Oh you know, just another exorcism.
After seeing way too many of them, one can really conclude that there is nothing special about exorcism movies. Though there were some really good ones, its safe to say that sub-genre has been done to death as nothing new has been offered in the recent years. Since William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” made its debut in 1973, filmmakers have tried to copy its style and keep its “magic” going but..to no avail.
If you’ve noticed, which I’m sure you have, most, if not all, exorcist films includes traits like breaking bones, speaking in tongue, more screaming than actual dialogue and the one possessed is usually, well, a woman. It has become so generic that it feel likes if there’s a checklist for an exorcist movie and these points need to be on it.
Unfortunately, the latest addition to this sub-genre comes in the form of “The Vatican Tapes”.
Directed by Mark Neveldine, the movie sees Angela (played by Olivia Taylor Dudley) celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend (played by John Patrick Amedori), father (played by Dougray Scott), and her friends. She cuts her hands on a knife and begins to act weirdly after getting stitches at the hospital. She’s always dehydrated, ravens start flying close to her, people harm themselves after talking to her, she attempts to drown a baby and she’s soon checked into a psychiatric hospital.
Some creepy moments are seen taking place in the psychiatric hospital, one of which is where Angela is seen whispering to a wall which leads to the other patients going completely deranged as they start attacking each other. That incident leads to her being sent home and then, things finally start to get a little more interesting.
The inevitable exorcism, performed by veteran Vatican cardinal (played by Peter Andersson) takes place at Angela’s home and this is where things pick up. Of course, the staple tropes are in play – vomiting, speaking in a foreign language – but hey, there were some new ones, including Angela coughing up 3 perfectly formed eggs which represents the Holy Trinity.
The best part of “The Vatican Tapes” was definitely the ending which showed some potential for a better sequel. Yes, a sequel is definitely coming but despite there being potential, I wouldn’t put much hope into it. To sum it up, “The Vatican Tapes” was 80 minutes of bland prologue leading up to 10 maybe 15 minutes of excitement before coming to an end.
Watch the trailer below:
“The Vatican Tapes” is currently out in theatres so if you’re up for a challenge that requires you to stay awake throughout a movie, this is your chance 😉
