The Vatican Tapes (2015)

One of my all time favorites.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The ending of this movie is sth new and quite interesting and uncommon in that sort of horror movies but generally the movie is just overaverage. I can recommend it to watch there is nothing more interesting in the last years to offer to a spectator. They should stop making all that Exorcist-like stuff or make sth truly new to distinguish itself from the rest.

Mark Neveldine's first solo directorial effort The Vatican Tapes is a silly, late night horror flick, and actually a decent watchable exorcism thriller.Two priests attempt an exorcism on a possessed young woman in this horror film directed by Mark Neveldine.Here we have it folks. Another horror film about a possessed young girl. Huh-hum, but The Vatican Tapes is honestly a decent throwback to these old horror movies, a good cheesy midnight horror flick to see, and I believe it's not as bad as some individuals are making it out to be. In the beginning of the film, we see and learn from the exorcism montages that high-ranking religious officials have made a lifestyle of investigating paranormal activity over the past 2,000 years. They have been seeking individuals that could definitively prove the antichrist is amongst us.We meet Angela Holmes, played by Olivia Taylor Dudley (Chernobyl Diaries, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension). She is our typical horror movie possessed girl. She is cute, young, happy, and has a boyfriend named Pete, played by John Patrick Amedori (Stick It, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), and her rough and tough religious father, Roger, played by Dougray Scott (Hitman, Hemlock Grove). One day Angela comes across mysterious raven. The raven leads to Angela being responsible for a car. The raven causes chaos wherever it goes, and lands Angela in the hospital. Angela becomes more sinister over time, and that is when Father Lozano, played by Michael Pena (Observe and Report, Ant Man) soon realizes a demonic spirit may be at cause. This film made for a perfect low budget horror midnight movie. If you are looking for a silly yet fun late night flick with friends, this is a good one. Do not come in here expecting a horror classic. It is just a campy, not to be taken serious horror movie. This movie reminds me very much of a grindhouse film with a bigger budget. My only complaints are the cast are not really the most convincing characters. The most sympathetic individual is Angela's father, Roger. He has done his best to raise his daughter all by himself, and now, after being out of town with the army, is with her long enough to see her fall horribly ill. Also, I believe this film would have been a little better with an R rating. The scares aren't really scary, the possession doesn't seem all that frightening, and some good ol' gore could have been used to enhance the characters and story. So these are my final Bitchin' Buddha thoughts on the film The Vatican Tapes. This movie knows what it is and does not try to be any more than that. The chills are not really there, but a decent story is in here. I believe The Vatican Tapes earns a…6/10This review is brought to you by Boogie Buddha, and remember, don't just get down, but get Boogie. Thank you all for reading and or viewing, and I hope you all have an amazing day as always. :)

Demonic possessions and exorcisms have always been some of my favourite themes and sub-genres in Horror films. Indeed, we have come a long way since the original cult The Exorcist, with certain films far exceeding others in any aspect there is. Sadly, in my humble opinion, The Vatican Tapes is not one of these chosen few, far from it.The story isn't particularly impressive, but does express some originality, as the possessing demon isn't just another foul spirit. Beyond that - nothing special, nothing new. The ending, however, while lacking a good twist and a less anticlimactic conclusion of events - is rather unique in its own way, and left me personally quite content with my decision to sample this film. Not remarkable, but definitely deserving of certain praises directed at original writers Christopher Borrelli and Michael C. Martin.The way the possession itself is portrayed is pretty much a combination of all the known classics. It appears director Mark Neveldine had no intentions of reinventing the wheel, and simply meant to show us the possessions we already know and love. I personally was impressed with the decision to refrain from using voice effects, and simply relying on lead actress Olivia Taylor Dudley's profound skills.Speaking of which, the acting is by far the finest aspect of this film. Dudley does an amazing job as possessed, disturbed and distressed Angela, and Dougray Scott (Roger) and John Patrick Amedori (Pete) are authentic, convincing and excellent as the possessed's loving and concerned father and boyfriend. The Vatican priests (Peter Andersson and Djimon Hounsou) were also quite remarkable.The biggest problem with such films is that they rely too much on specific religions, Christianity in this case (and in most cases). This leaves many of us non-Christians struggling with suspense of disbelief, which sourly affects the overall sensation of fear (the main reason for watching Horror, isn't it?). I in no way whatsoever mean to criticize Christian beliefs, for films focusing on Jewish exorcisms, for instant (like The Unborn and The Possession), suffer from the same problem. It would be spectacular to see a production that would succeed in avoiding the easy way out, and find a way to create a possession film relevant to all audience regardless of religious upbringing.All in all, the film reminded me very much of The Exorcism of Molly Hartley, which wasn't a success to say the least, only slightly better. While far from being a masterpiece, The Vatican Tapes does offer certain unique benefits and advantages, making it definitely worthy of watching. I would say to give it a chance, but with lowered expectations.

-The Vatican Tapes is a 2015 American supernatural horror film directed by Mark Neveldine from a screenplay written by Christopher Borrelli, which is in turn based on a story by Chris Morgan and Christopher Borrelli. -The film stars Olivia Taylor Dudley, Kathleen Robertson, Michael Peña, Djimon Hounsou, Dougray Scott, and John Patrick Amedori, and was released on July 24, 2015, by Lionsgate.--Critical reception:-The film received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 21%, based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 4/10. On Metacritic the film has a score of 37 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". IGN awarded it a score of 2.5 out of ten, saying "It exists without any real scares or chills, and only the smallest attempt to differentiate itself."