SHADOW OF GOD (2025)

New streaming on Shudder!
Directed by Michael Peterson.
Written by Tim Cairo.
Check out the trailer here!!

Mason (played by Mark O’Brien) left the home of his abusive, religious zealot father Angus (played by Shaun Johnston) as a teenager and became a Catholic priest. Now he works for the Vatican, performing exorcisms, but after a botched exorcism that leaves one priest dead, Mason finds out that a number of exorcists have been killed in recent weeks. Told to lay low, Mason returns to his childhood home where his half-sister Tanis (played by Jacqueline Byers) still lives and works as a psychiatrist. Upon his return, Mason is stunned to find out that his long-dead father Angus has inexplicably returned from the dead. But appearances can be deceiving, as Angus begins to show signs he is possessed. Though he isn’t cleared by the Vatican, Mason tries to perform an exorcism on Angus, only to find out his father isn’t possessed by a demon, but God himself.

Well, there’s an unexpected twist and while SHADOW OF GOD begins with all the bells and whistles you usually see and hear from in most exorcism films, all it takes is one twist like this to make things a whole lot more interesting. Little things, like Mason using an upside down cross during his exorcism, while simple, still, resonates as a cool and unique idea. The same goes for casting God as the villain, which is often hinted at in philosophical discussions in movies, but never in such a definitive way as outright taking over someone’s soul. I got vibes of THE PROPHECY 1995 from SHADOW OF GOD, as there is even a brief appearance by Lucifer (played by Josh Cruddas) that isn’t as awesome as Viggo Mortensen’s turn with the character but is still pretty sweet. All in all, SHADOW OF GOD thrilled me because it skews the perspective of the typical exorcism film ever so slightly and it all works so well.

It helps to have a strong cast. Mark O’Brien who plays Mason reminds me of Alessandro Nivola, which isn’t a bad thing. He’s got that burned out, slicked back, young Mickey Rourke hair going for him, which makes his sulking around all the more dramatic. O’Brien delivers an intense performance, and while he is delivering some lines that could come off as laughable, like reciting a new form of exorcism rites consisting of the exact opposite words, kinda like Jon Bovi*. O’Brien still is able to pull these lines off. Helping O’Brien out is the equally talented Jacqueline Byers as Mason’s half-sister and love interest, Tanis. Byers also appeared in another exorcism flick recently, PREY FOR THE DEVIL, but is given much more to work with here. Another good performance is from Shaun Johnston who is convincing as both a religious zealot and as a man possessed by God himself. Finally, Adrian Hough offers up a memorable take as another zealot, this one seeking to be the one to usher God in to the real world.

The talent behind the camera is from some up and comers worth mentioning. Director Michael Peterson was behind the emotionally potent KNUCKLEBALL starring Michael Ironside. And Tim Cairo wrote the amazing LOWLIFE which needs to be seen by more people. It’s no wonder SHADOW OF GOD feels so different coming from these two creatives. The film climaxes with another reverse exorcism and a scene ripped right from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARC. While some trippy visuals are used occasionally, this is a down-to-earth little horror film with ideas that never exceed the limited budget. Still, there is a lot of creativity in this script that shows that there’s still life left in the exorcism genre. All you do is give the exorcism concept a creative tweak — a fresh perspective, and you get a take on the genre that feels lively and truly entertaining. Check out SHADOW OF GOD. I think you’ll be surprised how fresh it really is.