You've seen one possession movie you see them all right? Ever since The Exorcist projectile vomited itself on to the big screen and into our horror loving hearts, movies about someone (usually female) being possessed and a priest doing battle with demonic forces became common place. Some good, some bad and most forgettable, the one thing they have in common is they're all pretty by the numbers in terms of story beats. That's why I found myself genuinely surprised by The Exorcism of God, a movie I nearly passed up thinking it was just going to be another forgettable possession flick, only to have it throw the rules out the window and deliver something pretty good.
Director Alejandro Hidalgo and his writing partner Santiago Fernandez Calvete takes the age old theme of a priest being brought in to exorcise a young woman and very early on flips the script by having the priest Father Peter (Will Beinbrink) fall for the demons seductive wiles (eeeww) and tainting his soul. Years later Father Peter, hard at work trying to feed and protect the children of a Mexican orphanage, discovers that his walk on the nasty side has produced a daughter who is now herself possessed by the same demon he hooked up with. See what I mean about it being different?
The imagery and special effects here go a long way in keeping your attention and I have to say the "possession" makeup is some of the best I've seen in years, possibly as good as Regan's was in The Exorcist. Lead actor Beinbrink as Father Peter is charismatic and sympathetic and the actors and actresses playing the possessed were effective in their roles. The most surprising however was seeing Joseph Marcell of all people in the role of a foul mouth, tequila drinking, and scene stealing priest named Father Michael Lewis. For those of you not in the know Marcell played Butler Geoffrey on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air so hearing him cuss at demons shocked the hell out of me in the best ways possible.
While the middle act gets messy and the movie does drag on a tad longer than it needs to, I would be lying if I said I didn't find this interesting. I mean how often do you see a movie where a demon tries to exorcise a priest?! It may not be what some would consider scary (although I totally see the casual viewer screaming the heads off for some of this) but The Exorcism of God deserves points for not taking the lazy route and at the very least, putting a fresh spin on a much worn out trope.
Director Alejandro Hidalgo and his writing partner Santiago Fernandez Calvete takes the age old theme of a priest being brought in to exorcise a young woman and very early on flips the script by having the priest Father Peter (Will Beinbrink) fall for the demons seductive wiles (eeeww) and tainting his soul. Years later Father Peter, hard at work trying to feed and protect the children of a Mexican orphanage, discovers that his walk on the nasty side has produced a daughter who is now herself possessed by the same demon he hooked up with. See what I mean about it being different?
The imagery and special effects here go a long way in keeping your attention and I have to say the "possession" makeup is some of the best I've seen in years, possibly as good as Regan's was in The Exorcist. Lead actor Beinbrink as Father Peter is charismatic and sympathetic and the actors and actresses playing the possessed were effective in their roles. The most surprising however was seeing Joseph Marcell of all people in the role of a foul mouth, tequila drinking, and scene stealing priest named Father Michael Lewis. For those of you not in the know Marcell played Butler Geoffrey on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air so hearing him cuss at demons shocked the hell out of me in the best ways possible.
While the middle act gets messy and the movie does drag on a tad longer than it needs to, I would be lying if I said I didn't find this interesting. I mean how often do you see a movie where a demon tries to exorcise a priest?! It may not be what some would consider scary (although I totally see the casual viewer screaming the heads off for some of this) but The Exorcism of God deserves points for not taking the lazy route and at the very least, putting a fresh spin on a much worn out trope.