Shudder’s new horror film, Shadow of God, proposes the possibility of the Holy One returning to the mortal world, but will His presence bring divine fortune or destruction? Well, you will find the answer midway through the film. Mason Harper, an elite exorcist, figured something strange was going on when he saw his dead father jump from a bridge. He had previously received information from Rome that several exorcists had been killed in a single day, and it was clear something beyond their comprehension was at play. Mason soon realized that whatever was going on was closer to home than he thought, and it directly involved him.
Spoiler Alert
How did Mason’s father come to life?
It had been a long time since Mason had returned home. He had haunting memories associated with the ranch he grew up in. His father was a priest, and he wholeheartedly believed that the Lord would bless them with his presence, and he begged Him to use his son’s body as a vessel to return to the mortal world. In the process, he whipped and tortured Mason to forcefully cleanse him of his sins so that his pure body could hold His divine spirit. Mason was convinced that his father was schizophrenic, and eventually the police intervened to save the young boy from his father’s abuse. His father was shot dead during the confrontation, and the memories came back to Mason as soon as he returned to his hometown. He wanted to spend time with his best friend and former romantic interest, Tanis Green. Tanis was still attracted to Mason, but he held her back from getting physically intimate with him.
Mason was alone at home when he suddenly saw his father walk in through the front door. He didn’t believe what he saw at first, but he was surprised to realize that it was indeed his father in flesh and blood. His father, Angus, sat down and tried to explain that whatever he’d believed in was entirely wrong and that he had made a terrible mistake. He wanted to die, but he was not allowed to. Mason couldn’t figure out what was going on, and he ended up tying his father to the bed. He was an expert exorcist, yet he struggled to understand what he was dealing with. He tried to compel the evil spirit to reveal their identity, but surprisingly none of his tricks worked. Instead, the spirit told him that whatever he was doing was only making him more powerful. Mason left the room to grasp what he’d just witnessed— this was unlike any spirit he’d seen before. He entered the room again, this time a little more prepared. Angus was no longer in the room; the spirit had completely taken over him. His body emitted a strong white beam, and after trying the usual chants, Mason decided to listen to his gut and do something different. Since the spirit had been telling him they were connected and his chants were making him stronger, Mason listened to his heart and did the unthinkable; he held the crucifix upside down and pointed it at the spirit. It was in that moment Mason realized that God had taken over his father’s body.
Why was Mason chosen for the summon?
As a priest, there could not have been a more fulfilling moment than being in the presence of God, but the more he learned about the reason behind it, the more he was convinced that it was not a good idea. God was disappointed in humanity for destroying the world He had created, so He wanted to erase humankind for a new beginning. Maybe He chose Angus to become His vessel because he’d always believed in the prophecy that one day God would descend on Earth, and that would mark the new beginning. Since Angus had trained Mason since he was a little boy about the summoning procedure, God chose Mason to conduct the ceremony to summon him. But will Mason support God’s decision?
Meanwhile, Tanis sensed something strange was going on when she noticed a member of the congregation driving a police car. She tried to raise a complaint at the station, but no one bothered to take her seriously. She decided to find out what was going on by taking a detour to visit the church of the Congregation of the New Rupture. She witnessed members of the congregation engage in a ritual practice. They had blood crosses on their foreheads, and they had gathered to punish those within the congregation who had sinned. She watched them kill a young girl because she had dared to explore her sexuality. Tanis was captured by the members, and she too was about to be punished, but someone realized that she was close to Mason, and they believed that keeping her alive would help them convince Mason to start the summoning procedure.
Beau, the leader of the congregation, visited Mason. His plan was to capture Angus and forcefully take Mason with him, but the young priest managed to escape. He sought help at a nearby convenience store, but the cashier was part of the congregation. Mason eventually ended up at the church, and he was tied up, and his hands were nailed to a wooden plank. He was reminded of his childhood days when his father would torture him in the same way. Beau whipped him to make him forcefully confess to his sins. Mason didn’t have any choice, and he did as he was asked to. Now that he was pure, Beau instructed him to start summoning God. The members of the congregation were in complete awe when they saw a white beam emitting from Angus’ body. One of the members ran towards it in a desperate attempt to be the first one to see God. But he was immediately decapitated, and God’s spirit killed every congregation member in the room. Mason had warned Beau that humankind would cease to exist if they summoned God, but the leader assumed that they would be spared since they had been His true believers. Mason tried to stop God, but it was already too late; He was prepared to erase mankind. Lucifer had contacted Mason in an attempt to trigger him and make a deal with him to stop God.
Did Mason make a deal with the devil?
Lucifer had offered Mason his blade to kill God. God was particularly worried about how evil had taken over the world, and that was primarily why He thought it was important to reset Earth. But His decision would directly affect Lucifer, and therefore making a deal with Mason was his only option.
During Shadow of God’s ending, Mason used Lucifer’s dagger to send God back to Heaven. While Lucifer assumed Mason had chosen him over God, to his surprise, immediately after stabbing Angus (God), Mason used the dagger to stab Lucifer. Mason believed that since Lucifer was God’s son, the dagger would have an effect on him as well. He succeeded in sending Lucifer back to Hell. He used Lucifer’s blood on God and demanded He leave, and shockingly, his trick worked. Mason saved mankind from its annihilation, and his logic was simply, why destroy something as beautiful as the world that we know of? Shadow of God’s ending hints at the possibility that Angus had not died. Even though Tanis had shot him in the hopes of stopping him from killing Mason when he was possessed by God, it truly seems impossible to kill Angus. Will God once again attempt to return and erase mankind? Will Mason succeed the second time? Well, it’s up to the audience to decide.
