The Vatican Tapes (2015) User Reviews

Decent and Underrated Horror Film

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 7 July 2016]

In Los Angeles, Angela Holmes (Olivia Dudley) is a happy young woman, pride and joy of her father Colonel Roger Holmes (Dougray Scott) and in love with her boyfriend Peter "Pete" Smith (John Patrick Amedori). On her birthday party, she cuts her hand and Roger and Peter take her to the hospital. When she returns home, she has a seizure and they drive her back to the hospital. Then Angela is discharged but she pulls the wheel of the taxi causing a serious accident. She returns in coma to the hospital. Forty days later, she has no response and Father Oscar Lozano (Michael Peña) convinces Roger to unplug the life support system. Out of the blue, she awakes in perfect health. Soon Angela shows signs of demoniac possession and the Vatican sends Cardinal Bruun (Peter Andersson) to perform an exorcism to save her soul. Will there be time to save her body?

"The Vatican Tapes" is a decent and underrated horror film, one of the best about exorcism. The plot is based on Catholic beliefs but is engaging. Most of the cast is excellent and has good performances; maybe only Michael Peña has an inexpressive performance. The conclusion has an open end maybe with the intention of a sequel. But in general, "The Vatican Tapes" is satisfactory with an appropriate use of Handycam or surveillance video. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Exorcistas do Vaticano" (Exorcists from the Vatican")

Limited due to it's rating.

[AlexandriaMehh · 5/10 · 27 July 2015]

Possession films in the past such as "The Devil Inside" have proved to be sick, and freak out the audience with the display of it's demonic possession. PG-13 possession films have proved to be quite sick, and perhaps good as well, hence "The Last Exorcism". This possession film, "The Vatican Tapes" comes out solid, but tends to be quite clichéd.

Starting off with the story of this film, of which seems to be quite simple. Our main character becomes possessed, and it progressively gets worse, and worse overtime. Her family, with the aid of some priests must figure out what's wrong and stop it. It seems very simple, but the way the story is executed in this film was very solid, for what it was, a simple, straight to the point plot. As the story continues, we get more in depth with the demons personality, per say. We get to see what it can do, and how it possesses it's powers to it's advantage. Overall, the story / plot is quite simple, but without spoiling anything, the movie carries it all out solidly, holding it's grasp.

The acting of this film, in my opinion was fine. Just fine. We get some pretty decent actors combining together in this film, which is great and all, but the situations they had to face lead they're acting to be a bit sketchy at points. Some parts of the film, for example when the actors fall back, scared, you kind of stare at the movie asking yourself .. "What?" Parts of which they DO seem serious, just seems funny toward the audience watching. In this case, they SEEM to be overacting when certain points come, but are actually not, instead are seeming that way due to the specific situation they're being put in. But in conclusion to this element, the situations that came to horror [ The scares, exorcism, etc. ] it was fine, not fantastic.

The scares of this movie, is defiantly something to conclude with. It's pretty much clichéd. You've pretty much seen this tactic in many films before. Dose this perhaps ring a bell? A bird flying at the window? Through it? Yea. We've seen this before, at least once. There's also, once again, without spoiling anything some other scares that have been seen before, on top of that, some of them are even horribly placed in time, making a failed attempt at scaring the audience, instead of scaring them, giving them a laugh even. There are also some scares floating around that will make you jump, but then when you realize what it was that made you jump, you'd ask yourself "How did that scare me!?" Either way, the point being there are few, to no scares that will get you deep in the core in this film. In conclusion, if your looking to get scared, from either tension itself, it won't happen. If you want an ear blasting loud noise, here you go! Another cliché method themed film filled with those!

In conclusion. The movie had simple flaws of which are extremely clichéd, however, the movie held grip with a solid execution, as well as some decent demonic possession methods. It dose hold many elements you typically see in other possession films, sure, but it was solid, and managed to keep the audience entertained. One way or another. It wasn't that bad of a film, but it lacked in critical horror elements, like scares, and tension. As there were none. But never the less, this horror flick was not bad at all. Just.. flawed deeply, and held back due to it's PG-13 rating.

Made by imitating tapes of old exorcism movies.

[quincytheodore · 4/10 · 8 October 2015]

One would expect a rich cultural or more in-depth take of possession premise with a title such as The Vatican Tapes. Unfortunately, it's nothing more than mediocre horror with barely anything new. Not to mention it's trapped between forced found footage style for some parts and shaky cam for the rest.

It's the story as old as the supposed entity possessing the poor victim, in this case Angela (Olivia Taylor Dudley). She begins showing weird behavior and it eventually attracts the attention of Vatican. For acting department, there are actually some decent names here such as Michael Peña, Djimon Hounsou or Dougray Scott. They all have worked in bigger movies or played different roles, and there's a visible effort here, but the material is so thin their characters feel lackluster.

Pacing is also another issue. The way it's presented might make the timeline seem odd, it switches back and forth between early stages of haunting and eventual discovery. However, the transition is poor and it doesn't escalate well, although that's partially because of the timid horror. Visually, it's very confusing, often using documentary style such as following character with camcorder perspective or CCTV videos, all of which are unnecessary and only manage to limit the presentation.

As for the creepy parts, they are practically the stuffs of old. If you have seen any similar movie in past couple of years, chances are you've seen this before. A few scenes fare better, although these are also heavily borrowed from other films. There's barely any grand sight or atmosphere of Vatican, in fact the priests from holy city almost like supporting character that pop up in small portion of the movie.

It's all right if the concept is not novel, many other movies have done old concept well. However, The Vatican Tapes relies too heavily on superficial gimmicks and sadly low on thrill.

plodding slow boil

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 1 November 2017]

The Vatican has maintained tapes of possible satanic possessions over the years. Vicar Imani (Djimon Hounsou) shows Cardinal Bruun (Peter Andersson) the case of Angela Holmes (Olivia Taylor Dudley). Two months earlier, her boyfriend Pete Smith (John Patrick Amedori) throws her a surprise birthday party with her father (Dougray Scott) attending. She cuts herself with the cake knife and reluctantly goes to the hospital. Strange things start to happen including her unquenchable thirst. She is hospitalized. There's an incident and the police is called in but Father Lozano (Michael Peña) sees the supernatural. Angela is put into a group home under the supervision of psychiatrist Dr. Richards (Kathleen Robertson).

It's a horror without scares. It's plodding. It has no style and no pace. It has worthwhile actors but not all of them stick around. It should have Father Lozano as the protagonist since he's the most natural point of view. Angela could work if it goes more into the demon world. The story is flat and unoriginal. It's on the slow boil and stays there. It's security camera footage and slow moving plot. There is some attempt at atmosphere. The exorcism doesn't have pea soup but it does have CGI fire. This was released theatrically but it's more fitting as one of the countless VOD offerings.

A televangelists tale

[am-hlam · 5/10 · 8 December 2019]

I was entertained for an hour and a half, and had my expectations subverted - in a positive way (not in a Rian Johnson way, thankfully). It is well shot, using good effects, it has a reasonable script, with on par performances all round.

Terrible

[docdo2 · 1/10 · 25 July 2015]

You immediately question the direction of the movie because of it's focus on surveillance footage only to have no real purpose of the footage. The camera work is terrible. The main character's hair, why is it always side parted and perfect? The entire theater booed when it ended. Too many plain plots. The music score is cheap. Too many scenes of the Vatican for no reason. The use of an actor from 90210 only makes movies less believable. The casting director should be fired and never work in Hollywood. Props to the CGI people for doing what they could with this baddie. They all need acting coaches.

This movie probably was very fun and funny to film.

I never write reviews. Wrote this one because I became so frustrating with this movie. It has no integrity and no body. Very empty. Should have gone straight to VHS, not even DVD or netflix.

Certainly not the worst movie about possession like some want to make us believe

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 20 October 2015]

Here we go again with the negative reviewers. I wonder what's wrong with those people? You are not going to tell me that this is the worst horror movie you ever saw, because then you talk a lot of bull... Okay it's not the best movie about possession or exorcism but it sure ain't the worst one. You can not compare it with The Exorcist because that movie was one of the first one about that subject and for that time it had everyone on the tip of their chair. Linda Blair will probably remain the best actress as a possessed person but it doesn't mean that other actors can't play that role. I thought Olivia Taylor Dudley did a good job with her performance. Looking innocent and then pure evil, to me it all looked real, and that's what's it all about with movies like this one. I surely was entertained and I saw hundreds of worse horror movies then The Vatican Tapes. Don't believe the haters here because they don't know what they are talking about.

Possibly, the worse horror film about exorcism I've ever seen.

[subxerogravity · 5/10 · 30 July 2015]

I feel like I should not take a jab about how cheap the movie feels, but it feels cheap.

This is ironic considering how amazing the special effects were in the film. That's the thing about film making today. Any kid with a good lap top can due really good special effects.

It's too bad the same cannot be said of any kid with a camera. I'm glad this was not a found footage movie, though some of the film is seen though security cam footage and personal footage taken by head strikers and an exorcist. It's a straight narrative, but treating it like a found footage movie would have giving the filmmakers a better excuse.

I thought the acting talent in the movie was pretty good. They did the best with a story that had too many badly played angles. The demon they selected to exorcise was a little too bold and would have made them horror legends if they pulled it off right, but that did not happen.

Overall, watching this girl's soul being taken over by evil was not interesting at all. It was not creepy or scary. I just wanted it to be over with.

Yes, indeed, another Exorcism movie

[cliometrician · 7/10 · 12 October 2015]

I don't know if there is a name for someone who really enjoys watching exorcism movies, but I'm that person. I watch them all and I've never regretted seeing any of them. I could probably write a script for one; they really don't vary that much, but there is usually a little something that makes each one stand apart.

The score of 7 that I'm giving this one is ranking it with all other exorcism movies, and I've never seen one that I would rank below 4. Actually, my score would be a 6 and 1/2 if I could give that.

(SPOILER ALERT) Let's look at some of the tried and true elements in this one: The Vatican is concerned and sends a Cardinal to investigate; a kindly local priest is present; a beautiful girl is possessed; an evil bird or two makes its presence known; the possessed girl causes one or more people to maim or kill; the unexpected happens during the exorcism.

It's that last part about the actual exorcism that gets some high points from me. When's the last time you saw the guy performing the exorcism holding a knife to the girl's throat, pulling a chain around her neck to kill her? This Cardinal could care less about the girl's health because he realizes this is just not any demonic possession--this girl is possessed by the Anti-Christ itself, and that's something that shakes the Vatican to its core. Major demonic activity during the exorcism--what's not to like? Contrary to some other reviews, I liked the photography, I thought it very good. The acting was also pretty good, and the possessed girl really did a fine job of projecting a crazy demon persona. Michael Pena was good as the kindly priest; he's really only an average actor, but you can't help but like him in any part.

Djimon Hounsou plays only a small role back at the Vatican. It's a shame he was not the one to travel to America to perform the exorcism. The last scenes are of Michael Pena in the Vatican talking to Hounsou. Looks like Pena has been recruited to be second in command of the huge archival collection of "the Devil's work on earth." Just before they get on the elevator, Hounsou turns and says to Pena: "Come and see." Now that rang a familiar bell from Sunday School days. In the book of Revelations one of the Four Beasts says in a voice of thunder: "Come and See." Coincidence? I think not.

A man of the cloth saves the day talk about tired remakes.

[supatube · 3/10 · 6 August 2015]

The film begins with a line from the scriptures about the coming of the second Christ and how it will basically be a sheep in wolves clothing which may be setting up the story about to follow but in reality it pointed out how the pope, or other men of the cloth, could very well be this Antichrist they are preaching about. Already I have my doubts before the title, 'The Vatican Tapes' is even on the screen. Then it appears.

The title made me cringe. So far it is telling me two things I don't want to get into: the Catholic Church and found-footage-styled filmmaking. It may be floating around as a new exorcism story but it really isn't. It's more of the Antichrist coming to earth story, which Gabrielle Burn kinda set the standard for in the 90's film 'End of Days' and this film barely comes close to grazing his wickedness. But this may very well be the story's entire twist…? It does come off as a realisation in the end but so underwhelming to the point where it does not feel like a spoiler mentioning it to you.

Lets get to the first in-liners: horror fans. "Vatican Tapes" will not bring anything new to the world of the devil and god, it will not try new angles with which to scare you and it will not try surprise you, other than turning 'The Exorcist' into 'End of Days', and still, who cares?

Date moviegoers: there isn't one great scare that will get anyone in your lap. It may very well just lull them off to sleep. So maybe keep your shoulder up high…?

The acting isn't horrendous but still not noteworthy enough to recommend any particular performance. The special effects were never weak that they ever pulled one out of the story but their lame factor was well high.

There's screaming and explosions, an insane asylum (how fresh) and panicked lovers/parents. Cliché galore. Then we have the obvious insensitivity pointing to the underlying misogyny of the writer; of course a whore will give birth to the Antichrist, why wouldn't it be? Tired plot, boring characters, stale settings and a pace that will stifle – what a yawn, perhaps if the pope were in fact the Antichrist then 'Vatican Tapes' may have had my attention. But using a priest to save the day would mean taking a time trip back to the 70's were a man of the cloth still gave off the impression of a saviour and all round good guy.

a good take on a exorcism of an ordinary girl.

[clairechance · 9/10 · 6 October 2015]

I absolutely loved this movie and had been waiting ages to watch it online. I must say it surpassed all my hopes and was probably one of the best films i've seen in a long time. It is about an ordinary girl that finds herself slowly becoming unwell, its a slow start but then starts to move along quite nicely. I won't spoil it too much, but i recommend it for all horror fans. The acting is good and is very believable in the film. Once the girl ends up in hospital that's when all the weird things start happening. The hospital are that out their depth that the local priest calls in the vatican for help. That's when all the excitement starts, leaving us with a very different ending to what is expected.

Different beast

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 12 March 2016]

It's not really about exorcism, though it is about possession. And I have to admit, that I am surprised by the low rating here on IMDb. It's very well crafted, has an array of good actors in it and the script is solid. While I would agree that it doesn't reach the heights of some of the best horror movies out there, this is certainly a very good movie.

The acting is strong, the story holds up and the ending works too. Yes some characters react strange to our main character, but overall it's not the worst behavior in horror movies (or in the clichés we are used to). I like the mentality of the movie and the director seems to know his stuff. As does the cinematographer (both plus leading actress are on an interesting audio commentary on the disc) too. I was pleasantly surprised by this and maybe you will be too

WORST horror movie

[zabdolbunga · 1/10 · 6 August 2015]

I would say that this is one of the most worst horror movie ever created.. Everything looks so fake! I mean like seriously.. I expect more from a movie that's from Hollywood.. This movie made my day even worse..everything is just predictable.. And there is no suspense nor tension.. Even the effects are bad..the story line it makes no sense and no logic at all..the descriptions were saying about Vatican City has been keeping evil videos from 2000 years ago..like wth.. It didn't even have much connection to it at all.. I'm just too disappointed maybe because I expect it to be interesting and thrilling and more likely believable ..guess I was wrong..

Not too too bad

[ottoskorzeny-53649 · 5/10 · 16 February 2020]

First thing first. During opening scenes when Roger was when in military uniform, it was impossible for me not to notice the following.

Unit citations on right breast were out of order. Name tag was above citations, not on pocket flap. On his left pocket, his wings and his marksmanship badge should be in reverse order. He wears an army good conduct ribbon, but he also wears commissioned officer rank. The good conduct metal is only awarded to enlisted ranks. Perhaps he was enlisted prior to being commissioned, but it also had device attached indicating it was awarded multiple times, yet he wears no nco development ribbon. Uncommon for a man that has been in long enough to receive multi good conduct metals. Also not wearing an army service ribbon. Impossible if he is wearing a good conduct. He needs a shave. Definitely unsatisfactory if in uniform. Sorry folks, i was in far too long not to pick that up, as im sure other vets did. In these times with the internet, would be simple to get that stuff right. Disappointed. Movie dragged a bit during exorcism scenes, and an abrupt ending that can only be fixed by watching a sequel. Over all not too too bad but was hoping for so much better.

And the winner is....

[Dorjee_Wang · 1/10 · 10 October 2015]

The Vatican Tapes. What did it win? The award for the worst horror film of the year.

What does terrible direction, amateur acting from not-so amateur actors, incoherent plot, atrocious editing crammed into 90 minutes make? Yes, you guessed it right - The Vatican Tapes.

Now I did not need more than the first 15 minutes to know that the movie was gonna suck. But I was hoping for even a small chance at it being enjoyable. How disappointed I was by the end result. The storyline is horrible, utter trash. But the worst thing was the acting. It was worse than some amateur movies I've seen.

Not recommended to anyone. This one is an utter trash. You are better off wasting your time by doing other things.

Patchy Demonic Horror.

[aradford57 · 5/10 · 23 July 2022]

With a better script and and a lot more money this, made for TV film, (Ad cuts were obvious) could have been quite good.

But to be fair there was some convincing acting all round and a few moments of genuine horror.

5/10.

Not a possession movie

[AvalonToo · 7/10 · 8 February 2017]

I don't quite understand how this movie got such a low rating. It is a decent end-of-time movie, not a possession film.

While I was watching, I was thinking that it should have a 5 to 6 IMDb star rating, but I thought maybe the ending would ruin the film just like so many other horror movies. The ending is quite good. Normally, I don't like endings that do not finish the story. So many horror films leave business unfinished so there will be an opportunity for sequels. This film could have a sequel but does not require one. The story is about the beginning of the end. If there were to be a sequel, it would have to be epic, a very different sort of film. Try "Lord of the Rings" epic. If not, then it should not be made at all.

As I said before, it is not a possession movie. There may be an attempt to exorcise a demon, but if one pays attention, it is very clear why the exorcism does not work. Exorcism aims to remove a demon from the human host. It does not work if there is no demon to remove.

There are many things that could be explained better, such as when the cardinal realizes he was not dealing with a run of the mill demon and when he realizes his attempt to get rid of it only serves to promote its progress. The parody of Christ's birth, death and resurrection is too subtle and needed to be more developed. We saw the cardinal's face. We know he realizes something, but most of us who are watching won't know what and won't know why he change his tactics, which turned out to be another mistake and confirmed what he already suspected, that there was no possession to be exorcised.

This is not a movie about the final battle between good and evil. It's about the fight before the ultimate battle, a fight that the forces of good lose.

Good Enough, But Should Have Been Better

[fatfil-414-451797 · 5/10 · 4 May 2023]

I'm a sucker for a good supernatural horror, particularly involving demons and possession. And this, on paper, had real potential. On the plus side, although it took a little while to get going, it did maintain a good pace . It felt a little disjointed in places, whether this was due to bad pacing, or bad editing I don't know. The ending for me is a little disappointing, had a kind of Buffy feeling about it, and a little glib. The scripting feels a bit stilted in places, particularly the conflict between the father and the boyfriend. I love the premiss of the movie, and had potential to be a good franchise. Definitely worth a watch, but don't expect perfection.

I enjoyed this flick for what it is

[851222 · 7/10 · 20 October 2015]

Greetings from Lithuania.

"The Vatican Tapes" (2015) is a very enjoyable "possession / exorcism" movie. While the plot is not really original, the ending kinda was original, really original. It has not bad mood for this kind of horror movie, and although it has clichés all around, the overall experience was positive.

Michael Peña is totally miscast in this movie, he is one of the most reliable "comic reliefs" in industry at the moment, so it is hard to take him seriously in priest robe with serious face, there were some scenes with him near the end when i just wanted to chuckle - not that he is a bad actor, he is solid one, but at this moment in his carrier this kind of movie is clearly not his strongest side. Djimon Hounsou is also a bit miscast, although this 2 times Oscar nominee is much more believable in this role. Others were OK, nothing special. Directing was also OK, and i kinda liked cinematography and editing, they create this feeling of uncertainty.

Overall, i kinda see why "The Vatican Tapes" has such a lot rating at IMDb (4.5 at the moment) - lots of recent horror movies about possession and exorcism are shoot in "found footage" style, but this one plays straight and its overall look is inconsistent, there are many close ups and shaky camera and some weird shoots, but as a whole i liked this style and as i have mentioned it creates this tension and feeling of uncertainty. Ending was also kinda original in my opinion. While this flick isn't the most original or best in its genre, it was a pretty descent one.

The Vatican Tapes Review

[trnjamesbond · 1/10 · 9 October 2015]

I could think of many better things to spend 8.5 million dollars on, this is not one of them. I almost vomited at the idiocy of this film, cheap score, cheap camera work, and just terrible acting.

Nothing in this film wanting for more. It did make me want to poke my eyes out, which would of been a more positive approach, rather than spending a dime on this film.

Thank heavens for Popcorn Time. I watched this film for free, as I do with many crappy films, I didn't pay for this, nor do I wish to recommend people to pay for this tripe. The Vatican Tapes seems to be a film about moronic film work, horrendous acting skills and bad choices for a director of photography.

Please I beg of you, do not watch this film.

Rating 0 out of 5

Actually Very Good

[philipkmeadows · 8/10 · 24 January 2020]

Bemused by low scores for The Vatican Tapes, for me it was very good. It's a slow build-up, an original(ish) story - unlike some by-the-numbers possession-related flicks, and not "predictable". Worth an hour and a half of your time...

A solid entertaining film.

[rocknrelics · 7/10 · 22 April 2020]

I'm sure most horror fans with an interest in religion/exorcism based films will find something to enjoy here.

Sure it's nothing new, but it's well acted and stylishly executed in terms of cinematography.

There's not really any wasted time on screen, and it rattles along at a good pace.

So many horror films these days have a cheap feel, this doesn't. It's not a classic like The Exorcist, or The Omen, but it's a heck of a lot better than most being made nowadays.

Watered-Down Version Of The Exorcist

[stevendbeard · 4/10 · 24 July 2015]

I saw "The Vatican Tapes", starring Olivia Taylor Dudley-Transcendence, Chernobyl Diaries; Dougray Scott-Taken 3, Mission:Impossible 2; Michael Pena-Ant-Man, Battle Los Angeles and John Patrick Amedori-The Last Stand, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

This is a cheap, watered-down version of The Exorcist. The film begins by saying that the Catholic church has been recording evidence of evil for over 2,000 years. Olivia is the target in this film about the devil trying to get a foothold in our world. It does not explain exactly why she was picked; someone in the film even says that there is no explanation for why the devil chooses one person over another. Dougray plays her Catholic father-Hey, maybe it's the Catholic connection-and John plays her live-in boyfriend-or Hey, maybe it's the living in sin connection. Oh yeah, nobody knows. Anyway, after Olivia has a few accidents where someone around her gets hurt or killed, she is taken to the hospital. When they can not fix her, she is admitted to a mental health center-maybe she is crazy? People still get hurt or killed, so they finally get help from Michael, a priest that calls in the Vatican squad to perform an exorcism. The movie is not one of those found footage type movies-Thank Goodness!-but it has a slow beginning and it is not that scary, either. The ending is about the only thing that I did like;not your typical happy ending. It's rated "PG-13" for violence and sexual content-no nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 31 minutes. I would not buy this one on DVD. I would not rent it, either. If I were you, I would wait until it hits cable TV.

I'm getting tired of the Catholic approach to Exorcisms

[manuelasaez · 4/10 · 14 October 2015]

As far as exorcism films go, this movie is as vanilla as they come. I don't remember any cursing, there were were uncomfortable body contortions by the possessed girl, but it was just so basic. It's the same tired set-up time and time again; girl is possessed, they call a Catholic priest, he has to convince the Vatican that the girl is possessed and get clearance to perform an exorcism. With other religions, you don't need to go through all of that noise. Pentecostals, for example, believe that people can in fact be possessed. If someone is possessed, they begin the process right away. No waiting, no red tape. The creepy, cult-like nature of the Catholic church just makes the whole process needlessly complicated. If someone believes that they are possessed, get the damn demon out if them, got-dammit. That being said, the acting is okay, the special effects were passable, and the ending was better than I expected. But overall, the premise of this movie has already been done TO DEATH. let's get some new ideas thrown into the mix now. Instead of a girl, make it a boy. Instead of Catholic priests, make it a Pentecostal Pastor. Just change the formula. It's no longer scary when you don't believe in what is trying to scare you.

Wow

[singingsmything · 1/10 · 6 May 2020]

The acting...is so so so bad. It all happened way too fast. There was no buildup or storyline. But the worst part for me is definitely the horrendous acting especially the main character. She has no skill whatsoever.