Pray for the Devil, a supernatural American horror movie, was released on October 28, 2022, and received a 69% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie stars Jacqueline Byers as Sister Ann, a nun who believes she should become the first female exorcist. The Roman Catholic Church forbids nuns from learning the art of exorcism, even though a surge in demonic possessions forces the church to reopen schools to train priests.  

     The film follows Sister Ann’s journey as she tries to become an exorcist after being attacked by a possessed patient, but after the incident a priest who teaches in the school convinces the head priest and nun too allow Sister Ann to become the first female exorcist. One of the first plot twists of the movie is that the demon who attacked Sister Ann was a spirit who possessed her mother years prior, the devil himself 

   The movie also features a young girl named Natalie who is going through a possession, and the priests are struggling to save her. With the help of Father Dante, Ann plans to perform an exorcism on Natalie by bathing her in a holy water filled pond. The pond has been present since the founding of the church and holds powerful exorcism properties. A shocking revelation occurs when it is discovered that Ann is Natalie’s mother, and the devil possesses Natalie once again.   

   During the exorcism, the devil takes possession of Sister Ann and goes after Natalie, but Sister Ann shows the devil the power of the cross as she falls into the pond. At first, it seems like the devil has been exorcised, but as the movie ends, a possessed woman is seen looking at Ann entering a taxi. Sister Ann looks away and then back, only to see the possessed woman at her window. The devil had taken possession of the taxi driver, and Sister Ann brings out a cross. The movie ends with the taxi driver attacking Sister Ann. 

    Websites like collider.com see Pray for the Devil, as Catholic propaganda. They state that the movie makes an uncomfortable comparison between demonic possession and mental health issues, suggesting the latter is proof of inner evil. Collider.com goes on to say that when the movie exposes its premise that people who carry shame and guilt invite demons on purpose because they want to be punished, it feels a lot like victim-shaming.  

   The website Gamerant.com state that there’s nothing to recommend in Pray for the Devil that isn’t available elsewhere. It states, “Unless the Catholic Church’s marketing arm got involved, there’s no reason for this film to hit the big screen. The story feels pointless, the scares don’t work, the presentation is a mess, and the messaging is either confused or unforgivable.”   

    When I went to see the movie, it seemed like it was a good idea to go watch it when it was announced that it was coming out around October. What I liked about the movie was the jump scares and the whole plot twist about the girl that got possessed by the demon – turns out she is the daughter of the mother who had also had a past with the demon itself. 

    It was an exciting and suspenseful movie with some great twists that kept me riveted until the end. The downside for me was how it became a little too long and there were some jump scares that got too intense. I would have liked it better if it had been shorter, and at times it started to feel boring. Overall, I thought it was an exciting horror movie. I recommend the movie to anyone who wants to see a story about demons. 

 CLIPS/SCENES FROM THE MOVIE

PREY FOR THE DEVIL Clip – “Pretty Voice” (2022) Horror

Prey for the Devil Exclusive Movie Clip – I’m Scared (2022) 

Prey For The Devil (2022 Movie) Official Clip ‘First Female Exorcist’ 

PREY FOR THE DEVIL Clip – “Worms” (2022) Horror 

Prey for the Devil (2022) Official Clip ‘Child of God’- Christian Navarro, Jacqueline Byers