The Exorcist is the most iconic horror movie of all time. Although it’s packed wall-to-wall with controversial takes on Christianity and organized religion in general, it continues to hold a special place in the hearts of genre fans and cinephiles alike. And while I think that The Exorcist 3 and the Fox TV series are great sequels, I appear to be in the minority. Which is why the legacy sequel, The Exorcist: Believer, and The Exorcism, which is kind of an intimate look at the making of the William Friedkin classic from the perspective of the real-life son of the actor who played Father Damian Karras, were roundly rejected by audiences and critics alike. That didn’t discourage filmmakers from exploring the connection between the divine and the supernatural, with The Conjuring franchise even enjoying a great degree of commercial success, despite being derivative and repetitive in nature. Shadow of God has tried to do something different in this subgenre. Does that make it worth a watch? Let’s find out.
Michael Peterson’s Shadow of God, written by Tim Cairo, introduces us to an exorcist named Mason Harper who is dealing with a demonic possession in Guadalajara, Mexico. Things go sideways pretty quickly, and Mason’s assistant dies after being flung across the room by the entity that has possessed the wheelchair-bound girl. This violent incident causes the exorcist to return to his hometown in Southern Alberta. While waiting for his former flame, Tanis Green, to come pick him up at the bus stop, Mason seemingly witnesses the phantom of his dead father, Angus Harper, jumping off a bridge. He brushes off the vision as a mere figment of his imagination and goes off to settle into his old home. But that’s when his world is turned upside down as the local police officer drops off a man, who seems like a resurrected Angus, at Mason’s doorstep. While Mason tries to make head or tail of this situation, a cult led by Beau approaches the recently reunited father-son duo with some sinister intentions. Oh, and Lucifer is up in this joint as well.
Shadow of God is largely about religious fanaticism and how, if left unchecked, it can turn a seemingly quaint town into a fascist hellscape where people can be punished and even killed for the slightest of “mistakes.” Cairo also shows the scars, both physical and psychological, that children who are born into uber-religious households bear throughout their lives, and how devotion can’t be an excuse for irresponsible parenting. But then Lucifer and God enter the picture, and the narrative becomes about daddy issues. Without giving away any major spoilers, Cairo uses the strained relationship between Mason, Lucifer, and their respective fathers to take the aforementioned familial themes to the next level. So, yeah, the movie could have just been a grounded drama, with some religious teachings, about Mason and Angus coming to some kind of an understanding. However, when you see that playing out along with the tussle between Lucifer and God, almost every complex father-son dynamic gains a biblical, slightly cosmic, meaning. And the creative choices that Cairo employs to resolve these heady problems are nothing short of impressive. I am sorry if that sounds vague, but, at the cost of sounding repetitive, I am trying not to spoil the entire third act.
Visually speaking, Shadow of God oscillates between decent and absolutely masterful. It has that hazy “digital look” that I detest. There are some visual effects here and there that do make this feature film seem like an episode of Supernatural. And there’s not enough memorable imagery in the first two acts to really make a lasting impact. It’s passable if you are in a forgiving mood. In the third act, though, Peterson kicks things into high gear, and the film goes from just fine to phenomenal. There is this shot of a massive black-colored cross in an all-white void, with Mason emerging out of it, which absolutely floored me. The first conversation between Lucifer and Mason reminded me of Mandy and Jeremiah’s hypnotic interaction in Mandy. I really liked the final act, which heavily references Raiders of the Lost Ark. I’m sure many will laugh at the VFX and CGI used in that sequence, but I found it to be oddly fitting, as the overall uncanniness accentuated the sensation of encountering something beyond human comprehension. Also, all this made me wonder why certain filmmakers who can’t come up with frames that are as striking as the ones conjured by Peterson, cinematographer David Baron, production designer Myron Hyrak, and the rest of the crew keep getting ten times the budget of this film.
The performances from the cast of Shadow of God are great. Mark O’Brien’s constant smoking while performing an exorcism kind of reminded me of Keanu Reeves’ Constantine. His portrayal of fear, anxiety, and apprehension is really understated. But then when he has to swing for the fences in the final act, he gives it his all. Jacqueline Byers is excellent, even though she doesn’t get a lot of screentime to truly flex her acting chops. Shaun Johnston is both despicable and heartbreaking. Adrian Hough is downright chilling. However, not as chilling as Josh Cruddas. There is a YouTube channel called Pancake (at the time of writing this article, it has a picture of a dog as its profile picture) that keeps track of the best depictions of the devil in movies and TV shows. Since I found Cruddas’ version of Lucifer to be pretty effective, I think it should be on that list. He genuinely seems like a snake trying to pass himself off as a human being; it’s splendid. Sofia Skates, Barb Mitchell, and the rest of the supporting cast are good. Additionally, a round of applause for all the stunt actors because, while they get their due in action films, they are quite overlooked in horror films.
Shadow of God is definitely worth a watch, especially because of the third act. I know I’ve gone and hyped it up too much already, but I don’t regret that at all. I hope that this film is watched by a lot of people so that investors and producers get the encouragement they need to back artists like Michael Peterson. I don’t want another The Exorcist: Believer, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, or Apartment 7A situation in our hands again. I understand that audiences and the algorithm are rewarding franchise entries nowadays, but that doesn’t mean the projects have to be bereft of any artistry. I pray that the day comes when, in addition to Peterson, Andrew Baird (Sunrise), Sasha Rainbow (Grafted), Brandon Espy (Mr. Crocket), Alberto Corredor (Baghead), and Liam Gavin (A Dark Song) get the backing they deserve to give us some modern classics in the vein of The Exorcist. By the way, if you are looking for movies from non-North American countries that are centered around exorcism, I’d highly recommend Vash (do not, I repeat, do not watch the Bollywood remake), Manichitrathazhu (you can watch its Bollywood remake, but not the sequels to the remake), Phenomena, and one of my favorite movies of all time, Exhuma.
