Exorcismos e Demônios

Had seen the trailer n was looking forward to it. My curiosity n excitement doubled after i came to kno that its directed by Xavier Glens. I am surprised that after making such a brutal n atmospheric film, Frontiere(s), what made Glens create such a slow n tame film. Saw this on a rented dvd. It is a beautifully shot film. The Romanian country side was pleasant but the overall film was a disappointment. Firstly, the film was unoriginal, stale n not scary enuff for horror fans. Its more like an investigative mystery drama but predictable. U can call it poor mans Exorcism of Emily Rose. Forget the blood, nudity or sex, the story was dull, the tension was zero n the character development nada. In the trailer v get to see spiders in the crotch which was scary but the real scene in the film is meh. Also, in the trailer v get to see the needle scene which was again scary but the scene in the movie was a blink n a miss.

Production is done well, acting is good. This takes a more realistic perspective in the idea of demon possession and exorcism as it uses the Eastern European background and culture to spin doubt well. That being said, the story is somewhat standard and thus bordering on perfunctory in terms of the tropes that are consistent within all possession films. Otherwise a decent watch.

Like 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' (based on the true story of Anneliese Michel) this movie is also based on the true story of the Tanacu exorcism, which was a case wherein Maricica Irina Cornici, a mentally ill nun at the Romanian Orthodox Church monastery of Tanacu in Vaslui County, Romania, was killed during an exorcism by priest Daniel Petre Corogeanu with the help of four other nuns.

Adelina's story is told through a series of flashbacks and this is where there are some truly disturbing elements and shocking visuals which push the genre from murder/mystery/thriller to actual horror.

The Romanian setting has an almost Gothic allure and certainly adds atmosphere.

Although there were some cheap jump-scares it did actually manage to shock (and disgust) me a couple of times when something 'real' occurred.

I don't want to come across as negative in this review as this is a nicely made movie, however it's nothing I haven't seen before (done better).

6/10

I can't really tell how I feel about this movie. On the one hand it tries to be a remake of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and they shouldn't try that. That one was a masterpiece. Secondly, they shoot the Romania scenes in Transylvania, the actual events took place in Moldova. This is like shooting a western in Manhattan. Then, they portray Romania in general to be like in the 1800s. It reminded me of the Amish. Of course, even in villages, Romanians don't live like that. They didn't use Romanians to play the roles, so the acvent of some of them when they speak Romanian are devastating. The acting overall is average, but not as bad as some say here

I decided to watch this film because I was attracted to the fact that it was based on a true story and that it is connected to Romania, which is very close to my city.

Anyway, the film is quite good. The rating of 5 here really does not reflect the overall experience.

I would give 10 for the setting, the interiors ( especially the room of the possessed girl and the churches and all the rooms ) as they have that 'something' that really stands out.

The acting of all the actors, except the main actress is really good. The main reporter girl is kinda too ... hasty and there was something about her abrupt ways that did not click with me. Maybe she was meant to be like that.

The last ( 2nd exorcism) was kinda non believable while the 1st one was on point.

I am not 100% sure if they filmed all in Romania but it looked that way and that gave extra + to the story.

My rating is 8. The film was entertaining and interesting 99% of the time.