It’s a shame that with a cast that included such talented actors as Djimon Hounsou and Alex Pena that the overall impact of a film could be so lacking in presence, or even in entertainment, but such is the case with The Vatican Tapes. With an exorcism film that centers so heavily around the antichrist, it may have possessed some real potential for a different take on a popular sub genre. However, with its stereotypical plot points and sped up, shallow character development, The Vatican Tapes plays more like a fanboy’s attempt at making an exorcism film, rather than the work of a veteran director who’s capable of so much more.

Angela is celebrating her birthday, and for the first time in as long as she can remember, her military-clad father is actually in attendance. Add that to the fact that her loving boyfriend set up the surprise visit from her pops, and arranged all of the festivities in their entirety, and it looks like this might be her best birthday yet. However, it seems that fate has caught up with Angela, as an evil spirit finds its way inside of her, and rears its ugly head in the midst of all of her happiness. At first, it seems that Angela may be suffering from a psychiatric condition of some kind, but suddenly, It starts to appear that the root of her illness lies not in her head, but deep within the barriers of her skin. A demon has infiltrated her precious puritanical vessel, and despite the efforts of her concerned father and partner, it has claimed her soul as his own.

Although director Mark Neveldine manages to squeeze out momentary impressive aesthetics, his proudest moments mainly exist during the exorcism scenes, well into the third act of the film. Toying with the light, Neveldine establishes the illuminations as bright and pure contrasts to the evil that inhabits them, creating a sense of invasion and unwanted spirits. However, these moments are few and fleeting, and mostly exist as a result of simple backlighting. The POV strangely switches over from hand-held to steadicam inexplicably halfway through the film, with bits of documentary-style scenes scattered sporadically throughout, creating an uneven, choppy vision. Truthfully, in the end, the empty visuals that fill the screen fail to create a distraction from the fact that none of the characters are tangible enough to invest in, making the whole story feel contrived and lackluster.

Even at a brief ninety-one minutes, and a shockingly brisk pacing, the time it takes to get to the big finale somehow still feels drawn out and uneventful. This is probably due to the fact that the speed that served Neveldine so well in the past in films like his adrenaline-fueled Crank has now stood in the way of appropriate character development, preventing s a lack of sympathy for the trials Angela and her entourage endure. The plot points of typical exorcism films are checked off like bullet points in this uninteresting, stereotypical account that we’ve seen far too many times. A seemingly innocent pretty girl is possessed by a demon. Check. She starts speaking in strange ancient languages. Check. She acts violent toward others. Check. Then, of course, the big exorcism scene, where two priests pour holy water on her and at some point, she floats. Check. Sadly, this is just another Exorcism rip-off film.

Nearly every demonic horror film created in this post-Exorcist world is inspired by William Friedkin’s incendiary work in some way, and understandably so, but in this day and age, with the massive wave of his influence, filmmakers simply must bring something new to the table in order to stand out. It’s not enough to go through the motions anymore. One thing that The Vatican Tapes has going for it is that unlike many other exorcism movies wherein the usual majority of the film is spent trying to banish the girl of her demon, this story takes the premise a bit farther, and suggests that the spirit who invades this girl’s body is actually the antichrist himself, come to take over the world — and he stands a good chance of winning. The Vatican Tapes attempted to make its mark by zoning in on the aspect of the son of satan, playing more on the invincibility of the demon, and the inevitability of his victory. However, in the end, the film failed to deliver any sort of deeper impact beyond its pitch.

Taking the worn exorcism plot a few steps further should have given the movie its own identity, and a provided a unique angle that would set it apart from the dozens of others that have come before it, but its shockingly abrupt ending fails to explore the concept any further than the simple idea of the true antichrist; the possibility of his ruthless reign hanging overhead like a baited fish hook, always dangling a few inches higher than the audience can touch. This train of progress screeches to a halt long before it ever truly gains some real momentum. Frustrating and impotent, The Vatican Tapes ends on the brink of its power, long before its ever given a chance to do some real damage. With its speedy pacing, surprisingly poor performances from nearly everyone involved, and illogical, ridiculous portrayals of everyone in the medical community and the church, this is just another horror film that that will merge with the masses that have come before, doomed to blend in and be forgotten.