Exorcistas do Vaticano

Greetings from Lithuania.

"The Vatican Tapes" (2015) is a very enjoyable "possession / exorcism" movie. While the plot is not really original, the ending kinda was original, really original. It has not bad mood for this kind of horror movie, and although it has clichés all around, the overall experience was positive.

Michael Peña is totally miscast in this movie, he is one of the most reliable "comic reliefs" in industry at the moment, so it is hard to take him seriously in priest robe with serious face, there were some scenes with him near the end when i just wanted to chuckle - not that he is a bad actor, he is solid one, but at this moment in his carrier this kind of movie is clearly not his strongest side. Djimon Hounsou is also a bit miscast, although this 2 times Oscar nominee is much more believable in this role. Others were OK, nothing special. Directing was also OK, and i kinda liked cinematography and editing, they create this feeling of uncertainty.

Overall, i kinda see why "The Vatican Tapes" has such a lot rating at IMDb (4.5 at the moment) - lots of recent horror movies about possession and exorcism are shoot in "found footage" style, but this one plays straight and its overall look is inconsistent, there are many close ups and shaky camera and some weird shoots, but as a whole i liked this style and as i have mentioned it creates this tension and feeling of uncertainty. Ending was also kinda original in my opinion. While this flick isn't the most original or best in its genre, it was a pretty descent one.

Here we go again with the negative reviewers. I wonder what's wrong with those people? You are not going to tell me that this is the worst horror movie you ever saw, because then you talk a lot of bull... Okay it's not the best movie about possession or exorcism but it sure ain't the worst one. You can not compare it with The Exorcist because that movie was one of the first one about that subject and for that time it had everyone on the tip of their chair. Linda Blair will probably remain the best actress as a possessed person but it doesn't mean that other actors can't play that role. I thought Olivia Taylor Dudley did a good job with her performance. Looking innocent and then pure evil, to me it all looked real, and that's what's it all about with movies like this one. I surely was entertained and I saw hundreds of worse horror movies then The Vatican Tapes. Don't believe the haters here because they don't know what they are talking about.

One would expect a rich cultural or more in-depth take of possession premise with a title such as The Vatican Tapes. Unfortunately, it's nothing more than mediocre horror with barely anything new. Not to mention it's trapped between forced found footage style for some parts and shaky cam for the rest.

It's the story as old as the supposed entity possessing the poor victim, in this case Angela (Olivia Taylor Dudley). She begins showing weird behavior and it eventually attracts the attention of Vatican. For acting department, there are actually some decent names here such as Michael Peña, Djimon Hounsou or Dougray Scott. They all have worked in bigger movies or played different roles, and there's a visible effort here, but the material is so thin their characters feel lackluster.

Pacing is also another issue. The way it's presented might make the timeline seem odd, it switches back and forth between early stages of haunting and eventual discovery. However, the transition is poor and it doesn't escalate well, although that's partially because of the timid horror. Visually, it's very confusing, often using documentary style such as following character with camcorder perspective or CCTV videos, all of which are unnecessary and only manage to limit the presentation.

As for the creepy parts, they are practically the stuffs of old. If you have seen any similar movie in past couple of years, chances are you've seen this before. A few scenes fare better, although these are also heavily borrowed from other films. There's barely any grand sight or atmosphere of Vatican, in fact the priests from holy city almost like supporting character that pop up in small portion of the movie.

It's all right if the concept is not novel, many other movies have done old concept well. However, The Vatican Tapes relies too heavily on superficial gimmicks and sadly low on thrill.

I'm sure most horror fans with an interest in religion/exorcism based films will find something to enjoy here.

Sure it's nothing new, but it's well acted and stylishly executed in terms of cinematography.

There's not really any wasted time on screen, and it rattles along at a good pace.

So many horror films these days have a cheap feel, this doesn't. It's not a classic like The Exorcist, or The Omen, but it's a heck of a lot better than most being made nowadays.

I was entertained for an hour and a half, and had my expectations subverted - in a positive way (not in a Rian Johnson way, thankfully). It is well shot, using good effects, it has a reasonable script, with on par performances all round.