In an age where people spend more time with their faces buried in their phones or computer screens, where streaming services are popping up faster than we can keep count, and social media influencers are a valid thing that drives sales and traffic, it’s got to be tough being a demon. No one wants to play with Ouija boards anymore, let alone bother with actual human interaction. The Cleansing Hour attempts to take on possession horror in the modern internet-based world. It’s an astute concept that offers up some fun and laughs, but it’s bogged down by cheesy clichés and familiar horror trappings.

Reverend Max (Ryan Guzman) and his best friend Drew (Kyle Gallner) make a substantial living off of their live-stream web series “The Cleansing Hour,” where Max performs fake exorcisms every episode. Their hundreds of thousands of fans, however, aren’t aware that Max isn’t a legit exorcist nor is there any truth to the show. That is until Drew’s fiancée Lane (Alix Angelis) has to step in to perform on the show when their actor goes missing. True evil converges on set, and poor Lane becomes actually possessed. The demon is hellbent on terrorizing the cast and crew, as well as exposing their darkest, most fraudulent secrets in front of their legion of fans.

Directed by Damien LeVeck, who co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Horwitz, makes his feature debut with an adaptation of their 2016 short film of the same name. The pair take aim at internet culture, while trying to maintain a balance of horror and humor. Which means a lot of jokes and dialogue the poke fun at internet culture, complete with trolls commenting on the show’s live feed. Not all of the jokes are successful, though. Hearing a demon say “keep it 100” induces eye-rolling. Conversely, it also means that the possession aspect is taken seriously. There are deaths, and often it’s gruesome. Other times it’s over the top silly, in an intentional way.

The Cleansing Hour is a dark movie. By that, I mean that the web series’ set is so darkly lit it’s not always easy to see what’s happening. Considering there’s a lot of not so great digital effects that come in to play, that you have to squint to see what’s on screen sometimes is probably a good thing. But there’s an equal amount of great practical effects work too, courtesy of Tom Woodruff Jr.’s Amalgamated Dynamics special makeup effects studio. When the movie leans into the practical, it pops.

Guzman and Gallner are fantastic leads as brothers in arms with a long-running friendship dating back to childhood. Guzman imbues Max with smarm and swagger, the egotistical type that covets that verified checkmark on his social media. Gallner is tasked with playing the abused sidekick that’s content to lurk in his friend’s shadow; he’s raking in the profits after all. These are very flawed but very likable men. As for Angelis, she’s tasked with the physically taxing role of playing possessed. She gives her all to the performance, but it’s undermined by an all too familiar and by-the-numbers formula. This is the exact type of possession story we’ve seen countless times before, so it wears out its welcome quickly. LeVeck and Horwitz do ultimately have something different in mind, but it doesn’t come into play until much too late.

This is a snarky takedown of the digital age that doesn’t really hit its stride until the third act. There’s a lot of cheesy clichés, jokes that land with mixed results, and a mostly by the numbers possession story that diminishes a great concept. There’s a really good movie buried in here somewhere, and it does offer enough silly fun for those in the mood for something lighthearted and easy. But if you’re tired of possession horror mimicking The Exorcist and social media jokes, it’s best to steer clear.

The Cleansing Hour will be released exclusively on Shudder in 2020.