The Exorcism of Saint Patrick is the first in a triptych of films from director Quinn Armstrong (Survival Skills). A pastor (Steve Pinder) is alone with a teenaged boy (Michael J. Cline) at a cabin in order to perform conversion therapy. Things are tense from their first meeting leading to the seventeen year old committing suicide after the sessions take an extreme turn. Ghosts from the past soon return to seek revenge.
Despite the heavy subject matter, the film seems to set itself up for a plot that is more focused on horror than any serious themes. When St. Patrick first learns that the teenager he will be working with has the same name, he decides to call him “Trick”. It is a running joke that lasts through the closing credits. It is also the only source of levity in the entire movie.
The Exorcism of Saint Patrick is an uncomfortable watch whose horror is based more on reality than the supernatural. The idea of gay conversion will be awful enough for some audiences even before Patrick’s increasingly aggressive tactics become the focal point of the action. Pinder and Cline have a great dynamic, but that does not make things any less unsettling.
This setting would make for an interesting addition in gay conversion horror. Unfortunately, The Exorcism of Saint Patrick never takes time to fully develop its two main characters. Patrick seems to believe in what he is doing and Trick is going through hell, but there is not enough to hate one or care for the other. There is a general pity for Trick, but there is nothing to him as an actual person.
Patrick is even worse. It seems like he may have depth. While he never outright questions his faith, he also freely admits to not understanding it. There are also long shots that seem to highlight the guilt he feels. But as The Exorcism of Saint Patrick progresses and more is revealed, the notion of remorse becomes an unexplored subplot.
By the time the supernatural horror becomes the focus, it will be too late for many. The Exorcism of Saint Patrick has too many anticlimactic reveals, unexplained moments, and plot twists that its two strong performances can not overcome. It is not a bad movie; it just does not seem to know what it wants to be.
The Exorcism of Saint Patrick is now available on demand.
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