The Exorcism of God

The Exorcism of God
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alejandro Hidalgo
Written by	Alejandro Hidalgo Santiago Fernández Calvete
Produced by	Joel Seidl Antonio Abdo Alexander Da Silva Santiago Fernández Calvete Alvaro Gonzalez Kuhn Srdjan Stakic
Starring	Will Beinbrink María Gabriela de Faría Joseph Marcell
Cinematography	Gerard Uzcategui
Edited by	Dester Linares Rodrigo Ríos
Music by	Elik Alvarez Yoncarlos Medina
Production companies	Epica Pictures Mouth of the Devil Terminal
Distributed by	Saban Films
Release dates	September 27, 2021 (2021-09-27) (Fantastic Fest) March 11, 2022 (2022-03-11) (United States)
Running time	98 minutes
Countries	United States Mexico
Language	English
Box office	$6.1 million

The Exorcism of God is a 2021 supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Alejandro Hidalgo and starring Will Beinbrink, María Gabriela de Faría, and Joseph Marcell.

Plot

Peter Williams is an American priest who is conducting an exorcism in Mexico, however, during the exorcism something goes wrong, and Peter becomes possessed by a malevolent entity. In the grip of the possession, he commits a heinous act. Fast forward eighteen years later, and the consequences of Peter's sin come back to haunt him.

Cast

• Will Beinbrink as Father Peter Williams
• María Gabriela de Faría as Esperanza
• Joseph Marcell as Father Michael Lewis
• Irán Castillo as Magali
• Evelia Di Gennaro as Sister Camila
• Hector Kotsifakis as Dr. Nelson
• Alfredo Herrera as Possessed Jesus
• Nuria Gil as Reporter

Release

The Exorcism of God premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 27, 2021. That same day, Saban Films finalized a deal to distribute the film in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa. Saban Films released the film concurrently in theaters, on demand, and digital on March 11, 2022.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 57% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 5.10/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting praised some of the creative scares but felt that the film relies on the genre's tropes and that the lead character was flat with no growth. Tracy Palmer of Signal Horizon found herself "freaked out, grossed out, and laughing" after her screening. She praised the film's jump-scares, gleeful violence, and design and disturbing imagery of the film's demons, as well as the film's "thought-out and fast-paced" plot, concluding that the film is a "fun movie full of lasting imagery and just enough cheese with the gore to make it palatable."

Justine Smith of RogerEbert.com awarded the film two and a half stars out of four, also noting the "aesthetic and narrative" cliches of the genre, but praised the film's plot and characters as "thought-out and progress logically" and the film's sufficient originality to distinguish it from similar films. Phil Hoad of The Guardian awarded the film three stars out of five, stating that the film is "bombastic but occasionally surprising." He also noted the film falling back on tired tropes and "daft" horror mechanics and concluded by calling the film a "big, gaudy, overblown altarpiece of a horror movie."

Accolades and awards

The Exorcism of God not only achieved success in distribution but also earned prestigious acclaim. "The Exorcism of God" was honored with the Box Office International Achievement Award, attaining recognition as the highest-grossing Latin American film of 2022. This dual achievement underscores the film's prowess both in securing major distribution channels and resonating with audiences on an international scale. The film garnered critical acclaim at the 42nd edition of Fantasporto, where it received the Best Director award, highlighting its prowess in storytelling and cinematic craftsmanship.

External links

• The Exorcism of God at IMDb