Shadow of God

This is just not a great movie to begin with, let alone a good exorcism movie. None of the characters really have any depth and the entire film just exists to posit the very unoriginal plot of "what if God were evil?" and it doesn't really even deliver on that too well. It's not overly long, so that's good, and some of the acting isn't bad at all, but the editing, terrible special effects, and predictably of the film definitely make this less than it could have been. I would only recommend this to veteran horror lovers who have seen their fair share of bad movies, because there might be a chance that they could appreciate some parts of this movie.

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!

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!

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.