The movie poster and trailer for Final Prayer looked pretty good so I thought I’d give it a watch. I may sound a bit cryptic in my review; I just don’t want to give anything away.
The basis of the film is that three Vatican-approved paranormal investigators – Gray, Deacon and Mark – are on a mission to investigate strange events in a 11th-century church whose young priest claims miracles are happening. Gray insists small camera headsets be worn at all times so the investigation is documented from every angle.
Driving to the church, Gray and Deacon stop to ask a local resident for directions. The man doesn’t say a word – he just stares at them with a blank look on his face.
Inside the church, Gray sets up cameras and they search the building for signs of any electronic equipment that could be causing any unusual sounds. “If a poltergeist farted in here months ago we’ll be able to hear it,” Gray says of the sensitive listening equipment. When the equipment are turned off yet they still hear the sound of a crying baby, Deacon and Gray realize there is something sinister going on.
The church’s resident priest is Father Crellick. He truly believes the goings-on in the church aren’t just coincidence. At first all three investigators question Crellick’s intentions and motives, especially after Deacon catches him peering in the window. He thinks maybe Crellick is trying to make a name for himself with his small congregation, attempting to draw more people to the church for services. Mark follows the young priest to the church tower to confront him. He turns away for only a second and when he looks back Crellick has jumped from the tower to his death, a mortal sin for a man of the cloth.
Mark gets angry when Deacon calls his mentor, Father Calvino, to assist. Deacon tells Gray the Vatican has been trying to get rid of Calvino for years, however, whenever something unusual turns up they’re thankful to have him. Calvino explains the church was built on pagan ruins, which could be the cause of the disturbances. While attempting to cleanse any evil from the building, all four men are shaken to their cores.
On a scale of 1 to 10 tombstones (1 = terrible, 10 = excellent): 6 tombstones.
There is an interesting range of faith amongst the characters. Deacon was my favorite; he’s slightly irreverent but flawed and deeply emotional. Gray says he “believes in stuff,” though he doesn’t outright say what that “stuff” is. He and Gray form a bond that gets tested in a very difficult way. Mark is a bit on the annoying side but his scientifically-minded brain plays a big part in trying to debunk the phenomena.
This is a rather unusual film, slow-moving and things are explained in an odd fashion. It gives the appearance of a found-footage film, which normally I’m not fond of, but I can’t say I didn’t like it. If you don’t mind waiting for the big things to happen and can grasp the occasional dark and dry British humor, you may appreciate this movie.
Final Prayer, aka The Borderlands (2013; click on movie title for IMDb info)
Categorised in: Horror Movie Reviews
This post was written by Spookylady