The Rite of Exorcism: Myth, Mystery & Hope

The Rite of Exorcism: Myth, Mystery & Hope (2011)

1/2 (out of 4)

Quite often I recommend bad movies simply because they are so incredibly awful that you can't help but either laugh at them or have a good time with them. Most of the time these are horror or science fiction movies but I think this is the first time I've watched a documentary that would fit into this category for fans who love awful movies. This documentary features interviews with a couple priests and other experts on the subject of exorcisms. That's pretty much the subject of this film but for the life of me I can't figure out what the purpose of this thing was. It's so badly made that you can't help but be shocked at how poor some of the re-enactments are. I mean seriously, just take a look at the opening possession sequence, which is just so bad that it makes stuff from The Asylum look like the work of Orson Welles. Even worse is a sequence later where a possession is shown and we get some of the worst sound effects you're ever going to hear. These re-enactments are so bad that you really can't help but be amazed at their badness and slightly entertained. The spoken words here aren't much better as they're just rather flat and I'm not sure what they were trying to do unless it was warn the world that they had better go to church or else. There's no question that this is a really, really bad movie but I guess it deserves some credit for being the first documentary to ever enter a field of the "so awful you must see" list.

This is a documentary and not for entertainment. It deals with a very serious subject. If you want to learn the subtle ways evil can inject to your life, I highly recommend this movie. If you are looking for entertainment, do not watch this. I have been involved with these issues for many years and everything this documentary shows and tells is true. I would not have believed it myself 25 years ago. Today, I know what these Priests speak is true. I myself have grown tired of being called into someone's home through word of a friend only to find their daughter and her friends conjured something not realizing the doors they opened by thrill seeking into something they did not believe in. It's not a 100% guarantee that this will happen but the choice is to the person playing with these things.

So one must take into account what this is about and for. This is not good entertainment and the sound effects and everything are not Hollywood rah rah. But the information itself is worth more than special effects and shallow screenwriters.

I was at the theatrical screening of this film and there was a completely packed house. The audience reaction was very positive.

You have to look at a project like this for what it is. What it is NOT is a big budget Hollowood movie that is meant to entertain. If you want mindless entertainment that is based on some kind of made up fantasy, you will not like this film.

If you are looking for a thoughtful, thorough, educational, and authoritative look at the topic from an academic perspective, this film is awesome. There is little else out there that accomplishes what this does.

The production value is very high. From all the research I've done, the reenactments are very accurate and the acting, sets, lighting were all very strong.

The best reason to watch the film is that you can go in knowing nothing about the topic and leave with a very thorough and complete understanding of it in a very short time. So for this, it gets my recommendation.