Synopsis:
Sister Ann (Jacqueline Byers) believes she is answering a calling to be the first female exorcist…but who, or what, called her? In response to a global rise in demonic possessions, Ann seeks out a place at an exorcism school reopened by the Catholic Church. Until now these schools have only trained priests in the Rite of Exorcism – but a professor (Colin Salmon) recognizes Sister Ann’s gifts and agrees to train her. Thrust onto the spiritual frontline with fellow student Father Dante (Christian Navarro), Sister Ann finds herself in a battle for the soul of a young girl, who Sister Ann believes is possessed by the same demon that tormented her own mother years ago. Determined to root out the evil, Ann soon realizes that evil has been expecting her.
What We Thought:
I’m not a religious man so I never expect to be scared or even all that entertained with exorcism movies. I understand their appeal to those who love jumpscares and creepy characters controlled by demons and monsters though. They don’t do much for me in terms of horror so I watch them for their production value, acting and overall movie making. In those terms Prey for the Devil is pretty watchable.
The lead actress holds your attention throughout. I’m sure I’ve seen her in other projects, but couldn’t place her while watching it. Colin Salmon is always good and he is here as well. The young girl works well as do the other side characters. So in terms of acting, overall solid.
What works best for the film is the production value. For a smaller budget film it looks great. The location is cool especially when it goes into the basement. The exorcisms and demon effects are good too without looking too fake. It’s on par with any Blumhouse film in terms of production value.
Prey for the Devil isn’t overly original nor does it try to reinvent the wheel. I’m not a huge fan of this subgenre of horror, but if you are, I think you’ll like it. If you are expecting The Exorcist or The Conjuring, no it’s not on that level, but if you watch more B-grade horror with smaller budgets and like those you’ll like this. It has a surprise twist you’ll probably see coming, but it makes sense to the plot so I give it credit for at least making an attempt at a twist.
4K SPECIAL FEATURES
- Audio Commentary with Director Daniel Stamm and Actress Jacqueline Byers
- Possessed: Creating Prey for the Devil
- A Lullaby of Terror
- The Devil’s Tricks: Visual Effects
- Prey for the Devil Cast-Read: The Original First-Draft Screenplay
- Speak No Evil: A Real Exorcist and Church Psychologist Discuss Possession
The Nerds Templar 