‘The Final Pact’ Review
Stars: Mark A. Marple, Austin Freeman, Sam Sneary, Charlie Prince, Cameron Diskin, Julia Vasi | Written and Directed by F.C. Rabbath
The Final Pact begins on the day before graduation at Saint Edwin’s, and the class of soon-to-be priests has just gotten a surprise, Father Michael (Mark A. Marple; A Brilliant Monster, Catching Hearts) tells them that they have one more test ahead of them. It’s a time-honoured tradition at the school, but all they know is that it’s not the kind of test you take with a pencil and paper, and whatever it is, it begins now.
Three of the students, Paul (Austin Freeman; Dark Roads 79, Apocalypse Rising: A Zombie Saga), Mark (Sam Sneary; In the Static) and John (Charlie Prince; The Walking Inbred, Tricycle), decide to go out for a beer to celebrate. Stopping for gas, Paul has an encounter with a friend of his father, one that makes him confess to Mark that the death of his father and the disappearance of his sister have left him doubting his faith.
But it’s after they pick up John and stop to help a woman whose car has broken down that things get really strange. The woman says they need to help her daughter, who is suffering from demonic possession. For some reason, John is insistent that they at least investigate the situation. But the script is going to take a couple of twists before the trio, now joined by Alex (Cameron Diskin; No Vacancy, Jurassic: Stoned Age) come to grips with Lucy (Julia Vasi; Walden, Zombieland: Double Tap) and her alleged possession.
Writer/director F.C. Rabbath (Watch Over Us, The Waiting) sets up an interesting situation. A man, hours away from officially becoming a priest and suffering from a lack of faith, could make a compelling drama. Add in a mysterious test that may involve possibly confronting demonic activity, and The Final Pact quickly becomes a very different film from what I was expecting. A film that’s part Dante’s Inferno and part examination of faith, morality, guilt and how we respond to them.
That’s not to say The Final Pact isn’t a horror movie, it does have some scares, but scaring the viewer doesn’t seem to be Rabbath’s main objective. Instead, the script concentrates on how the priests-to-be respond to the efforts of the house and its occupants to manipulate their feelings and reactions. Paul is of special interest to the powers of darkness, and it’s not long before they’ve dragged his father’s soul into things to try and gain leverage over him.
I will admit that at this point in the film, there were a few times I got confused as to the reason for what was happening on screen. It wasn’t a case of being totally lost, I could still get the idea of what was going on, I just couldn’t figure out exactly why. That may be due to the fact I’m not particularly religious let alone well versed in Catholic doctrine and didn’t make a connection or pick up on something that was there in the script. Given the way The Final Pact plays out, however, I think its target audience may well be people who will pick up on everything mentioned.
That aside, the main issue people will have with The Final Pact is the idea of a test that could damn you to hell if you fail. But, if you look at it as the theological equivalent of training with live rounds or the Christian version of the 36 Chambers of Shaolin, and it starts to make sense.
When all is said and done, The Final Pact is an interesting film that plays out more as a supernatural drama than a fright flick. It benefits from some strong performances and interesting ideas. There isn’t much in the way of effects, but the cinematography, also by Rabbath, looks great and nicely frames the effects the budget allowed for. As long as you realize you’ll spend more time thinking than jumping out of your seat, you should enjoy the film.
***½ 3.5/5
The Final Pact will be playing festivals ahead of a wider release.
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