The Vatican Tapes

Many years ago, i think it must have been the year 2000, i was supposed to go on a vacation with male friend Patrick to Rome. We had planned everything, and was about the book the tickets, when my boss at work says i can´t go. There were 2 people sick, and we had almost no one that could take the working shifts. We were of course very dissapointed, but said we would do this journey someday. So far, it has not happened. Instead, i have travelled with my wife a lot, we have been to many places in Europe, including much more far away in Thailand. I know my wife want to visit Rome, to see all the historical places, and who knows, we might even visit the Vatican. Speaking of the Vatican. I still hear stories that there are actually priests performing exorcisms, worldwide. You would think that this is just a story, and just fictional. I don´t know really what to belive about this, i think it is up to everyone to decide if you feel this is fake or real. I would like to see an exorcism performed on Michelle Duggar, she does seem to be posessed by Satan, you can see it in her eyes. Exorcism in the movie industry is classic, and we have loads of releases. But in my personal opinion, only one exorcism film is the best of them all. I am talking about The Exorcist from 1973.  Max Von Sydow did a really good performance as Father Merrin, and the film shocked audiences worldwide. Director William Friedkin managed to capture the exorcism rituals in his own unique way, using well made practical effects with well made make up on Linda Blair. There are a lot of exorcism films out there, so you really don´t know if anyone of them are going to be any good. I usually just give them a chance, but not many of them manage to deliver enough horror quality. One of the films i can remember right now that was actually alright was The Possession Of Michael King. A small budget found footage horror film, that not many people have seen, but well made considering the budget. If you have not seen it, i suggest you give it a chance. Earlier this year i was hearing rumours about a new exorcism horror film called The Vatican Tapes. Since i always enjoy checking out new horror film releases, i had to see if this could be a pleasent surprise in the exorcism genre. Do we finally have a good exorcism film in our hands, or is this another release that will be forgotten, just as fast as Peter André´s solo albums ?

Angela Holmes ( Olivia Taylor Dudley ) is an ordinary young woman, living a normal life with friends and family. But she seems to be changing, her personality is not the same as she used to be. She is becoming more agressive, and everywhere she goes, accidents seem to happen. After a serious car accident, she is taken to hospital. A priest named Father Oscar Lozano ( Michael Péna ) see that something is very wrong, and suspect she could be possessed. Two exorcist experts in the Vatican, Cardinal Brunn ( Peter Andersson ) and Vicar Imani ( Djimon Hounsou ) are contacted, to try and help Angela. Is Angela really possessed or is there another reason to her behavior ?

I usually try and check out exorcism horror films, if i notice that we have some new ones coming out. The Vatican Tapes is actually not that new, it was showing in cinemas during the summer of 2015, but i got a chance to see it through the american dvd release. Now, just because a horror film includes exorcism rituals, does not make it a good film. You need a good structure of the story, or you need acting to make the film interesting, in case the story is thin. In the case of The Vatican Tapes, there is no excuse for bad editing, and jumping the next scene into each other, and with bad acting included. The acting is actually really awful, i am trying to think the last time i saw acting on this level. Just like Kirk Cameron´s awful film Saving Christmas ? Maybe....not so bad as this one, but still, bad enough to make you feel frustration. There could have been an interesting plot if director Mark Neveldine would have used the Vatican properly, including well made exorcism scenes. Everything looks so cheap, even the exorcism possessions looks really silly at some moments. Let´s talk about director Mark Neveldine. He actually did a good action film back in 2006, called Crank, with Jason Statham. It was fast, impulsive, and well made. He did do the sequel called Crank: High Voltage also, but let´s forget about this one. Because his next film had very different styles, when we talk about Gamer and Jonah Hex. So you realise that he likes to take on different genres, with very different results. The problem with The Vatican Tapes is that you really don´t care about anything. You don´t care about the characters, or the story, so once the film ends the first thing that comes to mind is :- I think i might scratch my nuts. If you feel like watching an exorcism film, i suggest you go back to The Excorcist, or perhaps The Exorcism Of Emily Rose ( one of the few more modern exorcism films that turned out better than expected ). Just avoid The Vatican Tapes, it is not worth your precious time. Oh, i almost forgot. Swedish actor Peter Andersson is here, as one of the vatican exorcists. I hope he got a good paycheck, i see no other reason why he did this film.

My advice Hollywood, do a found footage horror film based on The Duggars Family, because one of them must be possessed by a demon, or most of them. Now, that should be interesting, especially if we have Peter Stormare as the catholic exorcism priest. Better call Michael Bay, i doubt he can say no to this concept.

Rating: D