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A Columbia enrolled her master’s student to interview and shadow the paranormal researcher as she covers a case which may bridge into something way worse. Dark Exorcism, originally dubbed ‘In The Dark’, is his second self made feature film. Here, he spins a story about girls and demonic possession with his four strong characters being female. In the lead, we have a tortured Bethany Mills who is a sweet and strong young lady trying so hard to guard her mother. She too is strong, but doing nelly with her arms twisting when Lois Kearne and student Veronica Carpenter go to help and support her, which they do.
These women are meticulously crafted without being overly dependent on anyone and do not serve as the typical male ‘damsel in distress’ characters, which is one of the many issues that plague horror films. They are multi-dimensional, and although they are women, they are human first. It is obvious the characters and the actresses that portray them were done justice given the way the film is written. Veronica also stars Lynn Justinger who plays a rather unlikable character at the start of the movie. Justing narrates it bluntly and doesn’t care what others think, and somewhat disagreeable towards it. Her character is complex and has an interesting story that makes her relatable, and she brilliantly conveys the range of emotions required. Fiona Horrigan, as her interviewee/mentor Lois, portrays the world-worn, alcoholic older woman, and to a great extent, she has been amazing.
Catherine Cobb Ryan goes to great lengths to ensure that her character’s complexity is concealed until later in the film, playing the role of a distressed mother protecting her daughter, whose life has been taken over by a demon. Even her performance as a protective yet conflicted mother evokes multiple emotions. However, Folsom has one of the biggest range switches in Bethany Mills where she demonstrates the ability to rapid-fire change from gentle to sinister in an instant. She is also highlighted as the film follows her character through a grueling process and she preserves that intensity all throughout the progression of the story.
The special effects created by Lisa Forst and the visual effects done by Tony Hudson are noteworthy and complements the plot. They are used as a support and not a means to an end. They are not overly saturated in the film, which makes their moments of appearance a lot more powerful. In particular, a scene near the start of the film works far too well; it demonstrates the level of creepiness the effects add to the whole story as well as the film. These effects are not intrusive and their few showings are worth the wait.
Dark Exorcism is a creepy slow-burn film with a twist on the exorcism genre. It has a well-crafted opening sequence, strong female characters, solid performances, and impressive effects. It’s a story where the unseen works great and what is on the screen works as well. It has strong scenes but could have used a stronger ending as one of the aspects used to add emotional impact felt unnecessary and a bit forced. The ending still works nonetheless, but this still stands as a critique towards the film and the performances.
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