The Devil's Light

First, I have to say that I am not the best review writer. What I can say about this movie is that it kept me entertained and engaged from start to finish. It by no means had the best back story but it was enough to let you know a little more about the person you are watching. I've also never been one to delve into artist expression sides. If I am entertained and am not thinking about other things while I watch a movie then keeping my attention is a solid feat in itself. All I can say if you like these sort of movies and aren't expecting epic blockbuster results, then you will find this one entertaining.

Just finished watching a screener as I'm interviewing some the cast and thought this was a solid, well-directed and performed movie. When I watch horror films at home, the scares rarely get me but this one still managed to. Possession/exorcism films are nothing new, they've been around for decades but Prey For The Devil had some great surprises and twists to keep the story moving. Jacqueline Byers gives an incredibly vulnerable performance, with Posy Taylor also giving a great performance, sweet at times and disturbing at others.

Christian Navarro was a very sympathetic leading man and it was cool to see him in a role like and moving on from teen roles. Colin Salmon and Virginia Madsen both gave solid performances as well. Wish they had a bit more to do in this one besides giving exposition or being opposing voices of reason, but happy to see them in another horror project.

Overall I thought it was pretty scary, well executed and enjoyable.

If you're possessed by evil spirits you might go, to a place where exorcists expunge your foe, with the power of the cross, they will make you turn and toss, until the beast is forced to flee your scarred torso (or you die). Ann works in this place and she's a nun, you have to say, it doesn't look too much like fun, but her faith is firm and strong, although she has her own demon, the events of her past life, can't be undone.

Far from original and not particularly rewarding although the performances are fine and the metaphors make sense but I'm not sure in this day and age certain institutions have that much relevance anymore, if indeed they ever did!

While I didn't find anything about the movie to be particularly poor, I can't really point to an area where it really excelled either. In many ways this is the absolute definition of just a stock horror film. It's almost like having been on a ride that you have been on multiple times in a row. While it's still enjoyable you've kind of already been there and done that. This quality of movie is fine for once and a while, but you wouldn't want to follow it up with a similar level film. The acting is average, but there's nothing that really draws you in to the story that makes you care deeply about any of the characters. To me that is what defines a horror flick.

The ending suggests the possibility of a sequel, but I'm not sure it's earned that.

Now, I wasn't really harboring much of any high hopes or expectations for this 2022 horror movie titled "Prey for the Devil", as exorcism movies tend to be dubious movies. But since I hadn't already seen the movie, and had the chance to do so, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.

Writers Robert Zappia, Earl Richey Jones and Todd R. Jones actually put together a rather enjoyable storyline and script here for director Daniel Stamm to bring to life on the screen. Sure, there were some generic contents to the storyline, but the writers also managed to put in new and interesting aspects to spruce up the storyline. I have to be honest and say that I was not only entertained by "Prey for the Devil", but I was also pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable it was.

The storyline is pretty straight forward, as exorcism movies tend to be following the same formula, but director Daniel Stamm managed to add a twist to the movie that made it all the more enjoyable.

"Prey for the Devil" has a good cast ensemble, with a great leading performance by actress Jacqueline Byers. The movie also have the likes of Colin Salmon, Virginia Madsen and the late Ben Cross on the cast list. I was really surprised to see Ben Cross in this movie, as he had passed away in 2020, so this was apparently his last movie performance.

Visually then "Prey for the Devil" was good, and it really added to the atmosphere of the movie that the special effects were so realistic and good to look at. These special effects definitely made it all the more of a convincing exorcism movie. Sure, there are an abundance of jump scares in the movie, almost to the point of where it was becoming a nuissance.

If you enjoy exorcism movies, then you definitely should check out "Prey for the Devil".

My rating of "Prey for the Devil" lands on a seven out of ten stars.