HorRHIFFic 2025: ‘A Final Exorcism’ Review
Stars: Suki Jones, Keeley-Jo Jupp, Cy Henty, Simon Berry, Ayvianna Snow, Charlie Bentley, Patrick Olliver, Ella Palmer | Written and Directed by Sam Mason-Bell
Elderly Anne Lewis, believing herself possessed, requests an exorcism, with her two children by her side. On the third night of the ritual, Father Stone, the priest performing the rites, begins to doubt the family’s intentions. Is Anne truly possessed, or are her children deceiving him?
There’s very little you can do when it comes to pushing the proverbial filmic envelope with exorcism movies. Everything that can be done seemingly has been done. So what to do if you do want to make another entry into the sometimes-maligned genre?
Well in the case of A Final Exorcism you know that people have seen every trope, every cliche and know every stereotype but you lean into that, jumping straight into the titular exorcism, adding in a pervasive sense of dread and terror, and slowly unveiling the truth of the story as the film goes on…
I am only familiar with Sam Mason-Bell from his Taped-Up series, a franchise I’m not the biggest fan of, so to see him make a film as strong and powerful as A Final Exorcism was quite the surprise. His direction is both ambitious and intimate. Mason-Bell discussed in a recent interview that he drew inspiration from Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men, and shot the film in real-time, which creates a palpable sense of immediacy and tension. The confined setting and close-up camerawork amplifies the claustrophobic atmosphere, really bringing the audience into the story, in ways other exorcism movies haven’t.
Mason-Bell’s choice to use natural lighting and a handheld camera approach adds to the raw and unfiltered experience, grounding the supernatural elements in a stark reality, offering a fresh perspective on the exorcism sub-genre, and exploring deeper psychological and moral dilemmas – especially in the case of Father Stone, brilliantly portrayed by Cy Henty, who’s character really embodies a crisis of faith that we’ve seen before in this genre but one that really casts doubt on Father Stone’s morality and spirituality. Which means that, come the conclusion, what happens to Father Stone is all that more believable.
The rest of the cast also deliver compelling performances that drive the film’s emotional and psychological depth. Suki Jones portrays Anne Lewis with a haunting vulnerability, capturing the torment of a woman on the brink of madness; whilst the supporting cast, including Keeley-Jo Jupp and Simon Berry as Anne’s children, add layers of complexity, leaving the audience questioning their motives and the truth behind Anne’s condition.
In the end, A Final Exorcism stands out in sea of exorcist and faith-led horror movies by eschewing the usual genre clichés and focusing instead on the psychological and moral implications of belief and deception, and overall is a genuinely unsettling experience.
**** 4/5
A Final Exorcism screened as part of this year’s Romford Horror Film Festival on Friday, February 28th.
