[yasr_overall_rating]
Damon Richter thought he left the world of possessions, exorcisms, and evil behind until an old friend arrives with frightening information about his estranged daughter knowing that only his otherworldly skills can save her.
“American Exorcism” is a horror thriller written and directed by Tripp Weathers and starring Michael Filipowich, Kate Tumanova, and William McKinney. It was shot by Dane Lawing, scored by Darren Morze, and executive produced by Ronney Jenkins, Steven Kalodner, and Naz Tliachev.
The 92-minute, R-rated (for continuous language and brief sexual nudity) feature concerns itself with Damon Richter (Filipowich), a troubled man torn by a violent past overseas as a result in serving in the War on Terror. His wife Caroline (Tumanova) wants him to restructure himself just to make their daughter happy. Will Richtner be able to regain full composure or will he let his personal demons overshadow him in the wake of a pending attack by exorcist ghosts?
The film never dulls nor truly manages to pen down the terror moments it is going for but it does retain watchability and shows promise for filmmaker Tripp Weathers. Unfortunately, while the film is shot rather appropriately by Dane Lawing to create the appropriate mood and atmosphere, it never fully succeeds due to the rushed visual effects. I can at least commend the film for never sinking to even the lowest SyFy-Lifetime Channel or Uwe Boll Z-grade factor, let alone the fact that it’s not trying to be like “The Exorcist” or “Deliver Us From Evil,” only its own show. It doesn’t always organize itself either once the initial beginning sets in and due to that factor, it ends up montaging around the various other neighbors and friends affected by the terror outside Damon’s household, then back to Damon having to thwart an attack by ghosts, friends possessed by them, and sometimes even both. The unpredictable nature works to some degree while also misfiring due to constant sudden changes in focus, all while maintaining the same aggressive attempt at a spooky tone.
Lead star Filipowich, who bears a resemblance to the underrated veteran character actor John-Pyder Ferguson, shows charisma even through his gritty line delivery and that’s also thanks to his appropriate staging and facial reactions. Actress Tumanova makes for a convincing gorgeous wife, so convincing that as a result, she isn’t able to really stand out due to the distracting visual effects or being given hardly much to do. She also doesn’t stand a chance with her co-star Filipowich so it’ll be interesting to see if she can reach out in future projects. Due to the unfocused nature, the film will bore some while intriguing far more forgiving horror film buffs and that’s the price we all pay when seeing independent horror flicks. Either way, you could do worse and this isn’t it, that’s for sure. You won’t see it on cable anytime soon but given how the filmmakers have worked on projects of every sort, I am personally curious to see if they can get a better budget and story fleshed out another day. It wasn’t this day but never say never for now.
Now available on VOD and on DVD August 1st
