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Category Archives: Possession/Religious
Lost Souls (2000)
Lost Souls (2000)
Review by: Erin Page
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A man is confronted by a secretive sect of renegade Catholics who inform him that he will soon become a vessel for the Antichrist.
REVIEW: Put on your helmet, strap yourself in, and get ready to go nowhere in a hurry! I rarely condemn a film outright solely due to poor pacing. After a few marathons of ’70s giallo films, you eventually become numb to the fact that nothing is really happening, and you just sort of let your eyes glaze over while waiting for the technicolor violence. I don’t mind a movie that relies exclusively on atmosphere to lure you along, in fact I tend to absurdly enjoy that sort of shit. So bear in mind, when I start off a review by warning that it’s going to be a wee bit tedious, try to gauge that appropriately. Rest assured, this film is not without scares. As the credits roll, we are brutally accosted by the words “Producer: Meg Ryan.”
I’m terrified already.
Exorcism (1975)
Exorcism (1975)
Review by: Erin Page
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: After a young woman participates in a Satanic ceremony, people close to the girl begin to die. It’s up to the family priest to discover the truth behind the murders!
REVIEW: The movie begins with a scene that should be old hat to any fan of ’70s horror: the Satanic beach party! Natch! Hippies laze about in the sand drinking from a gigantic golden goblet. A few yards away, Mistress Demonica gyrates before a goat head statue, fondles a few naked girls, and slits her wrists. Sex and violence in the first two minutes? Hail Satan!
Reaffirming my wariness of hippies in general.
Audrey Rose (1977)
Audrey Rose (1977)
Review by: Corin Wentworth
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A mysterious stranger attempts to convince a happily married couple that their 11-year-old daughter is actually the reincarnation of his own daughter who died 11 years ago.
REVIEW: In a world filled with the same old predictable slasher movies, rampaging monsters, sexy vampires, and typical ghostly shenanigans, Audrey Rose is truly a breath of fresh air. Not only is it filmed beautifully and starring the always-impressive Sir Anthony Hopkins, but the story itself is unique, shocking, and haunting. This movie literally haunted me for many years. I’d seen Audrey Rose on television when I was little, and the disturbing sounds and images were so effectively burned on my brain that years later even hearing the name “Audrey” made my stomach clench. I was profoundly bothered by the cover of the movie, a photo of a young girl screaming in terror at a rainy window, and I’d rush past it whenever I’d see it in a video store. What was so surprising about all this is that the movie isn’t what most people would even consider scary. There isn’t even a villain. The horror in Audrey Rose comes from deep, dark places we can all identify with: the loss of a loved one and being unable to keep your child safe from harm. Nothing in real life is as frightening and heartbreaking as those things, which is why this movie probably affected me so strongly. It digs up shit you just don’t want to think about and makes you look right at it. Everyone you have ever loved will eventually die, and so will you.
But what if death isn’t the end?