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They’re silly, they’re badly acted, and their storylines want to go beyond the norm, but still, they can’t escape the “you’re all gonna die” trope. Yes, it’s the possession film and we have three recent ones that are worthy of your spare time.
This genre is one of my favorites, the more seriously taken by the directors the better. Sure, you have the silliness of Raimi’s Evil Dead originals, and those are great, but the ones that have that “based on a true story” feel aren’t blatantly funny and makes them creepier.
The following three films aren’t as unnerving as Hereditary or as comedically black as Evil Dead Rise, but they have this glossy mid-budget production value that isn’t elevated as much as it is entertaining. In other words, it’s not an endurance test to get through them, but let’s be real—they are bad, and you will roll your eyes a few times.
Another thing these movies have are smart demons both in wit and intellect. The beasts still use foul language to get their points across, are bound to their beds, and use the house electricity to make the room strobe like a carnival dark ride. And yet these movies are more than those shopworn gimmicks. Think of them like extra toppings on a basic pizza crust. I mean a possessed Jesus in one, and a possessed Virgin Mary in another; that’s cheesier than anything you’ll get at Dominoes.
Here they are in no particular order:
The Exorcism of God (Tubi)
So silly is the plot that you have to lean in, way in, to believe it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not an original one. A priest sexually assaults a possessed woman during an exorcism therefore revoking his power as an exorcist yet he continues working within the church. Years later said demon returns to torment the priest knowing he is weakened spiritually.
Some good special effects work to help offset tits silly postulation and gamey acting. The ending is the premise for something far more interesting, however it is fun getting up to that point.
The Pope’s Exorcist (Netflix)
Everybody unfairly criticizes Crowe these days — he is an Oscar winner after all. Recently he’s been doing below-his-paygrade characters but still gives us A-list performances. His lack of better films is probably the result of Hollywood’s ageism clause. But his dedication to the craft can be seen in The Pope’s Exorcist in which he plays the real-life Father Gabriele Amorth employed by the Vatican.
He’s called out to the Spanish countryside to help a single mother deal with her possessed son who is hosting a demon with a personal interest in the clergyman.
This isn’t your average priest at the bedside showdown. This demon is very smart and very cunning and it’s up to Father Amorth to match it beat for beat.
Amid all the garishly creepy set pieces and expensive special effects, Crowe gives Amorth a stable confidence and a relatable sense of humor making him a formidable character we’d like to see in future films of this type.
Prey For the Devil (Peacock)
Let’s flip genders. In Prey for the Devil, it is a nun named Ann who must battle it out with an unholy beast. But first, she must graduate from St. Michael the Archangel School of Exorcism. Reportedly this type of school actually exists but only men were allowed to perform a formal Rite of Exorcism. This movie purports that Sister Ann is the first woman to do so. Although that is a fictional premise it makes for a good one.
Haunted by a demon, more specifically, cursed by one, Sister Ann befriends a young girl under her care at the school only to find out the 10-year-old is possessed. With her powers of empathy and faith Sister Ann seemingly casts it out, however, it persists in tormenting Ann with visions of her dead mother whose mental health was unstable.
Jacqueline Byers plays Ann with a lot of tortured tenacity, a woman plagued by high-functioning depression. It’s never over-the-top and it works well throughout the film.
It all culminates into a battle between good and evil with a twist you saw coming and priests flying all over the place. This one is good, perhaps the best on this list. Spine-cracking levitations—check. Blackened eyeballs—check. Flying debris—check. Suspension of disbelief—check.
That’s it. Take these three suggestions and do what you will. These aren’t good movies but they have merit in some of the creative choices they make. It’s not worth overselling them to a supernatural film lover because odds are they’ve already made their assessments. But if you are a casual fan, just know these are out there. Way out there.
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