The Seventh Day is a supernatural horror movie about an experienced exorcist and his young trainee. Naturally, Father Peter (Guy Pearce) has no interest in teaching the rites of exorcism. Father Daniel (Vadhir Debrez) until he has proved himself. Along the way, the two must face their own demons. It is a trope that goes beyond the confines of horror.
Unfortunately, it never works here. Writer-director Justin P. Lange seemed to be going for something different here. To his credit, The Seventh Day does not look like a typical exorcism movie. But even though the setting has changed, the rest of the film remains the same. Bad may be too strong of a word, but it is definitely disappointing.
The Seventh Day’s tone is also strange at times. There is no questioning it is a horror movie, but some scenes come off as almost comedic. A campy feel will sometimes creep in that feels completely out of place. Making things more difficult, is it impossible to tell whether it is intentional or not. Either way, it is not a good decision.
The performances are surprisingly weak in the film. In particular, Debrez comes off very poorly. He seems very lackadaisical during the majority of his scenes. This hurts the drama of The Seventh Day and completely takes away from any of the scares there may have been. Even the normally dependable Pearce ends up being a non factor.
The Seventh Day does not even deliver the over the top gore that can salvage a bad movie. Much of it happens off screen and what is shown is unimpressive. There is nothing to distract the audience from the way too familiar plot. Ultimately, the film seems too content, which is the biggest sin of all.
The Seventh Day opens in select theaters and on demand March 26
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