In the end, Prey for the Devil is almost a complete waste of time. A couple come out each year and they're usually useless. I also think I might be done with exorcism horror flicks. I watched these supposedly scary scenes and felt absolutely nothing. If I were to rate the scariness, it's a two out of ten. I couldn't keep track of how many times I thought to myself, 'I DON'T CARE.' Emotional moments, I don't care. This movie does a horrendous job at making you care. It takes the second route, the one where the movie has nothing of value. That's not the case with Prey for the Devil. One is that the movie is actively bad, laughable, filled with things to rip on. There are two different routes to me giving a movie such a low score. Right back to where the expectation is the vast majority of horror flicks will be terrible. Instead, it's pretty middle-of-the-road.Īfter the huge surprise of the awesome horror movie Smile, I'm brought right back down to earth with Prey for the Devil. If a more artistically daring director had taken this script, they could have made it incredible. The director used a lot of handheld camera work and close-ups, and this is sad as it doesn't utilise the insane potential of the gorgeous, often spacious location the film is set in.

The actors give it their all but they really don't have anything to work with, as all the development was given to the themes and no room was left to tell us anything specific about the characters as they are in the present. It's shockingly uninspired in its direction and in the set-up of its scares. I really just wish that the rest of the film was as compelling as this, because in terms of visual execution and story beats, this movie is as generic as they come. I loved this addition to the story, as it gave me something to root for beyond the rote plot machinations.

Only complete and total self-forgiveness can eliminate the demonic threat in such cases. In this film, unwillingness to forgive oneself becomes a poison that causes a person to lose themselves and gives demons power to take over their minds. Early on, the script introduces character background and thematic depth that causes the plot to largely be driven by an emotional core. Much to my pleasant surprise, Prey for the Devil actually does have a sufficiently unique and compelling take on the possession sub-genre.

Prey 2 2022