Shadow of God

I have very low expectations for possession films, as they always deal with the same formulaic garbage. Catholic priest, contortionists, double voices, black eyes, body markings, being tied up to the bed.... It's all so tired and worn out. Every time a new film in the sub genre comes out I have a small glimmer of hope that it might break the mold and do something different or even remotely unique and they all fail miserably, this one much worse than any in recent memory. It's so bad I didn't even want to finish it, but I did to write this honest review in hopes that no one else makes the same mistake I did in giving it a chance.

Nothing about this film is even slightly original, regardless of of how it might seem at first glance. It's the same formula, almost to the letter, and it's so stringent in following it that I wonder why people still continue to stick to such a tired and worn out convention for these films. It's almost like people make these movies and have a check list of all the "possession film" prerequisites that must be met, but when will someone say "ENOUGH!" And focus on one of the countless other religions and rites of exorcism found in the world? Catholicism is not the only religion that believes in demons, you know.

The acting is serviceable and actually pretty apt for the most part, except for the end with the overweight bald cult member that was absolutely atrocious in his method and ruined the decent track record the movie had. Whoever hired him failed in casting him and I hope they l learn their lesson for future films.

It's so frustrating to spend any amount of time watching a movie that gets worse as the movie progresses. Nothing about this movie was scary or even creepy, it was just stuff done by much better movies made by much more talented people. If it weren't for the acting, this movie would have been a certifiable failure in all respects, but I have to give props where it's due, and the cast did the best it could with the bird cage lining that was that script.

Don't watch this movie. It wasn't good, it wasn't any different from the countless other movies of its ilk and it really wasn't that entertaining. What it does is test your patience, make you check your watch, and pause the film to see how much is left of it every 10 minutes. I cannot recommend this movie for any reason, and I implore all of you to do anything else with your time than watch it.

If you like Raiders of the Lost Ark, you're gonna love this movie. When the Ark, I mean sarcophagus, scene arrives and the light starts emanating from it, imagine John Williams' score from Raiders playing in your head. It'll be the only joy you'll experience from this looney tunes of a movie.

If next week you come across this movie, don't be surprised if you start watching it again because you couldn't remember you saw it a week ago. It's that memorable.

Also, for most of the movie after about the 1/2 hour mark, imagine you're watching a Monty Python episode. The movie will make waaaaay better sense.

A checklist of familiar tropes abound in this derivative exorcism horror which is weird as one of my 'go to' horror/fantasy movie websites -Culture Crypt gave this 85%.

Not sure if the reviewer was bribed or had a concussion since the cliches presented here are what he would usually rally against.

The deep hellish voice of the demon at the beginning is used countless times, add holy water, a troubled priest with a dark past, satanic cults. It's all just rehashed from other horrors.

It fact it's so forgettable I'm having difficulty remembering it now for this review.

Only the chilly,atmosphere of the Canadian wilderness left an impression on me.

Time for an exorcism rethink!

This is just not a great movie to begin with, let alone a good exorcism movie. None of the characters really have any depth and the entire film just exists to posit the very unoriginal plot of "what if God were evil?" and it doesn't really even deliver on that too well. It's not overly long, so that's good, and some of the acting isn't bad at all, but the editing, terrible special effects, and predictably of the film definitely make this less than it could have been. I would only recommend this to veteran horror lovers who have seen their fair share of bad movies, because there might be a chance that they could appreciate some parts of this movie.

I recently watched the Canadian film 🇨🇦 Shadow of God (2025) on Shudder. The story follows a priest with extensive experience in exorcisms, whose next case hits close to home - he must perform an exorcism on his own father. As he confronts the entity inside his dad, he begins to wonder if he's facing God himself...

The film is directed by Michael Peterson (Knuckleball) and stars Mark O'Brien (Ready or Not), Jacqueline Byers (Prey for the Devil), Josh Cruddas (Polar), and Adrian Hough (There's Someone Inside Your House).

Shadow of God feels familiar - like a story you've seen before - but it still manages to hold your attention. The acting is excellent, and the dynamic between the priest and his father feels authentic. The setup is solid, and there's a shooting/execution scene that really grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, the exorcism scenes rely heavily on CGI, which felt awkward and ultimately broke the immersion for me.

In conclusion, Shadow of God had the ingredients for a strong film but falls apart when it strays from practical effects. I would score it a 4/10 and recommend skipping it.