Exorcism movies are a sub-genre of horror that’s constantly being mined for new ideas, despite the lack of new perspective on the tired topic. William Friedkin’s definitive film on the subject landed over 40 years ago and has yet to face any serious competition, but could that be about to change? The latest entry into the niche hails from Mark Neveldine, whose forthcoming horror The Vatican Tapes tackles the perils of having one’s body invaded by a nasty demon.
In this case, that unfortunate circumstance is bestowed upon 27-year-old Angela Holmes, played by Olivia Dudley. A seemingly ordinary girl, she starts to realize that her very being causes those around her to either suffer from hideous injuries.
Thankfully, local priest, Father Lozano (Fury‘s Michael Pena), examines Holmes and concludes that she is possessed. As is often the case with exorcisms, despite the presence of Vatican brass Vicar Imani (Guardians Of The Galaxy‘s Djimon Hounsou) and Cardinal Bruun (Peter Andersson), getting rid of this beastie is going to be tougher than it looks.
By the merits of this trailer alone, Neveldine’s action skills (he directed both Crank movies) seem like they could lend the film’s exhausted possession material a much-needed boost. However, the reveals and scares played out in this preview generate little-to-no enthusiasm whatsoever because, let’s face it, we’ve seen it all before.
Co-starring Dougray Scott, Katherine Robertson, John Patrick Amedori, Cas Anvar and Alex Sparrow, The Vatican Tapes arrives in theaters on May 22, where it will now square off against the Poltergeist reboot.
The Vatican Tapes follows the haunting tale of 27-year-old Angela Holmes, (played by Dudley) an ordinary girl who begins to have a devastating effect on anyone close to her, causing serious injury and death. The local priest, Father Lozano, (played by Pena) examines Holmes and believes she is possessed, but when Vicar Imani, portrayed by Hounsou, and Cardinal Bruun, (played by Andersson) are called from the Vatican to exorcise the demon, it proves to be an ancient satanic force more powerful than they imagined.
