13 Exorcisms

Well, finally, a new possession themed movie that I actually like enough to recommend. Naturally, it's NOT a Hollywood made movie. It's a Spanish film called, 13 Exorcismos, which means 13 Exorcisms. Spanish with English subtitles, and it's pretty grim from beginning to end. The story goes into the "eternal battle" of church vs. Medicine in trying to help a girl who deteriorates drastically after encountering the spirit of a really horrible murderer at a seance on Halloween. You'd think kids would know better by now, but it's actually a pretty scary setup and the rest of the film follows the girl's violent and vicious self destruction while her mother and father and psychologist and priest argue over who's best to save her, the church or the hospital. I differ from the other review in thinking that the mood and atmosphere of this film was consistently foreboding and menacing throughout, aided by an effective soundtrack and steady pacing. I felt it was really the first original possession themed movie in decades and the ending is tragic. Unfortunately, I don't think it's available on most of the streaming services, even though it was made in 2022. I doubt it got much if any of a US release, but hopefully will show up someday on a popular streaming service.