Vatican Tapes, The (2015)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Olivia Taylor Dudley, Michael Pena, Kathleen Robertson
Directed by Mark Neveldine
Now I know what you’re probably thinkin – “Oh, Christ, not another one!!” – meaning you’re most likely referring to the thought of yet another demonic possession film being dropped like a wad of loose change into the collection tray as it passes you by; however, fear not, young lambs, as The Vatican Tapes might not exactly be the everlasting savior to a tired sub-genre that we’re all looking for, but it’s a worthwhile entry that should make the congregation sing a few hymns of praise… until the next one rolls on in.
Directed by Mark Neveldine, the rollerblading cinematographer whose previous shoots have centered firmly within the action frame (Crank, Gamer, and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance), decides to grab his rosary beads tightly and wander into the already trod-upon ground of possession filmmaking. The film centers around 27 year-old Amanda (Dudley), who is (oddly unexplained as) being stricken with that pesky ol’ “demon inside of me” disorder, and after a 40-day stint in a coma after an automobile accident, her father (Dougray Scott) and boyfriend (John Patrick Amedori) decide it’s best to remove her from life support. Interestingly enough, Amanda awakens with a renewed purpose, and that is to wreak havoc upon all of the upright cross-bearers she encounters, in a fashion that would suggest she’s got a much more important priority on her already polluted mind.
With the wave of a hand she commands a very grisly death via a set of broken light bulbs (grisly in nature – not visually, as we don’t get to see it) and contorts her body in ways that would make an Olympic gymnast proud. Sadly enough, there just aren’t that many jump scares and eye-covering instances to make this film stand out; yet, it relies on the implication of what’s to come to freak people out, which might not come easily – admit it, we’re all fairly desensitized to these possessed chicks by now, aren’t we?
Neveldine uses his star-snagging power to latch onto a couple of notable faces for supporting roles – Michael Pena plays Father Lozano, a former kid on the wrong side of the law who turned himself around and now sports the cloth on a daily basis, and Djimon Hounsou as Vatican heavyweight Vicar Imani, who is the assistant to Cardinal Bruun (Peter Andersson) – the man who will travel to the U.S. to perform the exorcism upon poor Amanda – let’s get ready to rumble! As the representatives for good and evil prepare for the throwdown of the ages, the only thing that could top the anticipation of such a battle would be the enormity of the disappointment contained within the procedure – not that it’s a yawner, but I’ll tell you now – if you’ve laid eyes on any other exorcism film over the past 40 years, then you’ve witnessed all the tricks and treats of a full-blown satanic meltdown and its destructive after-effects. Pena shines in his performance, butt Hounsou was criminally underused. Andersson is a no-nonsense man of faith, almost bullying in his tactics. I’m truly sorry to be the bearer of bad news for those who watched the trailer and got whipped up into a frenzy, but this film merely falls in line with others before it, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the hope DEFINITELY outweighed the reveal.
Neveldine should be commended for a first-time horror offering such as this one, and the future looks bright if this is a path that he opts to delve into more exclusively. Without a doubt, it’s a one-time watch, if not only to compare and contrast for yourselves, but I simply couldn’t see this one in anybody’s DVD rotation over time.
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Film
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