#I've never seen this cgi (?) for her AND LIKE???? IT'S SO INSANE how dare they hide this and USE IT FOR A DENTAL STICKER

[hercarisntyours]

the serve, and for a dental sticker at that.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: When Evil Lurks

I tend to have a high tolerance and high expectation for horror films. When it comes to films about demonic possession, they're constantly all about how religion factors in or the standard set by the original The Exorcist with all the head spinning, levitating and gross out body horror tropes we've all come to know. Evil Dead Rise earlier this year was fantastic, but that is more of the extreme and fantastical nature. The last great grounded possession film I've seen was The Last Exorcism of Emily Rose and maybe The Last Exorcism. Both had their flaws, but delivered an engaging story and creepy visuals. What makes a great supernatural film is the ability to deliver a tension filled story that is not only compelling, but unpredictable. You have to really go places where most wouldn't dare and remove the common safe guards in place for certain characters. It has been a very long time since such a film has existed and has left me in a state of shock. What I really enjoyed about this film was that it was straight forward and gives you the right amount of lore and exposition that keeps you on edge. The sense of dread and tension is so thick throughout the film and I loved every second of it. Sure, there are moments of terror you could see coming, but you're still shocked once it happens and the sheer brutality of it was insane. Like any horror film, there are illogical character moments that are frustrating, but in this case it serves the story and highlights the flaws of the characters. That's how it should be done and I'm glad this film excels where almost all fail.

Ezequiel Rodriguez was excellent and endearing as Pedro. I loved his steadfast decision making, but man did he seriously put everyone in danger when it wasn't necessary at times. I did love that he was the most capable and smartest characters in the film as he saw what was coming when nobody would believe him. Demián Salomon was also excellent as his loyal and somewhat softer brother Jimmy. I loved their chemistry and even though they were on edge for the majority, I was happy to follow them both through this nightmare. Jimmy was one of the major catalysts in the most clever way that if you weren't paying attention, you'd miss why. Paula Rubinsztein was awesome and probably the only kind soul in the film as their mother. She delivers the ultimate lore dump and setting up the rules when dealing with a possessed or as referred to in the film as "The Rotten", and man it was so fun and creepy. Silvia Sabater was awesome as a Cleaner or the film's version of an exorcist. Her scenes were so intriguing and she adds that perfect level of strength in her faith herself and wisdom.

The film is well shot and what I loved is that there isn't any major visual trickery or CGI that tries to add to the look of despair. The make-up effects were top notch and equally grotesque in the best way possible. The physical horror was amazing and creepy in execution when it came to a scene involving Pedro's family. Like I said before, the tension in this film is thick and it never really lets up as the story continues to drag you through the hellish nightmare Pedro and Jimmy go through. I can't stress enough how this film goes for the unexpected and how unrelenting the violence is. This film has definitely raised the bar on how to deliver a perfectly paced demonic possession story that has thematic elements about grief, family and how it touches on faith, but it doesn't overtake the nonstop terror. This will hands down be the best horror film I have seen for the remainder of 2023. It is currently in theatres for a limited time and it will soon come to the horror streaming service Shudder. I highly recommend it for this spooky season for the curious, but it is NOT for the faint of heart. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!