‘Prey for the Devil’ made me pray for a fright

“Now that you know the devil, the devil knows you,” Father Quinn, played by Colin Salmon, said.  The weekend of Halloween has been notorious for releasing spine chilling horror movies for years.  However, this year’s most advertised movie, “Prey for the Devil,” was one of the biggest let downs I have ever experienced since watching the Fantasy Island remake in 2020.  As a person who regularly watches horror movies, I found that this one was greatly lacking in buildup and plot.

“Prey for the Devil” takes place in a world where demonic possessions are on the rise.  The Vatican’s response was to open several exorcism schools in order to teach new, young priests how to properly expel a demonic entity.  Though, as traditional Catholicism required, only men could become a priest.  Main character Sister Ann felt this was unfair, and, because she had a special gift in communicating with the demon plaguing those around her, she took it upon herself to be the first female exorcist in the Catholic timeline.  This, I believe, is an interesting plot if developed correctly. 

I expected the movie to go in several different directions. I was actually hoping that it did.  However, the film took upon the most basic of story lines that could be expected from any run-of-the-mill horror movie.  Nothing stood out, and a majority of the plot-twists were guessable.  I was able to figure out the ending to “Prey for the Devil” 30 minutes into the movie. I wish I was joking.  Moreover, I felt Sister Ann’s trauma, portrayed from the beginning of the film, had no development.  It showed only that Sister Ann knew of the demon, but nothing else was ever revealed.  

Sister Ann, played by Jacqueline Byers, and Natalie, played by Posy Taylor, did an outstanding job in bringing the movie to life.  If anything, their acting was one of the few salvageable traits of the film.  Some of the jumpscares were entertaining, and I feel the costumes and makeup were well done.  

The movie is PG-13, which came as a bit of a surprise.  There were a few images that I felt would’ve been extremely graphic for a younger audience, and several descriptions that were grotesque.  

Overall, the movie was mediocre at best.  It was entertaining for what it was, but certainly not very memorable.  I feel like a lot could’ve been done.