Blackwater Valley Exorcism

Introduction

A young girl, Isabelle, is found covered in blood after tearing a rabbit apart, and becomes increasingly disturbed (as if this wasn`t disturbed enough). It seems that nothing can be done about her, so the obvious choice is to get a priest in to perform an exorcism.

There now follows a seemingly random, messy and almost laughable `Exorcist-lite` story regarding inner demons of all varieties, and one in particular who jumps between different people until someone calls `him` by his name. I was dying for it to be `Rumpelstiltskin`, but was sadly disappointed.

Video

Fairly clear, but some wobbly camera work and very dubious editing shows up the slightly amateurish nature of the whole affair.

Audio

Sound is equally haphazard, with the volume going off the scale in some places.

The music, from Joseph Bauer, is almost a cariacature of scores used for films of this nature, but I quite enjoyed the particularly wobbly fiddler someone hired for the recording.

Features

There is a 25 minute `making of` which shows everyone having a good time while on set, but tells us little about why the film was made in the first place, which was a question I asked myself several times. Someone admitted that this was all `low-budget` demonology and I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly.

Trailers for three other `Archetype` films are also included.

We are also treated to subtitles, but for some reason, anything said in Latin is translated, but the fairly hefty use of Spanish is left to those fluent in the language to enjoy.

Conclusion

I can`t imagine a more clichéd exorcism-themed plot than we have here. All characters remain stubbornly one-dimensional despite being plagued by their own inner demons, and there are obvious signs of desperation when the opening titles solemnly explain that "All exorcism scenes in this film were conducted under the supervision of Bishop Jason Spadafore, St. Raphael of the Angels Catholic Chapel. All rites are from the Paul V, 1614 Latin version of the Rituale Romanum". Bishop Spadafore appears in the `making of` film, and seems to be enjoying himself immensely…bless!

So that`s ok then. All above board and Kosher.as it were.

The problem about taking everything so damn seriously is that there are unintentionally hilarious moments, mostly brought on by the awful script (the line `You fornicate with swine in hell` just hasn`t got the impact of the similar demonic taunt from `The Exorcist`) and below-par acting. I`m not sure I should have had a laughter fit when someone was shot through the head, but it seemed the right thing to do and lightened up an otherwise dreary experience.

If you have the urge to watch some genuflecting devil-expulsion, there really is only one film to see, and I`m afraid this rather feeble effort isn`t it.