isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen, not by a long shot. It isn’t the best either, but that camerawork deserved to be watched. My favorite thing about the film, really.
3 out of 5 stars.
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Becky Tyler Art and Photography 
This exorcism movie starring Dan Stevens, Patricia Heaton, Ashley Greene, and Al Pacino tells the story of a priest who is forced to take in a possessed teen at his church in the 1920s. During her stay, he and another priest perform an exorcism in the form of nightly rituals meant to weaken the demon’s hold on the girl.
It is told from the point of view of the priest which gives the film a slight disadvantage because it makes the girl a secondary character. I didn’t really care what happened to her because our sympathies lie with the priest and the nuns that live at the church. Don’t get me wrong. I love rooting for Dan Stevens in anything he is in, but when the girl’s life is the one at risk, I’d rather be worrying about her wellbeing.
It also jumps from one scene to the next so quickly that you barely have time to process when you are thrown to the next scene. I’m not sure if it was an editing choice or a screenwriting choice, but for me, it was a bit jarring. At least it kept the movie moving.
On the upside, this film has three great things going for it. Number one, the camera work is a force in and of itself. The choice to have all handheld cameras for the entire film was genius. It adds so much tension and the closeups really bring the viewer into the scene, adding intimacy with the characters that the film lacked by having the girl’s story secondary to the priest. I’d love to see more of this in this type of horror film.
Secondly, the cast really showed up for this one. Every performance is strong, even Abigail Cowen as the girl. I only knew her form The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, so even if I didn’t fully sympathize with her character, I did find her performance to be creepy when the demon had control of her. Ashley Greene was wonderful as well, making me wish she would do more horror movies. Patricia Heaton brings a strict motherly nature as a nun who certainly cares about the church she has made her home.
Lastly, this film was based on true events and taken from the notes of the priest who helped with the exorcism. The film casts doubt upon the proceedings in such a way that it is palpable. Everyone, aside from Pacino’s character, has little faith that the possession is real and it isn’t until the end when they all start to believe that they begin to succeed in their exorcism. This is something I want to see explored in movies where religion plays such a big role. This film handles it well.
This imperfect exorcism movie isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen, not by a long shot. It isn’t the best either, but that camerawork deserved to be watched. My favorite thing about the film, really.
3 out of 5 stars.
Discover more from Becky Tyler Art and Photography
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
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