Prey For The Devil (2022)

Another entry for Demons, Babies, and The Nuns Who Have Them. It's a boring, unoriginal idea stuffed into a boring, unoriginal plotline. Has there ever been a nun film that didn't end up with her breaking her vows? Perhaps not. 

I'm not twelve, so I didn't find this to be the boring slopfest most people did. Come on people, horror needs ambience. It's only 90 minutes. Despite that, I do think it was mislabelled. It's more of an action thriller than a horror. The 'horror' scenes play out like action moments and the tension/release cycle of the film is in line with a thriller. The big reveal, the mystery of Sister Ann's past, all of it has the basic beats of an action thriller. She's just missing a gun. 

The acting isn't so bad from the adults. At worst it's a little stiff. Posy Taylor is the weakest of the cast as the little girl. It gets really rough in a lot of scenes. I can't be too harsh on her because she is a child who is doing her best in a film. She's never acted before and as far as I'm aware, she's never acted since. Sometimes child actors are chosen because they're convenient. She gets the job done. 

I do have to praise the writing. Every character feels like a whole person. They all do things when Sister Ann isn't around and have thoughts outside of her. Many bad stories have the universe hinge on whether or not the main character is there to witness it. 

For downsides, the jumpscares are bad. Yes, I did say it wasn't a horror movie and I still don't think it is. There's no build-up, no tension, just a loud blaring air horn every ten minutes. Only scary if you watched it with headphones. 

The politics of the film is also included in downsides. They're messy. When it comes to DBATNWHT (Demons, Babies, and The Nuns Who Have Them) nobody can make up their mind if they're pro-choice or pro-life. I don't particularly care either way, I just want a good movie.

Prey For The Devil puts itself in an awkward position I've seen a lot of stories fall into. The Catholics are right. Entirely. Heaven and Hell operate exactly as the Catholic Church understands it with no interpretations or exclusions. Abortion is a sin in this film that will damn your soul to hell. Adoption is a sin that will cause demons to torment you. I expected this film to be proudly pro-Catholic and pro-life. 

Instead, I'm treated to an extended (and abandoned) plotline where Sister Ann advocates for feminism inside the Catholic Church as a reference to Joan of Arc. What? 

The messaging is confused if all women are damned for their sins, or if it's just this one specific woman who is damned. They show another girl who lost her baby and is rewarded for the miscarriage with near-fatal possession and death. Huh? 

Maybe it's too much to ask for consistent themes in a film that rips off The Conjuring series but I had hope. 

Overall, it's only good for background noise. Two stars and a pass.