Shadow of God

When I sat down to watch the 2025 horror movie "Shadow of God", I initially just thought that this was another run-of-the-mill exorcism movie, as I had not heard about it, so I didn't know what I was in for. But with it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch it, given my love of all things horror.

Writer Tim Cairo put together a fair enough script, which made for a watchable movie. But it was hardly an outstanding movie in terms of exorcism movies go. It was not a particularly scary or disturbing storyline, which ultimately made the movie have less of an impact on the viewer. The movie sort of loses its momentum and settles into a monotonous hum, from which it never recovers.

Of the entire cast ensemble, I was only familiar with Josh Cruddas. And the fact that it was all unfamiliar and new talents to me, was actually something that spoken in favor of the movie, as I enjoy watching new talents on the screen. The acting performances in "Shadow of God" were fair.

Visually then the movie was okay. I liked the cinematography throughout the course of the movie, as there were some nice visuals, angles and interesting shots.

My rating of director Michael Peterson's 2025 movie "Shadow of God" lands on a four out of ten stars.

A checklist of familiar tropes abound in this derivative exorcism horror which is weird as one of my 'go to' horror/fantasy movie websites -Culture Crypt gave this 85%.

Not sure if the reviewer was bribed or had a concussion since the cliches presented here are what he would usually rally against.

The deep hellish voice of the demon at the beginning is used countless times, add holy water, a troubled priest with a dark past, satanic cults. It's all just rehashed from other horrors.

It fact it's so forgettable I'm having difficulty remembering it now for this review.

Only the chilly,atmosphere of the Canadian wilderness left an impression on me.

Time for an exorcism rethink!

I recently watched the Canadian film 🇨🇦 Shadow of God (2025) on Shudder. The story follows a priest with extensive experience in exorcisms, whose next case hits close to home - he must perform an exorcism on his own father. As he confronts the entity inside his dad, he begins to wonder if he's facing God himself...

The film is directed by Michael Peterson (Knuckleball) and stars Mark O'Brien (Ready or Not), Jacqueline Byers (Prey for the Devil), Josh Cruddas (Polar), and Adrian Hough (There's Someone Inside Your House).

Shadow of God feels familiar - like a story you've seen before - but it still manages to hold your attention. The acting is excellent, and the dynamic between the priest and his father feels authentic. The setup is solid, and there's a shooting/execution scene that really grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, the exorcism scenes rely heavily on CGI, which felt awkward and ultimately broke the immersion for me.

In conclusion, Shadow of God had the ingredients for a strong film but falls apart when it strays from practical effects. I would score it a 4/10 and recommend skipping it.

There are many harsh reviews on here, so I felt compelled to write one of my own.

Yes, the special effects aren't great for 2025, it's a pretty low budget film. But they didn't ruin the film for me personally.

I enjoyed it, the plot is a nice twist on standard possession films, a subgenre I like. It's much better than many shudder films I've seen. The acting is pretty decent, the characters are believable and there aren't too many times that the plot doesn't make sense, despite what other reviews say.

Probably worth a 6/10 really, but I added a star to balance out the crazy 2/10 ratings. Worth a watch!

What in the world did I just watch? Such a unique spin on the tired "demonic possession" subgenre, but executed so, SO poorly. Bad acting, poor dialogue, and special effects that make Sharknado look like Avatar. I have three professional critics that I respect and one recommended this highly. How highly? 85/100. I want a little of what he smoked before screening this low budget, aim for the stars and hit the sidewalk mess. Once again, Shudder had picked up a garbage indie on the cheap, slapped "Shudder Original" on it, and got by another week without having to invest in decent programming. Well played Shudder, for now.