The concept of driving out demons from a captive mortal vessel has fueled some of the most chilling horror films of all time, yet it has inevitably also resulted in its fair share of uninspired, pseudo-religious ramblings. While no subgenre will produce consistently canon-worthy entries, horror films are exceptional in that even in their glaring imperfections, there’s usually some sort of transgressive motive to any given project—typically a societal critique or defense—meant to disturb, provoke or scintillate. Almost completely void of any shred of stimulating commentary is Alejandro Hidalgo’s The Exorcism of God, which strains in its attempt to unpack the legacy of Catholicism and missionaries in Mexico. Much of this might have to do with the majority-English dialogue, save for the central priest’s anglicized Spanish accent and a few ancillary characters meant to impart a sense of “local flavor.” Fortunately, the film does manage to set up some genuine jumpscares—personally, I’ll take a scream-inducing cheap scare over a sparse, barely-spooky “atmospheric” vibe any day of the week—but it is critically lacking in narrative finesse. This feels particularly shameful given the intensity of Mexico’s national obsession with exorcisms over the past decade, undoubtedly a product of an ongoing Vatican-backed culture war.
An American priest living in Mexico, Father Peter Williams (Will Beinbrink) has spent eighteen years silently repenting a carnal sin that overpowered him during the exorcism of one of his own parishioners. Though he resolved to never perform the rite thereafter, he finds himself unexpectedly called upon once again. This time, as opposed to visiting a crucifix-laden domicile, he’s welcomed into the dingy, cement-walled hostility of a women’s prison. At first unbeknownst to Peter, the indecent act he committed all those years ago continues to have serious consequences, manifesting in a young woman named Esperanza (María Gabriela de Faría), who is possessed by the same demon from the priest’s last exorcism. Realizing that his own past is beginning to haunt him and the quaint Mexican town he inhabits, Peter calls upon his London-based superior Father Michael Lewis (Joseph Marcell) to back him up. With the prison warden refusing to liberate any non-possessed prisoners for the sake of one who happens to be experiencing a demonic infestation, he strikes up a deal with the clergymen: Stay locked up all night in the veritable fortress to perform the sacrament, with the guards set to return in the wee hours of the morning. Inevitably, all hell literally breaks loose inside of the prison—and as the film’s title suggests, there’s an attempt to switch the tables on Peter, essentially excising the good out of him in an attempt to plant an unholy seed of evil.
During the 2010s, Mexico made multiple exorcism-related headlines, most notably that the rite was nationally on the rise and even the subject of a state-sanctioned spiritual cleanse. In 2015, the Catholic Church performed a country-wide exorcism—supposedly addressing the demonic origins of a years-long drug war and an increase in abortion access. Though the country garnered international headlines for this effort, it is indicative of a larger push by Pope Francis, who has led the Vatican since 2013, to expand exorcism practices. There’s a clear connection between what the Catholic Church deems “demonic” and what are in fact necessary advances in certain civil rights and liberties for marginalized groups. The church has sited “demonic” practices to include in pro-choice legislature, gender neutral children’s clothing and the acceptance of queer identities. Apparently, the pope doesn’t have more pressing concerns to address back in Italy. Whether a tool of an ongoing (and tiresome) “culture war” or a last-ditch effort for an entire country to purge its most diabolical human evils (though Mexican women tend to favor political protest), it’s clear that exorcisms are no longer overwhelmingly regarded as an archaic act only to be performed behind closed doors—shattering much of the bone-chilling mystique behind them.