Jump to content

The Exorcism of God

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Exorcism of God
yes
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlejandro Hidalgo[1]
Written by
  • Alejandro Hidalgo[1]
  • Santiago Fernández Calvete[1]
Produced by
  • Joel Seidl
  • Antonio Abdo
  • Alexander Da Silva
  • Santiago Fernández Calvete
  • Alvaro Gonzalez Kuhn
  • Srdjan Stakic
Starring
CinematographyGerard Uzcategui[1]
Edited byDester Linares[1]
Rodrigo Ríos[1]
Music byElik Alvarez[1]
Yoncarlos Medina[1]
Production
companies
  • Epica Pictures
  • Mouth of the Devil
  • Terminal
Distributed bySaban Films
Release dates
  • March 11, 2022 (2022-03-11) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited States
Mexico
LanguageEnglish
Box office$6.1 million[2]

The Exorcism of God is a 2021 supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Alejandro Hidalgo and starring Will Beinbrink, María Gabriela de Faría, and Joseph Marcell.

Plot

[edit]

Peter Williams, is an American priest who is conducting an exorcism in Mexico, however, during the exorcism something goes wrong, and Peter becomes possessed by a malevolent entity. In the grip of the possession, he commits a heinous act. Fast forward eighteen years later, and the consequences of Peter's sin come back to haunt him.

Cast

[edit]

Release

[edit]

The Exorcism of God premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 27, 2021. That same day, Saban Films finalized a deal to distribute the film in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa.[3] Saban Films released the film concurrently in theaters, on demand, and digital on March 11, 2022.[4]

Critical response

[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 57% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 5.10/10.[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting praised some of the creative scares but felt that the film relies on the genre's tropes and that the lead character was flat with no growth.[7] Tracy Palmer of Signal Horizon found herself "freaked out, grossed out, and laughing" after her screening. She praised the film's jump-scares, gleeful violence, and design and disturbing imagery of the film's demons, as well as the film's "thought-out and fast-paced" plot, concluding that the film is a "fun movie full of lasting imagery and just enough cheese with the gore to make it palatable."[8]

Justine Smith of RogerEbert.com awarded the film two and a half stars out of four, also noting the "aesthetic and narrative" cliches of the genre, but praised the film's plot and characters as "thought-out and progress logically" and the film's sufficient originality to distinguish it from similar films.[1] Phil Hoad of The Guardian awarded the film three stars out of five, stating that the film is "bombastic but occasionally surprising." He also noted the film falling back on tired tropes and "daft" horror mechanics and concluded by calling the film a "big, gaudy, overblown altarpiece of a horror movie."[9]

Accolades and awards

[edit]

The Exorcism of God not only achieved success in distribution but also earned prestigious acclaim. "The Exorcism of God" was honored with the Box Office International Achievement Award, attaining recognition as the highest-grossing Latin American film of 2022. This dual achievement underscores the film's prowess both in securing major distribution channels and resonating with audiences on an international scale. The film garnered critical acclaim at the 42nd edition of Fantasporto, where it received the Best Director award, highlighting its prowess in storytelling and cinematic craftsmanship.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Smith, Justine (March 11, 2022). "The Exorcism of God movie review". Rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Exorcism of God (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Grobar, Matt (September 27, 2021). "Saban Films To Acquire Alejandro Hidalgo's Horror Drama 'The Exorcism Of God' Ahead Of Fantastic Fest Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  4. ^ Rotten, Doc (February 3, 2022). "The Exorcism of God Possesses March 11, 2022". Gruesome Magazine. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  5. ^ "The Exorcism of God (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "The Exorcism of God Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  7. ^ Navarro, Meagan (September 27, 2021). "[Fantastic Fest Review] 'The Exorcism of God' Muddles Its Possession Subversion". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  8. ^ Palmer, Tracy (September 26, 2021). "{Fantasic Fest 2021} The Exorcism Of God Review-Surprisingly Scary With Stunning Creatures". Signal Horizon. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  9. ^ Hoad, Phil (March 23, 2022). "The Exorcism of God review – a big gaudy altarpiece of demonic horror". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
[edit]