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"The Unholy" has one of the most interesting premises for a horror movie that I've seen in recent years: What if Marian apparitions, though apparently divine, were in reality demonically influenced? It's a really intriguing plot that I was looking forward to experiencing on the big screen, so I headed down to the theatre on Easter Sunday (sacrilegious, I know), and I was honestly pretty excited. And I'm proud to announce that this movie is akin to a religious experience, because when the credits rolled I prayed for forgiveness for wasting my time watching such a mediocre movie.
"The Unholy" isn't a bad film - it's just painfully average and generic. It has a goldmine at its disposal with its clever premise, and instead it throws every good idea by the wayside to instead fill its running time with cheap jump scares and lazy exposition. You've already seen all the tricks this movie has up its sleeve, and you've seen them done better a countless number of times before. A demon infecting a computer? Check. A face popping out of a body of water? Check. A character turning around and getting scared by a demon lunging toward them? Check. I was shocked to see all of the exact same excuses for scares that have already been utilized so many times before.
At its core, the movie follows Jeffrey Dean Morgan as he reports on Cricket Brown's character, Alice, a deaf, mute girl who suddenly can hear and speak after a visit from who she claims is the Virgin Mary. Jeffrey and Cricket were the only good things about this film, and the movie was honestly lucky to have them; Cricket was especially good in her role, convincingly playing a sweet, overly religious girl who thinks that, for once in her life, she's being chosen for a higher purpose. Every time Cricket is on screen she steals the show - unfortunately, she isn't on screen for that much, and instead the movie focuses on horrendously boring exposition.
A large majority of this film centers on Jeffrey's character speaking to other characters about things that are happening, or things that have happened. I'm not even going to go in any more detail because it was extremely boring to watch, and I don't want to relive those moments through my words. Instead, I'll talk about another thing that the movie did do well: The scenes where Mary was working her magic through Cricket were genuinely riveting, displaying a talent in front of and behind the camera. Mary, through Alice, heals the sick and makes the disabled walk, and the scenes are filmed beautifully and feel holy. They're a nice contrast to the inevitable evil that's displayed as the film goes on, but unfortunately, nothing comes close to the competence demonstrated in those scenes. The rest of the film is a generic slog, jam-packed with highly telegraphed jump scares and lazy dialogue.
If you're a fan of horror films, you'll probably want to check out "The Unholy." And if you do, may God have mercy on your soul. This isn't a movie that I hated watching, but it's one that I found highly disappointing due to the squandering of such a unique premise.
score 4/10
darkreignn 5 April 2021
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6781559/ |
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6-4-2021 01:33:11
