Exorcism horror movies tend to adhere to the blueprint established by The Exorcist, using possession to renew faith among the faithless over the soul of an innocent. Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism aims to flip the script, reframing the harrowing nature of an exorcism through the lens of religious fanaticism, dialed up to an extreme, tragic degree. It makes for an effectively uncomfortable watch, but its true crime source inspiration diminishes its impact.
Set in the small town of Eastfield in 1994, Godless introduces married couple Ron (Dan Ewing) and Lara (Georgia Eyers) months into their exasperated search to relieve Lara of troubling delusions and peculiar behaviors, including dancing naked under the moonlight. The profoundly devout Ron snaps at the latest mental health professional and decides it’s time to seek a spiritual intervention from his fanatical religious community. Lara doesn’t quite share the same level of devotion as her husband, but the many months of suffering leave her meek and vulnerable to her aggressive husband’s whims. Ron’s pastor Barbara (Rosie Traynor), connects him with Daniel (Tim Pocock), an unsanctioned exorcist so extreme in his faith that his attempts to save souls come with a punishing psychical toll that’s beyond inhumane.
Director Nick Kozakis remains unflinching in his examination of Lara’s plight. The telltale signs of possession ensue, complete with demonic visions and jump scares. But Kozakis injects enough subtle clues, and some not so subtle, to ensure there’s no question of Lara’s innocence. Reason gets violently stamped out just as quickly as it’s voiced by the arrogant, so steadfast in their righteousness no matter the cost. It makes for an intentionally and profoundly discomforting viewing experience as Lara’s surrounded while Daniel escalates his torturous bid to physically rid her of her demons. The violence juxtaposed with Eyer’s empathetic, affecting portrayal makes for effective horror.
While Godless alters enough details to separate it from the true crime that inspired it, enough details remain to connect Lara and Ron’s plight to the heart-wrenching tragedy of Joan Vollner, who’d suffered a torturous four-day death by exorcism in a small rural community near Victoria in 1993 at the behest of her husband Ralph Vollner and his religious community. By marrying this fictional account of religious radicalism to an appalling historic account with an upsetting conclusion, Godless essentially forces its audience to be complicit in the crime. That it’s a horror movie that employs occasional scare tactics and often overblown sound design confuses the intent, unless the intent is to condemn the act of exorcism as horror entertainment.
The messaging is clear: unchecked fanaticism can be tragic at best and lethal at its grimmest. Godless is so focused on conveying this that it becomes a grueling experience, willing to sacrifice everything to ensure it drives its message home. That includes the story; this narrative is so stripped bare of anything outside its path toward exorcism-induced destruction that it amounts to a PSA against exorcisms. It’s challenging to get a sense of anyone or anything outside of the “possession” at the center of one repulsive exorcism. There’s no solace to be found here or any reprieve other than the respectable yet forceful condemnation of the zealots depicted. It makes for a powerful effort that’s less successful in its attempts to infuse a fictional horror movie with true crime.
Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism releases on VOD on April 6, 2023.
The post ‘Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism’ Review – Possession Horror Through a Grueling True Crime Lens appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.